In the early morning hours of April 15, 1912. the White Star ocean liner RMS Titanic struck an iceberg en route to New York City and sank in the Atlantic Ocean. Survivors were rescued by the Cunard liner Carpathia and brought to their berth at Pier 54 on the rainy evening of April 18.
On that very spot today, a fanciful waterfront development juts out into the Hudson River, a place called Little Island which opened in 2021. This recreational oasis will draw thousands of people, New Yorkers and tourists alike, this spring and summer.
But on the southern side of Little Island, peering out of the water, are dozens of wooden posts – these are the remains of the former Pier 54.
And it was on this pier, on April 18, 1912, that survivors of the Titanic disembarked and touched land.
This is the story of the places that figured into the aftermath and the story of how New York memorialized those lost to the tragedy.
And in the end we return to Little Island and to the ghost of Pier 54, the place where this disaster became reality for most people. Where survivors were greeted with joy and where many hundreds of people faced the reality that their loved ones were never coming home.
Visit our website for images and more information.
FURTHER READING:
A short history of New York City’s various Titanic memorials
The doctor, the heiress and the accidental nanny: New York women who survived the Titanic
A haunting look inside the Lusitania
FURTHER LISTENING:
Chelsea Piers: New York City in the Age of the Ocean Liner
The Complicated History of the Waldorf-Astoria
How Chelsea Became A Neighborhood
Support the Bowery Boys Podcast on Patreon
Rewind: Truman Capote and the Black and White Ball
#424 Kosciuszko! The Man. The Bridge. The Legend.
#423 Leonard Bernstein's New York, New York
#422 Grace Church: A Most Fashionable History
Christmas in Old New York: Holiday History
#421 Evacuation Day: Forgotten Holiday of the American Revolution
#420 Garbo Walks: Old Hollywood in New York
The Official Gilded Age Podcast: S2 E1 with Lord Julian Fellowes
Rewind: The Gilded Age Mansions of Fifth Avenue
#419 Ghost Stories by Gaslight
#418 Theodore Roosevelt's Wild Kingdom
#417 Walking the East Village 1976-1996
#416 Creating the East Village 1955-1975
Rewind: The Rebellious History of Tompkins Square Park
#415 The Early Years of Central Park
#414 The Brooklyn Navy Yard and Vinegar Hill
#413 The New Storytellers: Landmarks, Diners and Everyday New Yorkers
A Gilded Age Tour Up the Island of Manhattan
Rewind: The Deadly Draft Riots of 1863
The Making of the Pledge of Allegiance
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
The Best Song Podcast
Irish Songs with Ken Murray
History Obscura
The Rest Is History
American Scandal