TODAY marks the 104th anniversary of the Titanic leaving Southampton on its ill-fated maiden voyage.

The cruise liner left the city with more than 2,200 passengers and crew, many of whom were from Southampton.

Under the command of Edward Smith, after leaving the city on April 10 1912 the Titanic called at Cherbourg in France and Queenstown in Ireland before heading west, However the ship hit an iceberg en route to New York and sank in the North Atlantic five days later.

More than 1,500 people died in the disaster, despite the ship being dubbed "unsinkable" due to its double bottom and watertight doors.

The anniversary comes just days after the first letter written on board the ship was revealed from Paul Danby, who wrote a note while visiting his wife’s uncle Adolphe Saalfeld, a passenger onboard.