Ships near Titanic. Illustration of the approximate position of neighbouring ships at the time the Titanic sank. The article is titled 'Ships which might have rescued everyone on the Titanic if events had only been a little different' The Californian was the nearest, at only 19 miles away, but her engines were switched off and her wireless operator not on duty. Titanic was built by Harland & Wolff in Belfast Ireland during 1910 - 1911 and sank on the 15th April, 1912, after striking an iceberg off the coast of New Foundland during her maiden voyage from Southampton, England to New York, USA, with the loss of 1,522 passengers and crew.