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The Iceberg that Sank Titanic

American History Museum

Image of the Iceberg that sunk the Titanic
There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .
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  • Image of the Iceberg that sunk the Titanic
  • Image of Bernice Palmer's Underwood & Underwood contract

    Object Details

    Description (Brief)

    Titanic struck a North Atlantic iceberg at 11:40 PM in the evening of 14 April 1912 at a speed of 20.5 knots (23.6 MPH). The berg scraped along the starboard or right side of the hull below the waterline, slicing open the hull between five of the adjacent watertight compartments. If only one or two of the compartments had been opened, Titanic might have stayed afloat, but when so many were sliced open, the watertight integrity of the entire forward section of the hull was fatally breached. Titanic slipped below the waves at 2:20 AM on 15 April. The Cunard Liner RMS Carpathia arrived at the scene around two hours after Titanic sank, finding only a few lifeboats and no survivors in the 28F degree water. Bernice Palmer took this picture of the iceberg identified as the one which sank Titanic, almost certainly identified by the survivors who climbed aboard Carpathia. The large iceberg is surrounded by smaller ice floes, indicating how far north in the Atlantic Ocean the tragedy struck.

    date made

    1912

    ID Number

    1986.0173.33

    catalog number

    1986.0173.33

    accession number

    1986.0173

    Object Name

    photograph

    Physical Description

    paper (overall material)

    Measurements

    overall: 6 1/2 in x 8 1/2 in; 16.51 cm x 21.59 cm

    See more items in

    Work and Industry: Photographic History
    Photography
    Transportation
    Titanic

    Exhibition

    On the Water

    Exhibition Location

    National Museum of American History

    Data Source

    National Museum of American History

    Metadata Usage

    CC0

    Link to Original Record

    https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746ad-7757-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa

    Record ID

    nmah_1416178

    Discover More

    The Titanic

    Titanic

    The Titanic

    Bernie Palmer's Story

    The Titanic

    Titanic

    The Titanic

    Harry Cheetham's Story

    titanic passengers

    The RMS Titanic

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