 From 1847, the geographical and technical properties of the port of Cherbourg attracted shipping companies linking European ports to the east coast of the United States.At the end of the 1860s, the ships of the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company and the Hamburg America Line anchored in the harbour before crossing the Atlantic.After leaving Southampton, England, the RMS "Titanic" made its first stop at Cherbourg on 10 April 1912, during its maiden voyage, where an additional 274 passengers embarked.