The Titanic sank due to a collision with an iceberg that damaged the hull steel and wrought iron rivets, causing brittle fracture and separation of seams in the adjacent hull plates, which allowed water to flood into the Titanic. The collision damaged at least five of the supposedly watertight compartments toward the bow, and as the ship’s forward compartments filled with water, its bow dropped deeper into the ocean, causing water from the ruptured compartments to spill over into each succeeding compartment, sealing the ship’s fate. The Titanic was declared seaworthy after its sea trials, but it was later discovered that the ship’s design was not good enough to deem it an unsinkable ship. The ship was traveling at a high speed when it collided with the iceberg, and reversing the engines caused the Titanic to turn slower than if it had been moving at its original speed. The limited number of lifeboats also contributed to the high number of casualties.