BETA
The physics of the iceberg collision
At 11:40 PM, the Titanic struck the iceberg, which exerted immense pressure on the hull. Rather than a clean cut, the impact popped rivets and separated steel seams over a 300-foot stretch. This allowed water to flood five of the front compartments simultaneously.
Chapter 1
Engineering a steel giant
Chapter 2
A floating society of contrasts
Chapter 3
The collision and the cold night
Chapter 4
Rescue and the aftermath
Chapter 5
How the night changed the ocean
Ch 3 · The collision and the cold night
artiteacher Test your Titanic survival and engineering knowledge. Choose the best fit between float and freeze in this interactive historical game.
artiteacher The iceberg did not slice the ship open, but buckled the steel plates along the bow.
Fun Fact
Iceberg's ancient origin: The iceberg that struck the Titanic likely broke off from Greenland about three thousand years before the collision.
artiteacher The Titanic received multiple wireless iceberg warnings from other vessels on the day of the collision.
Glossary
iceberg (noun)
A large floating mass of ice detached from a glacier and carried out to sea. The Titanic struck one in the North Atlantic at 11:40 p.m. on April 14, 1912.
A large floating mass of ice detached from a glacier and carried out to sea. The Titanic struck one in the North Atlantic at 11:40 p.m. on April 14, 1912.