These Titanic trivia questions and answers follow the real ship from the Belfast shipyard to the wreck found in 1985: 80 multiple-choice questions in four rounds of 20, each with the page it was checked on.
Read the full guide
Four rounds, in the order things happened
Building and fitting out runs from the keel of 1909 to the sea trials. The voyage and the people aboard covers the ports, the officers and the band. The sinking and the rescue keeps to the timeline of the night. The last round takes in the Senate hearings, the safety convention of 1914 and the wreck.
For a class unit or a museum visit
Tap a choice and the card shows the answer with its reason. See all 80 with answers opens the whole list under the card, round by round. Scored round asks 20 and holds the marking until the end.
Tips
The last round is the hardest: it asks for names and dates from the Senate's own account of its hearings.
Questions and answers
Are these Titanic trivia questions about the film?
No. Every question is about the ship of 1912: how she was built, who sailed, the night of April 14 and what followed. Nothing is taken from a film or a novel.
How many lifeboats did the Titanic have?
Twenty, four of them collapsibles, with room for 1,178 people. Royal Museums Greenwich notes that was only enough for about a third of the people the ship could carry.
When was the wreck of the Titanic found?
On September 1, 1985, by a joint American and French expedition. It lies about two and a half miles down, some 350 nautical miles off Newfoundland.
How were the answers checked?
Each was read on October 2, 2026 on the page linked under it: the U.S. Senate, Royal Museums Greenwich, NOAA, the UK National Archives or the Library of Congress for 47, Wikipedia for 33. Figures those pages give differently are not asked.
How many funnels did the Titanic have?Answer: Four. Source: Wikipedia: Titanic
How many of the Titanic's 20 lifeboats were collapsible boats?Answer: Four. Source: Wikipedia: Lifeboats of the Titanic
How many propellers drove the Titanic?Answer: Three. Source: Wikipedia: Titanic
In which city was the Titanic built?Answer: Belfast. Source: NOAA: R.M.S. Titanic, History and Significance
In which year was the Olympic scrapped?Answer: 1935. Source: Royal Museums Greenwich: RMS Titanic facts
In which year was the Titanic laid down in the shipyard?Answer: 1909. Source: Royal Museums Greenwich: RMS Titanic facts
Into how many watertight compartments was the Titanic's hull divided?Answer: Sixteen. Source: Wikipedia: Sinking of the Titanic
The Library of Congress dates the first headlines about the ship to the announcement of her construction. In which year was that?Answer: 1908. Source: Library of Congress: Building the Titanic
On which date was the Titanic launched?Answer: May 31, 1911. Source: Royal Museums Greenwich: RMS Titanic facts
Only three of the Titanic's four funnels were working ones. Which was the dummy?Answer: The aftmost one. Source: Wikipedia: Titanic
Royal Museums Greenwich says the builders never called the ship plainly 'unsinkable'. Which phrase did they use?Answer: Practically unsinkable. Source: Royal Museums Greenwich: RMS Titanic facts
The ship is often written RMS Titanic. What does RMS stand for?Answer: Royal Mail Ship. Source: Royal Museums Greenwich: RMS Titanic facts
What fuel did the Titanic's boilers burn?Answer: Coal. Source: Wikipedia: Titanic
What happened to Britannic, the third ship of the class, in 1916?Answer: She was sunk by a mine. Source: Royal Museums Greenwich: RMS Titanic facts
What was the Titanic's service speed?Answer: 21 knots. Source: Royal Museums Greenwich: RMS Titanic facts
Where were the Titanic's sea trials held on April 2, 1912?Answer: Belfast Lough and the Irish Sea. Source: Royal Museums Greenwich: RMS Titanic facts
Which city was the Titanic's registered home port?Answer: Liverpool. Source: Wikipedia: Titanic
Which older sister ship of the Titanic was launched in 1910?Answer: Olympic. Source: Royal Museums Greenwich: RMS Titanic facts
Which racquet sport had its own court for first-class passengers?Answer: Squash. Source: Royal Museums Greenwich: RMS Titanic facts
Which shipbuilder, head of the Belfast yard's drafting department, was one of the architects in charge of the plans?Answer: Thomas Andrews. Source: Wikipedia: Thomas Andrews
The voyage and the people aboard 20
After leaving Southampton, the Titanic called first at a port in France. Which one?Answer: Cherbourg. Source: Royal Museums Greenwich: RMS Titanic facts
Harold Bride was the junior wireless operator on the Titanic. Which operator did he assist?Answer: Jack Phillips. Source: Wikipedia: Jack Phillips (wireless operator)
How many days after setting sail did the Titanic strike the iceberg?Answer: Four. Source: The National Archives (UK): Passengers on the Titanic
How many players were in the ship's band?Answer: Eight. Source: Wikipedia: Musicians of the Titanic
Leaving Southampton, the Titanic narrowly avoided a collision with a smaller moored liner whose cables snapped. What was that ship called?Answer: New York. Source: Wikipedia: Titanic
On which date did the Titanic leave Southampton on her maiden voyage?Answer: April 10, 1912. Source: Library of Congress: Building the Titanic
Queenstown in Ireland was the last port of call. By what name is the town known today?Answer: Cobh. Source: Wikipedia: Cobh
Royal Museums Greenwich records the first ice warning of April 14 at 9 in the morning. Which ship sent it?Answer: Caronia. Source: Royal Museums Greenwich: RMS Titanic facts
Stewardess Violet Jessop survived the Titanic. Which sister ship was she also aboard when it sank in 1916?Answer: Britannic. Source: Wikipedia: Violet Jessop
Twelve dogs were aboard the Titanic. How many survived?Answer: Three. Source: Wikipedia: Animals aboard the Titanic
What had been scheduled for the morning before the collision and was canceled by the captain?Answer: A lifeboat drill. Source: Wikipedia: Sinking of the Titanic
What is the old shipping word for third class, used on the Titanic's clearance certificate?Answer: Steerage. Source: The National Archives (UK): Passengers on the Titanic
Which city was the Titanic sailing to?Answer: New York. Source: Royal Museums Greenwich: RMS Titanic facts
Which first-class passenger was the richest person aboard?Answer: John Jacob Astor IV. Source: Wikipedia: Passengers of the Titanic
Which lookout rang the warning bell and reported the iceberg to the bridge?Answer: Frederick Fleet. Source: Wikipedia: Frederick Fleet
Which officer had command of the bridge as the Titanic approached the iceberg?Answer: William Murdoch. Source: Wikipedia: Sinking of the Titanic
Which tender carried passengers out to the Titanic at Cherbourg and is now on display in Belfast?Answer: Nomadic. Source: Wikipedia: SS Nomadic
Who led the ship's band?Answer: Wallace Hartley. Source: Wikipedia: Wallace Hartley
Who was the captain of the Titanic?Answer: Edward Smith. Source: Wikipedia: Edward Smith (sea captain)
Who was the most senior officer of the Titanic to survive?Answer: Charles Lightoller. Source: Wikipedia: Charles Lightoller
The sinking and the rescue 20
A telegram kept in the UK National Archives records the distress message as picked up by a Russian liner. What was the liner called?Answer: Birma. Source: The National Archives (UK): Passengers on the Titanic
About how cold was the sea that night, by Royal Museums Greenwich's figure?Answer: Minus 2 degrees Celsius. Source: Royal Museums Greenwich: RMS Titanic facts
About how long did the Titanic take to sink after the collision?Answer: Under three hours. Source: The National Archives (UK): Passengers on the Titanic
At what time on April 14 did the Titanic strike the iceberg?Answer: 11:40 p.m. Source: Royal Museums Greenwich: RMS Titanic facts
At what time on April 15 did the Titanic founder?Answer: 2:20 a.m. Source: Royal Museums Greenwich: RMS Titanic facts
At what time was the last wireless transmission from the Titanic?Answer: 2:10 a.m. Source: Royal Museums Greenwich: RMS Titanic facts
Before SOS, the wireless operators sent an older distress code. Which one?Answer: CQD. Source: Royal Museums Greenwich: RMS Titanic facts
The lifeboats were designed to hold about how many people?Answer: 1,178. Source: Royal Museums Greenwich: RMS Titanic facts
To which city did the rescue ship take the survivors?Answer: New York. Source: Royal Museums Greenwich: RMS Titanic facts
What did the crew fire into the sky to signal distress?Answer: Rockets. Source: Wikipedia: Sinking of the Titanic
What does Royal Museums Greenwich say about how full many of the lifeboats were when they were launched?Answer: They were under capacity. Source: Royal Museums Greenwich: RMS Titanic facts
What happened to the hull shortly before the ship went under?Answer: It broke apart. Source: NOAA: R.M.S. Titanic, History and Significance
Where did the ship go down on April 15, 1912?Answer: The North Atlantic. Source: U.S. Senate: Subcommittee on the Titanic Disaster
Which lifeboat was the first to be lowered?Answer: Lifeboat 7. Source: Wikipedia: Lifeboats of the Titanic
Which nearby ship had stopped for the night, surrounded by ice, and did not respond to the distress rockets?Answer: Californian. Source: Wikipedia: SS Californian
Which officer took Lifeboat 14 back to look for people in the water?Answer: Harold Lowe. Source: Wikipedia: Harold Lowe
Which rule did the crew follow when loading the lifeboats?Answer: Women and children first. Source: Royal Museums Greenwich: RMS Titanic facts
Which ship picked up the survivors from the lifeboats?Answer: Carpathia. Source: Royal Museums Greenwich: RMS Titanic facts
Which side of the ship struck the iceberg?Answer: Starboard. Source: Wikipedia: Sinking of the Titanic
Who was the captain of the rescue ship Carpathia?Answer: Arthur Rostron. Source: Wikipedia: Arthur Rostron
Inquiries, new rules and the wreck 20
About how far below the surface does the wreck lie?Answer: About two and a half miles. Source: NOAA: R.M.S. Titanic, History and Significance
The cable ship Mackay-Bennett, which recovered most of the victims, was based mainly in which Canadian port?Answer: Halifax. Source: Wikipedia: CS Mackay-Bennett
The chairman of the Senate inquiry was a senator from where?Answer: Michigan. Source: U.S. Senate: Subcommittee on the Titanic Disaster
How many witnesses testified at the Senate hearings?Answer: 82. Source: U.S. Senate: Subcommittee on the Titanic Disaster
In how many main pieces does the wreck lie on the seabed?Answer: Two. Source: Wikipedia: Wreck of the Titanic
In which city did the Senate hearings begin on April 19, 1912?Answer: New York City. Source: U.S. Senate: Subcommittee on the Titanic Disaster
In which year did Congress pass the R.M.S. Titanic Maritime Memorial Act?Answer: 1986. Source: NOAA: R.M.S. Titanic, History and Significance
In which year was the first SOLAS convention adopted?Answer: 1914. Source: NOAA: R.M.S. Titanic, History and Significance
In which year was the wreck of the Titanic found?Answer: 1985. Source: Royal Museums Greenwich: RMS Titanic facts
On the last day of the hearings, the chairman went aboard which ship in New York to question her crew?Answer: Olympic. Source: U.S. Senate: Subcommittee on the Titanic Disaster
On which date did the Senate subcommittee issue its final report?Answer: May 28, 1912. Source: U.S. Senate: Subcommittee on the Titanic Disaster
The Senate report asked for lifeboat space for whom?Answer: Every passenger. Source: U.S. Senate: Subcommittee on the Titanic Disaster
Teams from which two countries found the wreck together?Answer: The United States and France. Source: NOAA: R.M.S. Titanic, History and Significance
What does SOLAS, the name of the sea-safety convention that followed the disaster, stand for?Answer: Safety of Life at Sea. Source: NOAA: R.M.S. Titanic, History and Significance
What name is given to the icicle-shaped rust formations that hang from the wreck?Answer: Rusticles. Source: Wikipedia: Wreck of the Titanic
Which iceberg-watching service was created after the disaster?Answer: The International Ice Patrol. Source: U.S. Senate: Subcommittee on the Titanic Disaster
Which senator chaired the United States Senate inquiry into the sinking?Answer: William Alden Smith. Source: U.S. Senate: Subcommittee on the Titanic Disaster
Which university has a library built in memory of a young book collector lost in the sinking?Answer: Harvard. Source: Wikipedia: Harry Elkins Widener
Who headed the British inquiry into the sinking?Answer: Lord Mersey. Source: Wikipedia: British Wreck Commissioner's inquiry into the sinking of the Titanic
The wreck lies about 350 nautical miles off which coast?Answer: Newfoundland. Source: NOAA: R.M.S. Titanic, History and Significance
How this list was compiled
Written for this site; nothing was copied from another list. Questions and wrong choices are our own. Each explanation restates, in our own sentences, facts from the page named and linked beside it. Each answer was checked on 2026-10-02 against that page, fetched that day: the U.S. Senate's page on its 1912 subcommittee (https://www.senate.gov), the Titanic facts page of Royal Museums Greenwich (https://www.rmg.co.uk), the history page of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (https://www.noaa.gov), a teaching resource of the UK National Archives (https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk) and a Library of Congress research guide (https://www.loc.gov) for 47 of the 80 questions; the English Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org, text under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license) for the rest. This is the history of the ship only: nothing comes from a film or a novel. Where the pages read give different figures, no question is asked: the number of people aboard, the number lost and saved, the number of decks, the time of the first distress call and the exact depth of the wreck. Left out on purpose: living people, including those who found the wreck, and any question whose answer is a company. Levels are our estimate: easy is fair for any table, medium suits a class that has studied the ship, hard is for enthusiasts. Each round is stored easiest first, and each question carries the date its page was read. Licence: own work