Titanic was the largest ship in the world when it entered service in 1912.
RMS Titanic was a British ocean liner operated by the White Star Line. Built at the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast, it was the second of three Olympic-class liners, following RMS Olympic and preceding HMHS Britannic. Titanic was designed for luxurious transatlantic travel as well as commercial passenger service.
The ship began its maiden voyage from Southampton on April 10, 1912, traveling toward New York with stops planned at Cherbourg and Queenstown. It struck an iceberg in the North Atlantic late on April 14 and sank in the early hours of April 15. More than 1,500 people died, making the disaster one of the deadliest peacetime maritime losses.
The wreck was discovered in 1985 by a joint American-French expedition led by Robert Ballard and Jean-Louis Michel. Titanic’s story led to major changes in maritime safety, including stronger lifeboat requirements and the creation of the International Ice Patrol.