A Night to Remember by Walter Lord (Author)

#1 New York Times Bestseller: The definitive book on the sinking of the Titanic, based on interviews with survivors, by the author of The Miracle of Dunkirk.
 
At first, no one but the lookout recognized the sound. Passengers described it as the impact of a heavy wave, a scraping noise, or the tearing of a long calico strip. In fact, it was the sound of the world's most famous ocean liner striking an iceberg, and it served as the death knell for 1,500 souls.