In framing this report it has seemed best to divide it into sections in the following manner:

First. A description of the ship as she left Southampton on April 10 and of her equipment, crew, and passengers.

Second. An account of her journey across the Atlantic, of the messages she received and of the disaster.

Third. A description of the damage to the ship and of its gradual and final effect with observations thereon.

Fourth. An account of the saving and rescue of those who survived.

Fifth. The circumstances in connection with the steamship Californian.

Sixth. An account of the board of trade's administration.

Seventh. The finding of the court on the questions submitted; and

Eighth. The recommendations held to be desirable.

I.--DESCRIPTION OF THE SHIP.

THE WHITE STAR LINE.

The Titanic was one of a fleet of 13 ships employed in the transport of passengers, mails, and cargo between Great Britain and the United States, the usual ports of call for the service in which she was engaged being Southampton, Cherbourg, Plymouth, Queenstown, and New York.

The owners are the Oceanic Steam Navigation Co. (Ltd.), usually known as the White Star Line, a British registered company, with a capital of £750,000, all paid up, the directors being Mr. J. Bruce Ismay (chairman), the Right Hon. Lord Pirrie, and Mr. H. A. Sanderson.

The company are owners of 29 steamers and tenders; they have a large interest in 13 other steamers, and also own a training sailing ship for officers.

All the shares of the company, with the exception of eight held by Messrs. E. C. Grenfell, Vivian H. Smith, W. S. M. Burns, James Gray, J. Bruce Ismay, H. A. Sanderson, A. Kerr, and the Right Hon. Lord Pirrie, have, since the year 1902, been held by the International Navigation Co. (Ltd.), of Liverpool, a British registered company, with a capital of £700,000, of which all is paid up, the directors being Mr. J. Bruce Ismay (chairman), and Messrs. H. A. Sanderson, Charles F. Torrey, and H. Concannon.

The debentures of the company, £1,250,000, are held mainly, if not entirely, in the United Kingdom by the general public.

The International Navigation Co. (Ltd.), of Liverpool, in addition to holding the above-mentioned shares of the Oceanic Steam Navigation Co. (Ltd.), is also the owner of--

1. Practically the whole of the issued share capital of the British & North Atlantic Steam Navigation Co. (Ltd.), and the Mississippi & Dominion Steamship Co. (Ltd.), (the Dominion Line).

2. Practically the whole of the issued share capital of the Atlantic Transport Co. (Ltd), (the Atlantic Transport Line).

3. Practically the whole of the issued ordinary share capital and about one-half of the preference share capital of Frederick Leyland & Co. (Ltd.), (the Leyland Line).

As against the above-mentioned shares and other property, the International Navigation Co. (Ltd.) have issued share lien certificates for £25,000,000.

Both the shares and share lien certificates of the International Navigation Co. (Ltd.) are now held by the International Mercantile Marine Co. of New Jersey, or by trustees for the holders of its debenture bonds.

THE STEAMSHIP "TITANIC."

The Titanic was a three-screw vessel of 46,328 tons gross and 21,831 net register tons, built by Messrs. Harland & Wolff for the White Star Line service between Southampton and New York. She was registered as a British steamship at the port of Liverpool, her official number being 131,428. Her registered dimensions were--

Feet Length 852.50 Breadth 92.50 Depth from top of keel to top of beam at lowest point of sheer of C deck, the highest deck which extends continuously from bow to stern 64.75 Depth of hold 59.58 Height from B to C deck 9.00 Height from A to B deck 9.00 Height from boat to A deck 9.50 Height from boat deck to water line amidships at time of accident, about 60.50 ====== Displacement at 34 feet 7 inches is tons 52,310

The propelling machinery consisted of two sets of four-cylinder reciprocating engines, each driving a wing propeller, and a turbine driving the center propeller. The registered horsepower of the propelling machinery was 50,000. The power which would probably have been developed was at least 55,000.

Structural arrangements.--The structural arrangements of the Titanic consisted primarily of--

(1) An outer shell of steel plating, giving form to the ship up to the top decks.

(2) Steel decks.--These were enumerated as follows:

C, D, E, and F were continuous from end to end of the ship. The decks above these were continuous for the greater part of the ship, extending from amidships both forward and aft. The boat deck and A deck each had two expansion joints, which broke the strength continuity. The decks below were continuous outside the boiler and engine rooms and extended to the ends of the ship. Except in small patches none of these decks was water-tight in the steel parts, except the weather deck and the orlop deck aft.

(3) Transverse vertical bulkheads.--There were 15 transverse water-tight bulkheads, by which the ship was divided in the direction of her length into 16 separate compartments. These bulkheads are referred to as "A" to "P," commencing forward.

The water-tightness of the bulkheads extended up to one or other of the decks D or E; the bulkhead A extended to C, but was only water-tight to D deck. The position of the D, E, and F decks, which were the only ones to which the water-tight bulkheads extended, was in relation to the water line (34 feet 7 inches draft) approximately as follows:

--------+------------------------------- | Height above water line | (34 feet 7 inches). |---------+--------------------- | Lowest | | | part | | | amid- | At bow. | At stern. | ships. | | --------+---------+---------+----------- |_Ft. in._|_Ft. in._| Ft. in. D | 20 0 | 33 0 | 25 0 E | 11 0 | 24 0 | 16 0 F | 2 6 | 15 6 | 7 6 --------+---------+---------------------

These were the three of the four decks which, as already stated, were continuous all fore and aft. The other decks, G and orlop, which extended only along a part of the ship, were spaced about 8 feet apart. The G deck forward was about 7 feet 6 inches above the water line at the bow and about level with the water line at bulkhead D, which was at the fore end of boilers. The G deck aft and the orlop deck at both ends of the vessel were below the water line. The orlop deck abaft of the turbine engine room and forward of the collision bulkhead was water-tight. Elsewhere, except in very small patches, the decks were not water-tight. All the decks had large openings or hatchways in them in each compartment, so that water could rise freely through them.

There was also a water-tight inner bottom, or tank top, about 5 feet above the top of the keel, which extended for the full breadth of the vessel from bulkhead A to 20 feet before bulkhead P, i.e., for the whole length of the vessel except a small distance at each end. The transverse water-tight divisions of this double bottom practically coincided with the water-tight transverse bulkheads; there was an additional water-tight division under the middle of the reciprocating engine-room compartment (between bulkheads K and L). There were three longitudinal water-tight divisions in the double bottom, one at the center of the ship, extending for about 670 feet, and one on each side, extending for 447 feet.

All the transverse bulkheads were carried up water-tight to at least the height of the E deck. Bulkheads A and B, and all bulkheads from K (90 feet abaft amidships) to P, both inclusive, further extended water-tight up to the underside of D deck. A bulkhead further extended to C deck, but it was water-tight only to D deck.