Titanic- it has many different names: the Ship of Dreams (梦幻之船), the Unsinkable Ship, and the worst Maritime Disaster (海难) in all of history. Designed and manufactured by the White Star Line Company, this huge British luxury liner weighed approximately (大约) 46,000 gross tons.
Titanic set off on it's maiden voyage (首航), carrying more than 2,220 passengers, from the docks of Southampton (南安普敦) in early April 1912. Titanic's voyage was called the voyage of discovery, but it turned out (结果是) to be the last voyage that it and many of its passengers would take. Built originally with enough lifeboat (救生艇) capacity for everyone on the ship, the boat deck seemed too crowded so half of the lifeboats were taken off the ship.
While the GREat ship was speeding toward New York City, it struck an iceberg (冰山) about 153km south of the Grand Banks of Newfoundland (纽芬兰), only minutes before midnight on April 14, 1912.
Titanic was swallowed by the sea in less than three hours, and, even though there was enough room for half of the passengers in the lifeboats, the people paniced (惊慌) and loaded the boats themselves. They filled the boats much less than full because they were worried about being too crowded.
In the end, 1,513 out of the 2,220 passengers perished (腐烂) in the freezing ocean water. Investigations into the happenings of that night are frustrating (挫败) to say the least. Another ship, the Californian, was close enough to Titanic to rescue the passengers, but it did not respond to the Titanic's distress (不幸) calls because its radio opperator was off duty (失职) and asleep.
Titanic is now at the bottom (底部) of the sea, but the dreadful occurances of April 14, 1912 live on in the minds and hearts of the survivors (生还者) and the loved ones of those passengers who weren't as fortunate. These are the tragedies (惨剧), and this is the disaster simply known as Titanic.
