At 11:30 am Titanic arrived at Cork Harbour on the south coast of Ireland. Cork Harbour is a both a natural harbour and river estuary of the River Lee. Considered one of the larger natural harbours in the world, it has been used as a working port for centuries. Roches Point Lighthouse would have been seen by Titanic. The lighthouse has been there since 1817 but was rebuilt in 1835 as it was too small. The lighthouse is operational to this day but was automated in 1995 and its surrounding buildings auctioned off.

The day was warm but with a brisk wind with some clouds in the sky. Queenstown (known today as Cobh) would be Titanic’s last European stop before heading across the Atlantic. Lacking facilities to dock a ship of its size, tenders brought passengers and their belongings to Titanic. 123 passengers would board at Queenstown: 3 First Class passengers, 7 Second Class passengers, and 113 Third Class. 7 people would disembark including Fr. Francis Browne, S.J. who as an avid photographer took photos of the ship while he was aboard. His photos, which became famous after the sinking, give us a glimpse of that unique world. Kate Odell, another cross-channel passenger who got off in Queenstown, also took some photos as well.

At 1:30 pm Titanic weighed anchor and departed Queenstown to complete her maiden voyage. A few rare photographs of her in port and departing have been found. Sadly, they would be the last photographs of RMS Titanic ever taken in 1912.

Once Titanic pulled out to sea and enroute to New York, people aboard the ship settled into familiar patterns. Mealtimes were a time to meet your fellow travelers. While First and Second Class could mingle, Third Class was restricted to their area. Everyone was provided three meals a day though First-Class passengers had access to the A la Carte restaurant. Titanic and its sister ship Olympic provided ample food portions for the passengers. A dedicated crew of food professionals made sure each mealtime was an event. Many went on walks around the deck to work off their meals. Or they could make use of the exercising equipment aboard Titanic.

The gymnasium was quite impressive with punching bags, cycle racing machines (stationary bikes), electric horse and camel, and a squash court. Many enjoyed the mechanical rowing machine and the Turkish bath. For those wanting to swim, there was a heated saltwater pool on Deck F but accessible only to First Class passengers. The pool was six feet deep and only thirty feet long and fourteen feet wide making it small by standards today. There was a small fee to pay to use the pool (which came with a bathing suit) but children were not allowed.

There was also an electric bath one could use, if you were brave enough. Today it would be more like a tanning bed. It was a wooden stand with a green sheet metal cabinet lid that had ultraviolet lights in it. An attendant would open the lid, the person would lie down, and the lid would be closed. A timer was set for thirty minutes and then you would get out; staying too long was considered hazardous. A similar one was also on Olympic. It certainly took courage to get inside essentially what was an iron lung.

Sources

Archbold, Rick, and Dana McCauley. Last Dinner on the Titanic Menus and Recipes From the Great Liner. Hachette Books, 1997.

Behe, George TITANIC: SAFETY, SPEED AND SACRIFICE, Transportation Trails, Polo, IL 1997

Behe, G. (2012). On board RMS Titanic: Memories of the Maiden Voyage. The History Press.

Brewster, H. (2013). Gilded Lives, Fatal Voyage: The Titanic’s First-Class Passengers and Their World. National Geographic Books.

Cameron, Stephen. Titanic: Belfast’s Own. Colourpoint, 2011.

Eaton John P. & Haas Charles, TITANIC TRIUMPH AND TRAGEDY, SECOND EDITION, W.W. Norton & Company, New York, New York, 1995 First American Edition

Fitch, Tad, J. Kent Layton, and Bill Wormstedt. On a Sea of Glass: The Life & Loss of the RMS Titanic. Reprint. Amberley Publishing, 2015.

Lord, Walter

A NIGHT TO REMEMBER, Holt Rinehart and Winston, New York, New York, 1955. Multiple revisions and reprints, notably Illustrated editions (1976,1977,1978 etc.)

THE NIGHT LIVES ON, Willian Morrow and Company, New York, New York, 1986 (First Edition)

Lynch, Don & Marshall Ken, TITANIC AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY, Madison Press Books, Toronto, Ontario Canada, 1992

Internet

“The Titanic: Sinking & Facts | HISTORY.” HISTORY. Last modified March 26, 2026. https://www.history.com/articles/titanic.

“Encylopedia Titanica.” https://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/.

“RMS Titanic – the Radio Officers Association.” https://radioofficers.com/archives/rms-titanic/.

“Titanic Facts • 1,000+ Fascinating Facts and Figures,” Titanic Facts, last modified October 7, 2023, https://titanicfacts.net/.