57 Fascinating Facts About the Titanic

Source: Jennifer Neal / Pinterest

16. 20 horses were needed to transport the main anchor

The ship’s main anchor weighed 16 tons, or more than 30,000 pounds. Twenty horses were required to transport the anchor two miles from the casting site in the town of Netherton to the train station in Dudley in 1911.

Source: Titanic collection / Wikimedia Commons

17. The Titanic’s last lunch menu sold for tens of thousands of dollars

On Sep. 30, 2015, a private collector bought the Titanic’s last first-class lunch menu in an online auction for $88,000. The collector paid $18,000 more than the initial maximum price.

Source: The International News Service / Wikimedia Commons

18. Only 23 of the 908 crew on board were female

Of the 23 female crew members, only three did not survive the collision. Of the 885 male crew members, a tragic 693 went down with the ship.

Source: National Archives--Northeast Region, New York City, Records of District Courts of the United States Titanic Memorandum / Wikimedia Commons

19. Less than a third of all people aboard the ship survived

Only 705 of the 2,223 passengers and crew members made it back home. Some 61% of the passengers who survived were first-class guests. Less than 25% of third-class passengers survived.

Source: National Archives and Records Administration / Wikimedia Commons

20. The temperature of the sea water was below freezing when the ship sank

According to measurements taken by Captain Stanley Lord of the SS Californian — a ship that was near the Titanic when it sank — water temperatures were as cold as 28 degrees Fahrenheit. The human body can survive up to 45 minutes in freezing water, according to the Life Jacket Association.