Situated aft of the Grand Staircase on D-Deck, and located amidship between the 2nd & 3rd funnel was the spacious 1st Class Dining Saloon. The massive room, which measured 113ft in length, and took up the whole of the ships 92ft width, could accommodate 554 passengers at once. The patrons to be seated at any number of the 115 separate tables, with each table having anywhere from 2-12 seats. The seats themselves were green & brown, with the cushions and backrest made of rich green leather, with legs and arms of polished oak.
The Floor was made of intricately patterned gold, red, and blue linoleum tile, which shone brightly from the illumination of 400+ bulbs which lit the room not only from above but also from the sides behind the many leaded glass windows which flanked either side of the room. The walls were of intricately detailed oak, painted white, and in the center of the room was a massive brown oak and mahogany sideboard which housed a piano (used for Sunday services).
When the great ship tore herself apart on the morning of April 15th, 1912, this room suffered catastrophic damage. The ship tore itself in two directly in front of the boiler casing for Boiler rm #1&2 ((The 3rd funnel)) and as a result, this room was split apart right on the back wall. When the ship struck the seafloor this area suffered heavy structural collapse. Seen for the first time in 2001 during James Cameron’s ‘Ghosts of the Abyss’ documentary, there were faint traces spotted, but on the whole, not much remained.
James Cameron – Lightstorm entertainment, IFREMER, Rms Titanic Inc. Discovery Channel, Titanic: Honor & Glory, Encyclopedia Titanica, Ken Marschall, Bruce Beveridge – Titanic: The Ship Magnificent
