Today is the 100th anniversary of the Titanic's sinking

There were 6 ice warnings received by
Titanic on the day of the collision. They were all ignored by the wireless operator who was preoccupied with transmitting passenger messages.

On the night of the collision, because the moon was not out, and the water was so still, it was very difficult to see the iceberg. A less calm water would have caused breakers around the iceberg making it easier to see it from afar. The iceberg that the Titanic struck was not a very big one. It did not even come up as high as the bridge of the ship.

The iceberg that the Titanic struck was unusual in such a way that it was not white like most others, but more of a clear look caused by continuous melting. The clear surface in effect reflected the dark night sky and water like a mirror, thereby making it a black object, almost impossible to see from a certain distance. The term for this kind of iceberg is "blackberg", and is similar to the black ice found on cold icy roads.

An iceberg exposes only 1/10th of it's mass above water. With the other 9/10ths of it's mass below water, It makes them impossible to budge. Even with a force of a ship like the Titanic.