His body was never found and his death - or lack thereof - ever confirmed. From this moment on, Captain Smith's whereabouts are a bit spotty, though he held up a brave front until the very end when it's said he died in some tragic, and some nonchalant, ways.
#Did the captain of the titanic survive how to#
The trouble began with these words as both the captain and the crew struggled to figure out first how bad the damage was and, ultimately, how to get everyone off a ship safely that was never designed for an emergency evacuation. It was here that he asked the question of what had happened and received a response of 'an iceberg, sir,' from his First Officer, William Murdoch. The first visual account of Captain Smith prior to the ship going down was at approximately 11:40 PM, as he appeared on the ship's bridge in response to the fatal encounter with an iceberg. The Events Leading Up To The Titanic's Sinking At least, according to the survivors of the Titanic and the stories that they had to tell. This account is consistent with Fourth Officer Joseph Grove's testimony following the sinking.It's true that the world might never know what ultimately happened to Captain Edward Smith or whether he met an icy fate in the dark waters that night, but one thing is for sure: It's not likely that there's any man on earth who has gone through as many alleged deaths as Captain Smith has. I couldn't do any more." Smith ordered Murdoch to close the emergency doors, which he had already done. The first officer said he had "hard-a-starboarded and reversed the engines, and I was going to hard-a-port around it, but she was too close. Many eyewitnesses have testified to seeing the captain on the bridge as the great liner was engulfed, and others say they saw the officer dive from the bridge. Murdoch told him the ship had hit an iceberg. The Carpathia, carrying the 705 Titanic survivors, heads to New York City, where it will arrive to massive crowds on April 18. It searches the area for several hours but fails to find any survivors.
In his testimony about the sinking of Titanic, Fleet testified he "struck three bells" after seeing the iceberg and then "went straight to the telephone and rang them up on the bridge." He was not able to recall how much time passed between sighting the iceberg and when Titanic struck it.Īccording to Walter Lord's account of Titanic's final hours, A Night To Remember: The Sinking of the Titanic, Smith arrived at the bridge and received a report from Murdoch. The Californian which at approximately 5:30 AM learned of the Titanic s sinkingarrives. In most tellings, he was jolted awake by the collision and quickly made his way to the bridge.įirst Officer Murdoch was notified of the iceberg at roughly 11:40 pm by Frederick Fleet, the lookout in the crow's nest. The Titanic survivors were still enveloped by shock Captain Rostron noted an atmosphere of stillness that accompanied them, many seemed to have been reduced to spectres by the experience.
When Titanic struck the iceberg on April 14, Captain Smith was, most likely, in his cabin. Titanic continued to traverse the Atlantic Ocean at roughly 20 knots. Smith’s body was never recovered, and his final moments remain a mystery, with no shortage of conflicting accountsincluding one in which he jumped off the ship holding a baby. The prevailing view, however, is that Captain Smith was in his cabin, presumably asleep or getting ready for bed. Of the 58 men who survived, Bruce Ismay, the Managing. In another telling, Smith was taking a nap in the chart room when Titanic met her fate. Thayer did not blame him, because from what Thayer could see, It was really every man for himself. Even if this is the case, it does not mean Smith wasn't in his cabin when the iceberg was hit. Using evidence from the American and British investigations into Titanic's sinking, he claims Smith was in the chart room on board as late as 10 pm. Gary Cooper's biography of Smith, Titanic Captain: The Life of Edward John Smith, dismisses the idea that Smith went to his cabin directly after talking to Lightoller. When Lightoller went off duty at 10 pm, he and First Officer William McMaster Murdoch discussed the weather and, according to Lightoller, "commented on the lack of definition between the horizon and the sky - which would make an iceberg all the more difficult to see." In his testimony, Lightoller said he and Murdoch didn't discuss ice specifically, but the crew in the crow's nest was on the lookout for any problems. Smith replied, "If in the slightest degree doubtful, let me know." He then retired to his cabin. Around 9 pm, when Captain Smith checked in on the bridge of Titanic, Second Officer Lightoller reportedly told him he believed there was enough visibility to identify any icebergs.