Forget Me Not (17 page)

11.42 pm: Frederick Fleet sights an iceberg from the crow’s nest.

11.45 pm: The iceberg scrapes the
Titanic
’s starboard side at the bow, breaching the hull.

11.45 pm: The bow section of the Orlop deck floods.

11.55 pm: Post Office on G deck floods.

Monday 15 April, 1912

12.00 am: The
Titanic
sends her first distress message.

12.05 am: Captain Smith gives the order for lifeboats to be uncovered.

12.25 am: Captain Smith orders Officer Lightoller to fill lifeboats with women and children first. The
Titanic
has only enough lifeboats for about half of the ship’s 2224 passengers. Distress message received by the
Carpathia
, which sets sail to
Titanic
’s rescue.

12.45 am: The first lifeboat, number 7, able to carry 65 passengers, is launched but with only 28 people aboard. The first distress rocket is fired.

12.55 am: Lifeboat 5 and 6 are launched. Both are under-filled.

1.00 am: Lifeboat 3 lowered.

1.10 am: Lifeboat 1 and 8 launched.

1.20 pm: Lifeboat 9 and 10 launched.

1.25 pm: Lifeboat 11 and 12 launched.

1.30 pm: Lifeboat 14 launched.

1.35 pm: Lifeboat 13, 15 and 16 launched.

1.40 pm: Collapsible Lifeboat C is launched and the last distress rocket (number eight) is fired.

1.45 pm: Lifeboat 2 launched.

1.55 pm: Lifeboat 4 launched

2.05 pm: Collapsible Lifeboat D is launched.

2.10 am: The
Titanic
sends its final wireless message.

2.17 am: Collapsible lifeboats A and B float away. The
Titanic’
s stern rises in the air.

2.18 am: The
Titanic
’s lights blink and go out and the forward funnel snaps.

2.19 am: With an enormous roar, the
Titanic
breaks in two. The bow sinks, but the stern momentarily remains afloat.

2.20 am: RMS
Titanic
sinks.

3.30 am: Survivors in the lifeboats sight the first of the
Carpathia
’s rockets.

4.10 am: The
Carpathia
rescues the first survivors from Lifeboat 2.

8.50 am: After collecting everyone from the lifeboats and returning to the site where the
Titanic
sank to search for any survivors, the
Carpathia
sets sail for New York. There are 705 survivors on board the
Carpathia
.

Wednesday, 18 April, 1912

9.25 am: The
Carpathia
docks in New York.

22 April - 15 May, 1912

328 more bodies are recovered from the water over the next month.

1 September, 1985

A joint American-French expedition discovers the
Titanic
’s wreck 12,460 feet under the sea.

The story surrounding RMS
Titanic
is tragic and evokes great passion, so naturally writing a book based on events leading to her sinking is a huge responsibility. It is impossible not to be moved by the story. I am indebted to the dedicated people who have written about the
Titanic
and to those who have researched and documented so many details.

While the Gilmore and Worthington families are fictitious, I have tried to keep the rest of the story as true to the vast amount of research as possible; however, I have taken some creative licence as the book by nature, is a work of fiction.

There are many sources of information about the
Titanic
, her crew and passengers if you wish to investigate further, and where details differ I have taken the more common example.

Enormous thanks to Andrew and Melissa for trusting me with this story and to Maryann for her incredible skill, patience and passion.

Thank you Cranny’s Lane Crew for laughs, support and friendship.

And finally, my gratitude and love to Bruce and Court, for putting up with me and the thousands of
Titanic
facts I keep sharing.

Sue Lawson writes books for children and young adults. Her love for books began when she was a child on a farm in country Victoria where she spent her time reading, writing, listening to her father and grandfather’s stories and avoiding working with the cattle. These days, she’s added stationery shops to her football obsession and when not writing, teaches and runs workshops for young people and adults. Sue’s novels include
Forget Me Not
and
Pan’s Whisper
, which was short-listed for the Prime Minister’s Literary Awards and winner of the 2012 Australian Family Therapists’ Award for Children’s Literature.

Sue’s website is www.suelawson.com.au

For Callum, Anna, Hamish
,
Rocco and Isabella
.

OTHER BOOKS BY SUE LAWSON

Allie McGregor’s True Colours
Finding Darcy
After
Dare You
Pan’s Whisper
You Don’t Even Know