1-148-884 - Ann Ronan Picture Library/Heritage-Images

Lifeboats from the SS Titanic, 1912. All that was left of the greatest ship in the world - the lifeboats that carried most of the 705 survivors. Operated by the White Star Line, SS Titanic struck an iceberg in thick fog off Newfoundland on 14 April 1912. She was the largest and most luxurious ocean liner of her time, and thought to be unsinkable. In the collision five of her watertight compartments were compromised and she sank. Out of the 2228 people on board, only 705 survived. A major cause of the loss of life was the insufficient number of lifeboats she carried.