1-152-333 - Ann Ronan Picture Library/Heritage-Images

'Toll of the Sea', the sinking of the 'Titanic', 1912. Cartoon showing Britannia and America supporting each other in grief. The SS Titanic, operated by the White Star Line, struck an iceberg in thick fog south of Newfoundland en route from Southampton to New York just before midnight on 14th April 1912. She was the largest and most luxurious passenger liner afloat at the time, and was believed by her designers to be unsinkable. Unfortunately the collision caused five of the vessel's watertight compartments to be ruptured and the Titanic sank with only 705 survivors out of the 2228 passengers and crew on board. A major contributory factor to the size of the death toll was the insufficient number of lifeboats carried on the ship. From Punch, or the London Charivari, London, 24 April 1912.