On the 10th of April 1912, The Titanic set sail from Southhampton in England for her maiden voyage across the Atlantic Ocean. Four days later, just before midnight on the 14th, Titanic struck an iceberg, which caused it to take severe damage and sink during the night, leading to the death of the majority of her passengers.
At the time, Titanic was one of the most advanced ships in the world. It was as a steam-powered ocean liner, a type of ship specifically built to repeatedly make the dangerous crossing between Europe and America. Because air travel was not available at the time, this service was vital, and Titanic was built at a time where different shipping lines were constantly trying to outcompete each other in building the fastest and most luxurious ships. The Titanic was equipped with restaurants, cafes and even a Turkish bath (a sort of spa / sauna hybrid), though due to the strict segregation of first, second, and third class passengers, only a minority were allowed access to these accomodations.
The White Star Line, who built and operated the Titanic, was convinced the ship wouldn't sink, and did not adequately prepare for it, only carrying enough lifeboats to carry a portion of the ship's passengers. While this claim seems absurd today โ modern ship are far, far safer than the Titanic, but no one would ever claim they couldn't sink โ it was a popular sentiment at the time. Because of the Titanic's novel and highly advanced watertight compartments, it was thought that even if she suffered catastrophic damage, she would bob around on the surface like a cork, rather than sink to the bottom, so there would be no hurry to evacuate the passengers
Later, the story of the titanic would go on to become something of a pop culture legend, the greatest example being the 1997 movie by James Cameron (it's really good actually). A bunch of conspiracy theories about the ship's fate has also popped up over the course of the last century, some gaining significant traction despite the lack of evidence.
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The two amazing battles I had were:
First I was a mercenary for the Southern Empire at war with the Aeserai, I had a Drakker which is a large longship with 70 veteran Nord soldiers. I saw a fleet of 4 enemy lords and 280 men. I decided to engage them because I figured even though they had 4 times my number, 4 lords meant 12 ships and even if they had an equivalent number of veteran soldiers they'd be scattered amongst the more fresh recruits.
So at night on moonlight sea with huge waves and a light fall snow, I steered my one ship against there 12, I targeted their most starboard ship, I figured if I could board it quickly I could overcome their crew. As we fought the other ships kept coming to reinforce the next in a line. So we fought this vicious charge across a half a dozen small ships overwhelming each crew until we were halted at this larger galley with a bigger crew, then the fight got tense and bloody. My character had long since depleted her quivers and cut a swath with a two handed ax
We lost around 30 men outright, but at a moment their morale broke and we surged forward. Winning the battle on a blood drenched deck with the handful of non incapacitated troops cheering was great. My 40 men (half sporting wounds that took them out of combat capacity) limped into the nearest Empire port. 9 captured ships in tow, a hundred prisoners and 4 lords in chains
Later I was fighting as a mercenary for the Aeserai against the Western Empire. I caught Emperor Garyos by himself leaving a port. He had Dromon (huge warship) and two liburna (medium sized galleys). I had recovered my crew and had 80 or 90 experienced men. He had about 200 men. As I raced towards them wind behind my Drakker, I had planned to engaged the Dromon as fast possible before the other two could reinforce. However a spray of flaming grapeshot arced and narrowly missed my forward bow. I realised Garys could probably inflict heavy causalities on me before I even boarded.
So I peeled off and came alongside one of his escort ships, positioning so it was between us and the large Dromon. Garyos brought his Dromon very close by but wisely did not engage to reinforce. We quickly overcame the crew of the galley. The moment their last man fell, Garyos started firing flaming grapeshot at us, clever but the man should have been callous enough to fire into his own men while we had the melee. We raced back to our boat, I unfurled our sails as the wind was in our favor, but I didn't cut us free from the galley, using this ship now empty except for corpses like a shield I closed the distance between my boat and the Dromon, we boarded with the now burning liburna as a backdrop. I personally knocked down Emperor Garyo's at the helm of his own ship.
The last galley hung there nearby only a boat's gap between, frozen as if by indecision. The captain knowing if he fled it would end his career if not execution but also that to engage was certain death. As he made up his mind I strode to forecastle of the Dromon loaded the ballistate with flaming grapeshot, and then at close range fired three times into the ship until their entire crew was dead. I sailed and gave the captured Emperor as a prisoner to the Aeserai Emir and made his Dromon my flagship.
(I actually sold the Dromon but I now use a Dromon as my flagship so that's the story that gets told in taverns)