The Titanic’s dive has been caught in the media for decades, representing perhaps the most infamous maritime disaster in history. Perhaps surprising, though, is how much actual footage the iconic vessel has during its ‘departure’ period.
In fact, there has been a set of authentic film footage from the day the Titanic sailed, as well as footage of the ship that went after the sinking and searched for the dead, and uploaded it to YouTube for viewing. This footage is owned by British Path, a producer of Newsreels throughout the twentieth century. Expanding across multiple scenes before and after the sinking of the Titanic, Newsreel documents the survival and search for the dead.
As the smoke cleared, the first shots depicting the Titanic as it landed in Belfast near Southampton, before and after cutting an iceberg in the vicinity of the crash site, explaining how some crew members and survivors of the Titanic survived. It’s an incredible glimpse of a disaster more than 100 years old and the only remaining view of the Titanic before its final voyage.
The final moments of the Titanic made it famous forever, but there is something fascinating about the images of the ship even before it was wrecked. It is not hard to think of the dark fate awaiting it when looking at the remains from the days when the sea line was still considered unthinkable. This is the effect of the strange video below. According to the Irish Center, the video includes original footage of the only survivors before the RMS Titanic embarks on its first and final voyage. The opening clip was filmed in Belfast, Northern Ireland, where the huge ship was built.
After shooting the footage, the Titanic sailed for Southampton, England, where it made its first voyage on April 10, 1912, before departing for New York City. Also in the newsletter is Captain Edward Smith of the Titanic, who landed with his ship on April 15 and captured footage of survivors arriving in New York at Carpathia.
If you’re only familiar with the wreckage of the Titanic or the bottom of the Atlantic shown in movies, it’s worth checking out these original images from the days surrounding the tragedy.
