On this day in 1912, the British luxury passenger liner Titanic sank en route to New York City from Southampton, Hampshire, England, after striking an iceberg during its maiden voyage; some 1,500 people died.
The greatest maritime disaster? I beg to differ! That questionable distinction must surely go to the Wilhelm Gustloff, a German ocean liner that was sunk by a Soviet submarine on January 30, 1945. More than 9,000 passengers were killed in the sinking, making it the greatest maritime disaster in history. But, of course, that was in wartime and Germany lost the war, and history is always written by the victors.
Here is one of several docu-dramas about this little-known tragedy:
