32. Only 16 lifeboats were fitted onto the Titanic, even though it had space for 64.
When the Titanic was built, space was made for 64 lifeboats. When it was launched, however, only 16 lifeboats were fitted. For Captain Smith and his officers, this was no cause for alarm. At that time, huge vessels like the Titanic were seen as almost-unsinkable. As such, lifeboats were there only to ferry passengers to another ship in the event of an emergency. Plus, no lifeboats were installed on the upper decks as this would have spoiled the views for the rich passengers. In most cases, crews were not trained in how to launch lifeboats, and this lack of knowledge proved highly costly on that fateful night in April 1912.