The RMS Titanic

The RMS Titanic sank on April 15th, 1912, four days into its maiden voyage. She hit an iceberg the night before at 11:40 pm, and at 2:20 am the following morning, she sank alongside her crew and the over 1,500 who couldn't board a lifeboat. Of the 2,224 people who got on the Titanic on April 10th, only about 705 survived and were rescued by the Carpathia.

Even though the Carpathia was the one to answer the Titanic's distress call, there was one much closer ship. The Californian was only 40 minutes away though it took the Carpathia an hour and 20 minutes to make it to the Titanic. Those 40 minutes could have saved countless lives, but the radio operator was off duty.

The Californian was able to send the Titanic an iceberg warning. The Titanic received many during its voyage. From April 11th to the 14th, they received 21, 7 of those being the same day she struck the iceberg. All of these had been documented, meaning the Captain and crew knew of the possible dangers they were facing.

Many deaths were due in part to many of the lifeboats leaving underfilled. All boats could carry 65 people, but many left with less than 30 aboard. Even if they did fill them, many would be stranded as there were not enough lifeboats for everyone. During their voyage, there weren't requirements that told them they needed enough lifeboats for everyone. Because of this, the White Star Line didn't provide more to keep from obscuring the first-class passengers' view.