Featured Image Credit: Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group/Print Collector/Getty Images
We are all familiar with the tragic story of how the Titanic sank after colliding with an iceberg in the Atlantic Ocean.
The disaster killed 1,517 people onboard after the ‘unsinkable’ ship disappeared below the water surface.
It is a tragedy that has captivated us ever since with the movie adaptation coming out in 1997 and more recently, a new catastrophe unfolding when five people died in a submersible that was on its way to visit the wreckage on the ocean floor.
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Now, the final message sent from the doomed ship has revealed the frantic warning that the crew sent before it sank.
Radio operators were warned multiple times about icebergs situated close to the Titanic in the lead up to the collision.
In fact, crew onboard had been warned six times before they eventually hit one.
The problem was that radio operators were overwhelmed by the new technology and there were a lot of messages going back and forth between ships.
One ship in communication with the Titanic was the SS Califorian who attempted to alert crew to the fact that icebergs were surrounding them.
But the Titanic’s chief telegraphist Jack Phillips snapped back: “Shut up! I am busy.”
Tragically, the final message ever sent out by the ship was a telegram that read: “We have struck iceberg sinking fast come to our assistance.”
However, that distress call was never answered as the telegraphist onboard the Californian had gone to bed and the note was not read until hours later.
Phillips didn’t give up his post, he sent out calls for help until the Titanic sank and he went down with the ship.
When the ship first departed for its maiden - and only - voyage on April 10, 1912, it was considered to be the largest ship in the world.
The Titanic made stops in France and Ireland before setting sail for New York City but was only on the sea for four days when it hit the iceberg.
Incredibly, the band onboard the boat continued to play for over two hours in an attempt to calm the passengers until the ship sank.
Taking to Reddit to share their thoughts on the harrowing final telegram, one user wrote: “‘Sinking fast’. Wow. This is amazing to see in print.”
Another said: “So sad and scary. Gave me the shivers. Thanks for sharing.”
A third added: “Wow, this is super scary.”
