The Real Ship                                                             Movie

Were the movie's underwater shots of the Titanic wreckage real?
Yes, the underwater shots of the Titanic wreck were real. 

Were the third class passengers really locked below as the movie Titanic suggests?
Yes, but not the way that the film presents it. Titanic history tells us that gates did exist which separated the third class passengers from the other passengers. However, these gates weren't in place to stop a third class passenger from taking a first class seat on a lifeboat. Instead, the gates were in place as a way to prevent the "less cleanly"

third class passengers from transmitting diseases and infections to the others. Only 25 percent of the third class passengers survived the tragedy.

Did Officer Murdoch really commit suicide after shooting passengers and accepting a bribe?
Based on witness documents, historians are almost certain that an officer did commit suicide, but it can't be said with certainty that it was First Officer Murdoch.  

Did one of Titanic's giant funnels really crash down into the water?
Yes, as the bridge of the ship sunk below the surface, the first funnel fell forward into the water, crashing onto some of the swimming passengers.

Did some of the passengers choose to go down with the ship?
Yes. Near the ending of the movie Titanic, we see an old couple lying in bed as water pours into their cabin. The couple is first class passengers Isador and Ida Straus. Isador was the co-owner of Macy's department store. In real life, Isador and Ida were both offered a place on Lifeboat No. 8, but Isador chose to stay on the Titanic so women could remain on the safety boats. Ida refused to leave her husband. Witnesses on the deck and in Lifeboat No. 8 heard Ida tell her husband, "We have been living together for many years. Where you go, I go." The couple was last seen sitting on a pair of deck chairs (not lying in bed like in the movie). Only Isador's body was recovered and identified.



Did the Titanic's lights continue to burn until just before the ship went under?
Yes. Dr. Washington Dodge, a Titanic survivor who studied the ship's final moments from a lifeboat, said the following in an April 20, 1912 San Francisco Bulletin article, "We saw the sinking of the vessel. The lights continued burning all along its starboard side until the moment of its downward plunge. After that a series of terrific explosions occurred, I suppose either from the boilers or weakened bulkheads."



Did the Titanic really break apart as it sunk?
Yes. For years, whether the Titanic split apart as it went under was a highly debated subject of Titanic history. Much of the uncertainty surrounding this was put to rest in 1985 when the wreck of the Titanic was discovered in two separate pieces on the bottom of the sea. It is very likely that the ship broke apart much like the movie's description.

Were any of the passengers rescued from the water like Rose?
Yes. Only two of the sixteen lifeboats went back to pick up survivors, and they ended up saving six swimmers. The first was Quartermaster Perkis in Lifeboat 4, who was able to pull 5 people out of the water but only 3 of them survived. The second boat was Lifeboat 14 led by Fifth Officer Harold Lowe, who had gathered nearby lifeboats together to free up room in one of them. When Lifeboat 14 returned to where the Titanic had sunk, Officer Lowe and a working crew of six men picked up four survivors from the water. It is Officer Lowe's boat that saves Rose in the movie.


How long could the people have remained alive in the water?
On the night of the Titanic sinking, the temperature of the salt water was around 28° F. The human body loses heat to the water about 30 times faster than it does to the air. When the core body temperature falls to approximately 89° F, a decrease in awareness occurs. If the core temperature cools to below 86° F, then heart failure becomes a major issue, as it is the most common cause of hypothermia-related deaths. The people in the freezing 28°F water above the sinking Titanic would have had anywhere from several minutes to an hour to live, depending on their physical condition. Some people in the water might have believed that swimming would help their body to generate heat. In reality, people who swam or moved around than more people would have lost heat 35-50% faster and been more capable of suffering from exhaustion. There were even several people who died from hypothermia on the Titanic lifeboats, because they were out in the open and gave no protection against the cold.

How many people were rescued by the Carpathia?
The Cunard liner Carpathia, under the command of Captain Arthur Rostron, was only fifty-eight miles away when Titanic sent her distress call at 12:25 A.M. It took the Carpathia four hours to reach the Titanic's position. In all, 711 passengers were rescued and over 1500 died in the disaster. Among the passengers rescued were 58 men; all of who came under public examination after news broke that approximately 150 women and children died (mostly from Second and Third class).

Did Bruce Ismay really sneak into a lifeboat like in the movie Titanic?
No. There are no reports of Bruce Ismay being undercover as a woman to sneak into a lifeboat as he does in the movie. However, First Class Passenger Jack Thayer said that he saw Bruce Ismay making his way into Collapsible C. Thayer "did not blame him," because from what Thayer could see, "It was really every man for himself."

Was the Heart of the Ocean (Coeur de la Mer) a real diamond?
No. The Heart of the Ocean diamond is a fictional device that James Cameron added to the story in order to give Brock Lovett (Bill Paxton) a reason to hear Rose's story. The Heart of the Ocean is based on the famous Hope Diamond that King Louis XVI of France gave to Marie Antoinette to add to her jewelry collection. The necklace later sold at a benefit auction for $2.2 million.

Can I visit the Titanic movie set?
No. The set, which was located in Mexico, no longer exists. The nearly full-scale Titanic scene created for the film was badly damaged when the filmmakers submerged it underwater to recreate the sinking.

 Were Jack and Rose based on real people?
No. Jack Dawson and Rose DeWitt Bukater, portrayed in the movie by Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, are practically entirely fictional characters (James Cameron modeled the character of Rose after American artist Beatrice Wood, who had no connection to Titanic history).

I heard there was a J. Dawson on board the Titanic, is that true?
Yes. A man who signed his name J. Dawson did board the Titanic. However, the J. stood for Joseph, not Jack. Born in Dublin, Joseph Dawson was apart of the Titanic crew.

Did pieces of ice from the iceberg really land on the deck?
Yes. Mrs. Churchill Candee said the following about the bits and pieces of iceberg, "The first thing I recall was one of the crew appearing with pieces of ice in his hands. He said he had gathered them from the bow of the boat. Some of the passengers were inclined to believe he was joking. But soon the situation dawned on all of us."

Were the third class passengers really locked below as the movie Titanic suggests?
Yes, but not the way that the film presents it. Titanic history tells us that gates did exist which separated the third class passengers from the other passengers. However, these gates weren't in place to stop a third class passenger from taking a first class seat on a lifeboat. Instead, the gates were in place as a way to prevent the "less cleanly"

third class passengers from transmitting diseases and infections to the others. Only 25 percent of the third class passengers survived the tragedy.

Did Officer Murdoch really commit suicide after shooting passengers and accepting a bribe?
Based on witness documents, historians are almost certain that an officer did commit suicide, but it can't be said with certainty that it was First Officer Murdoch.  

Did one of Titanic's giant funnels really crash down into the water?
Yes, as the bridge of the ship sunk below the surface, the first funnel fell forward into the water, crashing onto some of the swimming passengers.

Did some of the passengers choose to go down with the ship?
Yes. Near the ending of the movie Titanic, we see an old couple lying in bed as water pours into their cabin. The couple is first class passengers Isador and Ida Straus. Isador was the co-owner of Macy's department store. In real life, Isador and Ida were both offered a place on Lifeboat No. 8, but Isador chose to stay on the Titanic so women could remain on the safety boats. Ida refused to leave her husband. Witnesses on the deck and in Lifeboat No. 8 heard Ida tell her husband, "We have been living together for many years. Where you go, I go." The couple was last seen sitting on a pair of deck chairs (not lying in bed like in the movie). Only Isador's body was recovered and identified.



Did the Titanic's lights continue to burn until just before the ship went under?
Yes. Dr. Washington Dodge, a Titanic survivor who studied the ship's final moments from a lifeboat, said the following in an April 20, 1912 San Francisco Bulletin article, "We saw the sinking of the vessel. The lights continued burning all along its starboard side until the moment of its downward plunge. After that a series of terrific explosions occurred, I suppose either from the boilers or weakened bulkheads."

 Did the Titanic really break apart as it sunk?
Yes. For years, whether the Titanic split apart as it went under was a highly debated subject of Titanic history. Much of the uncertainty surrounding this was put to rest in 1985 when the wreck of the Titanic was discovered in two separate pieces on the bottom of the sea. It is very likely that the ship broke apart much like the movie's description.

Were any of the passengers rescued from the water like Rose?
Yes. Only two of the sixteen lifeboats went back to pick up survivors, and they ended up saving six swimmers. The first was Quartermaster Perkis in Lifeboat 4, who was able to pull 5 people out of the water but only 3 of them survived. The second boat was Lifeboat 14 led by Fifth Officer Harold Lowe, who had gathered nearby lifeboats together to free up room in one of them. When Lifeboat 14 returned to where the Titanic had sunk, Officer Lowe and a working crew of six men picked up four survivors from the water. It is Officer Lowe's boat that saves Rose in the movie.


How long could the people have remained alive in the water?
On the night of the Titanic sinking, the temperature of the salt water was around 28° F. The human body loses heat to the water about 30 times faster than it does to the air. When the core body temperature falls to approximately 89° F, a decrease in awareness occurs. If the core temperature cools to below 86° F, then heart failure becomes a major issue, as it is the most common cause of hypothermia-related deaths. The people in the freezing 28°F water above the sinking Titanic would have had anywhere from several minutes to an hour to live, depending on their physical condition. Some people in the water might have believed that swimming would help their body to generate heat. In reality, people who swam or moved around than more people would have lost heat 35-50% faster and been more capable of suffering from exhaustion. There were even several people who died from hypothermia on the Titanic lifeboats, because they were out in the open and gave no protection against the cold.

How many people were rescued by the Carpathia?
The Cunard liner Carpathia, under the command of Captain Arthur Rostron, was only fifty-eight miles away when Titanic sent her distress call at 12:25 A.M. It took the Carpathia four hours to reach the Titanic's position. In all, 711 passengers were rescued and over 1500 died in the disaster. Among the passengers rescued were 58 men; all of who came under public examination after news broke that approximately 150 women and children died (mostly from Second and Third class).

Did Bruce Ismay really sneak into a lifeboat like in the movie Titanic?
No. There are no reports of Bruce Ismay being undercover as a woman to sneak into a lifeboat as he does in the movie. However, First Class Passenger Jack Thayer said that he saw Bruce Ismay making his way into Collapsible C. Thayer "did not blame him," because from what Thayer could see, "It was really every man for himself."

Was the Heart of the Ocean (Coeur de la Mer) a real diamond?
No. The Heart of the Ocean diamond is a fictional device that James Cameron added to the story in order to give Brock Lovett (Bill Paxton) a reason to hear Rose's story. The Heart of the Ocean is based on the famous Hope Diamond that King Louis XVI of France gave to Marie Antoinette to add to her jewelry collection. The necklace later sold at a benefit auction for $2.2 million.

Can I visit the Titanic movie set?
No. The set, which was located in Mexico, no longer exists. The nearly full-scale Titanic scene created for the film was badly damaged when the filmmakers submerged it underwater to recreate the sinking.

Were Jack and Rose based on real people?
No. Jack Dawson and Rose DeWitt Bukater, portrayed in the movie by Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, are practically entirely fictional characters (James Cameron modeled the character of Rose after American artist Beatrice Wood, who had no connection to Titanic history).

I heard there was a J. Dawson on board the Titanic, is that true?
Yes. A man who signed his name J. Dawson did board the Titanic. However, the J. stood for Joseph, not Jack. Born in Dublin, Joseph Dawson was apart of the Titanic crew.