TITANIC TIMELINE: Southampton to Queenstown

TITANIC TIMELINE PART THREE: Arriving in Southampton through final departure from Queenstown

April 2:
8:00 PM: Leaves Belfast (under Captain Bartlett) for overnight trip to Southampton, her port of  embarkation (about 570 miles).


Dressed in flags at Southampton



April 3: Arrives port of Southampton just after midnight to begin provisioning and staffing for maiden voyage.

April 5: Good Friday: Titanic is "dressed" in panoply of flags and pennants for a salute to the people of Southampton. Only occasion she is ever "dressed."

April 6: Recruitment day for remainder, and majority, of crew. General cargo begins to arrive. The final total cargo includes 559 tons and 11,524 separate pieces. As well, 5892 tons of coal are loaded on board.

April 8: Fresh food supplies taken on board. All final preparations overseen by ship's builder Thomas Andrews down to the tiniest detail.

John Jacob Astor arrives on Boat Train

April 10, Wednesday - Sailing Day:
7:30 AM: Captain Edward J. Smith boards Titanic with full crew. Officers have spent the night on board. Smith receives sailing report from Chief Officer Wilde.

8:00 AM: Entire crew mustered, followed by brief lifeboat drill using only two starboard boats,   No's 11 and 15.

9:30 to 11:30 AM: Second-and-third-class boat-trains arrive and passengers board ship.


Near collision with liner NEW YORK

 11:30 AM: Arrival of first-class boat-train from London at dockside. First-class passengers board and are escorted to cabins.

Noon: Titanic casts off and is towed from dock by tugs.  


Steaming down River Test

During downstream passage into River Test under her own steam, the water displaced by Titanic's movement causes all six mooring ropes on the New York to break and her stern to swing toward Titanic. Quick action narrowly averts a collision by only four feet. Departure delayed for an hour. This incident (along with the Olympic-Hawke collision) indicates unfamiliarity with ships of this size by those handling them. 

1:00 PM: Titanic resumes 24-mile trip downstream to English Channel en route to Cherbourg,  France.

  
4:00 PM: Boat-train from Paris arrives Cherbourg. Late arrival announced.
 5:30 PM: Cherbourg - passengers finally board tenders and wait to be ferried out to Titanic.


TITANIC at Cherbourg, France



6:30 PM: Titanic rides at anchor in Cherbourg harbor, all lights ablaze. Twenty-two cross-Channel passengers disembark, and some cargo is unloaded.

8:00 PM: 274 Cherbourg passengers are all aboard and tenders return to shore.

8:10 PM: Anchor raised and Titanic leaves for Queenstown, Ireland, taking her through the English Channel and around England's south coast.

Passengers & baggage at Queenstown

April 11, Thursday morning:
Captain Smith takes Titanic through some additional practice turns en route to Queenstown to test maneuverability.

11:30 AM: Titanic rides at anchor in Queenstown harbor, about two miles from land. 113 third-class and seven second-class passengers board from tenders with 1385 bags of mail. Seven passengers disembark.

  

Last known picture taken of TITANIC
as she steams away from land.



1:30 PM: The starboard anchor is raised for the last time and Titanic departs on her first Trans-Atlantic crossing for New York. Estimated total number of passengers on board: 2227. (Exact total unknown due to discrepancies in passenger/crew lists.)

NEXT:  Voyage to Impact with Iceberg