Why Was The Titanic Called RMS?

The tragedy of the Titanic is one of the best-known seafaring stories in modern history. The cruise ship that was supposed to be indestructible, but a combination of unfortunate circumstances and human hubris resulted in the loss of over 1,500 lives out of over 2,200 passengers and crew aboard. (Oh, but you can buy a really macabre iPhone 11 Pro with a piece of the wreckage built into it. Neat.)

Despite how aware of the Titanic most people are, even if it's mostly tangential, it turns out the ship's full name is often left out and forgotten. Because it's really the RMS Titanic. Sort of like how ships that have been commissioned for the United States Navy use the USS (United States Ship) prefix.

In the grand scheme of things, it's not like people won't know what someone's talking about if they say "Titanic" instead of "RMS Titanic," but the designation is real and was in place for a reason. Though it has no relation whatsoever to RMS in the context of audio.

The ship was called the RMS Titanic for one very simple reason: It was an abbreviation for "Royal Mail Steamer" (though now it means "Royal Mail Ship"). In other words, it was a commercial ship that carried mail.

It's easy to forget that airplanes weren't a thing — let alone commercially viable — until the past century. While the Wright Flyer made aviation history back in 1903, about nine years before the Titanic's maiden (and final) voyage began in 1912, it wouldn't be until six years later, in 1918, that air mail would begin.

And so, international mail was carried on ships, including some passenger ships — something that was popular with travelers because the importance of postal service meant the ships ran pretty much like clockwork. Naturally, the RMS Titanic wasn't the only Royal Mail vessel in service. Other well-known ships like the Queen Mary and the Olympic were also given the "RMS" stamp, but the Titanic is the most (tragically) famous. Even if most people don't realize those three extra letters are supposed to precede its name.

In fact, according to the Postal Museum, the five postal workers aboard the Titanic — William Gwinn, John March, Jago Smith, James Williamson, and Oscar Woody — took the job so seriously that they gave their lives during the ship's infamous final hours trying to save 200 stacks of registered mail from the rising water.