Edward Smith (sea captain)

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Captain Edward John Smith Template:Post-nominals (27 January 1850 – 15 April 1912) was an English sea captain and naval officer. In 1880, he joined the White Star Line as an officer, beginning a long career in the British Merchant Navy. Smith went on to serve as the master of numerous White Star Line vessels and was chosen to captain many of them on their maiden voyages. During the Second Boer War, he served in the Royal Naval Reserve, transporting British Imperial troops to the Cape Colony. In 1912, Smith served as captain of the ocean liner Titanic, and perished along with 1,495 others when she sank on her maiden voyage.

Early life

Edward John Smith was born on 27 January 1850 on Well Street in Hanley, Staffordshire,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=BBC17447183>Template:Cite news</ref> England to Edward Smith, a potter, and Catherine Hancock (née Marsh), who married on 2 August 1841 in Shelton, Staffordshire. His parents later owned a shop.

Smith attended the British School in Etruria, Staffordshire, until the age of 13 when he left and operated a steam hammer at the Etruria Forge. In 1867, he went to Liverpool at the age of 17 in the footsteps of his half-brother Joseph Hancock, a captain on a sailing ship.<ref name=BBC17181461>Template:Cite news</ref> He began his apprenticeship on Senator Weber, owned by A Gibson & Co. of Liverpool.

On 13 January 1887, Smith married Sarah Eleanor Pennington at St Oswald's Church, Winwick, Lancashire. Their daughter, Helen Melville Smith, was born in Waterloo, Liverpool on 2 April 1898. When the White Star line transferred its transatlantic port from Liverpool to Southampton in 1907, the family moved to a red brick, twin-gabled house named "Woodhead" on Winn Road in Highfield, Southampton, Hampshire.<ref name="Echo_2012">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Barczewski 2004 p. 165">Template:Cite book</ref>

Family

Smith's mother, Catherine Hancock, lived in Runcorn, Cheshire, where Smith himself intended to retire. She died there in 1893. Smith's half-sister Thyrza died in 1921 and his widow, Sarah Eleanor Smith, was hit and killed by a taxi in London in 1931.<ref name="Cooper2011">Template:Cite book</ref> Their daughter, Helen Melville, married Sidney Russell Cooke in January 1922<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and they had twins in 1923, Simon and Priscilla.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Simon, a pilot in the Royal Air Force, was killed in 1944, during World War II.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Priscilla died from polio three years later; neither of them had children. Helen died in 1973.<ref name=BBC17447183/>Template:Failed verification

Career

Early commands

Edward Smith joined the White Star Line in March 1880 as the Fourth Officer of Template:SS.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> He served aboard the company's liners to Australia and to New York City, where he quickly rose in status. In 1887, he received his first White Star command, the Template:SS. Smith failed his first navigation exam, but on the next attempt in the following week he passed, and in February 1888, Smith earned his Extra Master's Certificate. Smith joined the Royal Naval Reserve, receiving a commission as a lieutenant, which entitled him to add the letters "RNR" after his name. This meant that in a time of war, he could be called upon to serve in the Royal Navy. His ships had the distinction of being able to fly the Blue Ensign of the RNR; British merchant vessels generally flew the Red Ensign.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Smith retired from the RNR in 1905 with the rank of Commander.

Later commands

William M. Murdoch, Joseph Evans, David Alexander, and Edward Smith aboard Olympic
Photograph of a bearded man wearing a white captain's uniform with crossed arms
Captain Smith in his summer whites

Smith was Template:SS's captain for nine years commencing in 1895. When the Second Boer War broke out in 1899, Majestic was called upon to transport British Imperial troops to the Cape Colony. Smith made two trips to South Africa, both without incident, and in 1903, for his service, King Edward VII awarded him the Transport Medal, showing the "South Africa" clasp. Smith was regarded as a "safe captain". As he rose in seniority, he gained a following amongst passengers with some sailing the Atlantic only on a ship he captained.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Smith even became known as the "Millionaires' Captain".<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> From 1904 on, Smith commanded the White Star Line's newest ships on their maiden voyages. In 1904, he was given command of what was then the largest ship in the world, the Template:RMS. Her maiden voyage from Liverpool to New York, sailing 29 June 1904, went without incident. After three years with Baltic, Smith was given his second new "big ship", the Template:RMS. Once again, the maiden voyage went without incident. During his command of Adriatic, Smith received the long service Decoration for Officers of the Royal Naval Reserve (RD).<ref>Gary Cooper (2011). Titanic Captain: The Life of Edward John Smith. p. 133. The History Press</ref>

As one of the world's most experienced sea captains, Smith was called upon to take first command of the lead ship in a new class of ocean liners, the Template:RMS – again, the largest vessel in the world at that time. The maiden voyage from Southampton to New York was successfully concluded on 21 June 1911, but as the ship was docking in New York harbour, a small incident took place. Docking at Pier 59 under the command of Captain Smith with the assistance of a harbour pilot, Olympic was being assisted by twelve tugs when one got caught in the backwash of Olympic, spun around, collided with the bigger ship, and for a moment was trapped under Olympic's stern, finally managing to work free and limp to the docks.Template:Citation needed

Hawke incident

On 20 September 1911, OlympicTemplate:'s first major mishap occurred during a collision with a British warship, Template:HMS, in which the warship lost her prow. Although the collision left two of OlympicTemplate:'s compartments filled and one of her propeller shafts twisted, she was able to limp back to Southampton. At the resultant inquiry, the Royal Navy blamed Olympic,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> finding that her massive size generated a suction that pulled Hawke into her side.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Captain Smith had been on the bridge during the events.

The Hawke incident was a financial disaster for White Star, and the out-of-service time for the big liner made matters worse. Olympic returned to Belfast and, to speed up the repairs, Harland and Wolff was forced to delay TitanicTemplate:'s completion in order to use one of her propeller shafts and other parts for Olympic. Back at sea in February 1912, Olympic lost a propeller blade and once again returned for emergency repairs. To get her back to service immediately, Harland and Wolff again had to pull resources from Titanic, delaying her maiden voyage from 20 March to 10 April.Template:Citation needed

Titanic

Template:Main Despite the past trouble, Smith was again appointed to command the newest ship in the Olympic class when Titanic left Southampton for her maiden voyage. On March 30, Smith left the Olympic at Southampton, and set out for a quick trip up to Belfast. He arrived there in time to take command of Titanic on April 1.Template:Sfn On April 9, as Titanic was docked in Southampton, Smith went ashore and stayed overnight at his home on Winn Road, to spend time with his wife and daughter. Some sources state that he was going to retire after completing TitanicTemplate:'s maiden voyage, in order to spend more time with his family.Template:EfnTemplate:Sfn

On 10 April 1912, Smith left his home at 7:00 a.m. The local paperboy, 11-year-old Albert Benham, recalled Smith saying "Alright son, I'll take my paper." He then proceeded to Berth 44, arriving at 7:30 a.m. At 8:00 a.m., he was onboard Titanic to prepare for the Board of Trade muster.Template:Sfn Passenger Norman Wilkinson, acquainted with Smith, asked a quartermaster for Smith's whereabouts; the quartermaster took him as a friend to the Captain, who was then in his cabin. Smith gave Wilkinson a warm welcome but had to admit that he was too busy to conduct them on a personal tour of the liner, instead asking one of the pursers to show them around. On the bridge, Smith got the sailing report from Chief Officer Henry Wilde; Smith finished his paperwork up tidily.Template:Sfn After departure at noon, the huge amount of water displaced by Titanic as she passed caused the laid-up New York to break from her moorings and swing towards Titanic. Quick action from Smith helped to avert a premature end to the maiden voyage.

On the evening of April 12, Smith dined with Bruce Ismay in the first-class restaurant on B Deck. On the evening of April 13, in the reception room, Smith entertained a party by telling them the "ship could be cut crosswise in three places and each piece would float".Template:Sfn On 14 April 1912, TitanicTemplate:'s radio operatorsTemplate:Efn received six messages from other ships warning of drifting ice, which passengers on Titanic had begun to notice during the afternoon.

Although the crew was aware of ice in the vicinity, they did not reduce the ship's speed and continued to steam at Template:Convert.Template:SfnTemplate:Efn TitanicTemplate:'s high speed in waters where ice had been reported was later criticised as reckless, but it reflected standard maritime practice at the time. According to Fifth Officer Harold Lowe, the custom was "to go ahead and depend upon the lookouts in the crow's nest and the watch on the bridge to 'pick up' the ice in time to avoid hitting it". Lowe, who was crossing the Atlantic for the first time in his life, admitted under examination that he had never heard that icebergs were common off the Grand Banks of Newfoundland and said that the fact would not have interested him if he had. He did not know that the Titanic was following what was called "the southern track", and made a guess that the ship was on the northern one.Template:Sfn

The North Atlantic liners prioritised time-keeping above all other considerations, sticking rigidly to a schedule that would guarantee arrival at an advertised time. They were frequently driven at close to their full speed, treating hazard warnings as advisories rather than calls to action. It was widely believed that ice posed little risk; close calls were not uncommon, and even head-on collisions had not been disastrous. In 1907, Template:SS, a German liner, had rammed an iceberg and suffered a crushed bow, but was still able to complete her voyage. That same year Smith declared in an interview that he could not "imagine any condition which would cause a ship to founder. Modern shipbuilding has gone beyond that."Template:Sfn

On that morning 14 April, Smith personally conducted the Sunday worship services in the First Class Dining Saloon, concluding it with the hymn "Eternal Father, Strong to Save".Template:Sfn At 12:45 p.m., Smith came up onto the bridge. That evening, Smith attended a large dinner party in the B Deck restaurant, reportedly held in his honor. Salon Steward Thomas Whiteley stated that Smith talked and joked with John Jacob Astor.Template:Sfn At 9:00, Captain Smith conferred with Lightoller on the bridge, and they agreed that they should be able to see an iceberg with plenty of time to avoid it. Smith left the bridge, saying, "If it becomes all doubtful, let me know." At around 10 p.m., Smith went with Fourth Officer Joseph Boxhall to the chart room, where Boxhall gave Smith the ship's position.Template:Sfn

Titanic collided with an iceberg at 11:40 p.m. ship's time, tearing a series of gashes in her starboard hull below the waterline and opening six of her forward watertight compartments to the sea. Smith immediately came onto the navigation bridge from his cabin, where he was informed by First Officer William Murdoch of the collision. It was soon apparent that the ship was seriously damaged; Smith asked Boxhall to get designer Thomas Andrews.Template:Sfn At around midnight, Smith left the bridge alone, possibly to make an inspection of the flooding below. He gave a proactive order for the crew to begin uncovering and clearing the boats.

Isaac Frauenthal saw Astor approach Captain Smith and tell him, "Captain, my wife is not in good health. She has gone to bed, and I don't want to get her up unless it is absolutely necessary. What is the situation?" Smith advised Astor to awaken his wife, as they might have to take to the boats. Astor "never changed expression...thanked the Captain courteously and walked rapidly, but composedly away". Template:Sfn Stewardess Annie Robinson saw Smith on E Deck, heading towards the Mail Room with a mail clerk and Chief Purser Hugh McElroy. She saw him come back with Andrews and overheard Andrews saying, "Well, three have gone already, Captain"; Smith and Andrews separated, with Smith heading up to the bridge, while Andrews stayed below to continue his inspection. At 12:15, Smith gave another proactive order to swing out lifeboats and to start getting passengers on deck with lifebelts on. He went to the Marconi operators' room and told Junior Marconi Officer Harold Bride and senior wireless operator John "Jack" Phillips to get ready to send out a call for assistance. He went up and down on deck, telling passengers to put lifebelts on.Template:Sfn At 12:25, Andrews reported to Smith that all of the first five of the ship's compartments had been breached and that Titanic would sink in under two hours. Captain Smith was an experienced seaman who had served for 40 years at sea, including 27 years in command. This was the first crisis of his career, and he would have known that even if all the boats were fully occupied, more than a thousand people would remain on the ship as she went down, with little or no chance of survival.

Myths often claim that Smith was very ineffective and inactive in attempting to mitigate the loss of life, became paralysed by indecision, had some type of mental breakdown or nervous collapse, or was seen lost in a trance-like daze as he began to grasp the enormity of what was about to happen.Template:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:Sfn This is disputed by careful research of eyewitness accounts which describe Smith as taking charge and behaving coolly and calmly. He immediately began an investigation into the nature and extent of the damage, personally making two inspection trips below deck to look for damage, and preparing the wireless men for the possibility of having to call for help. He erred on the side of caution by ordering his crew to begin preparing the lifeboats for loading, and to get the passengers into their lifebelts before he was told by Andrews that the ship was sinking. Smith was observed all around the decks, personally overseeing and helping to load the lifeboats, interacting with passengers, and trying to instill urgency to follow evacuation orders while avoiding panic by not publicly informing passengers and other crew that the ship was certain to sink.Template:Sfn

After the talk with Andrews, Smith gave the order to begin loading women and children into the boats. He privately told Boxhall that the ship would sink. Second Officer Lightoller recalled afterwards that he had to cup both hands over Smith's ears to communicate over the racket of escaping steam, and said, "I yelled at the top of my voice, 'Hadn't we better get the women and children into the boats, sir?' He heard me and nodded reply." Smith then ordered Lightoller and Murdoch to "put the women and children in and lower away".Template:Sfn He ordered passengers down to the Promenade Deck to begin boarding Boat No. 4; he personally assisted in the loadings of Boat Nos. 8, 6, and 2, where he ordered Major Arthur Godfrey Peuchen of the Royal Canadian Yacht Club in.<ref name="titanicinquiry.org">Testimony of Arthur G. Peuchen at Titanic inquiry.com</ref> He also checked in on the bridge with Boxhall to fire rockets. When passenger Eloise Hughes Smith (no relation) pleaded whether Lucian, her husband of two months, could go with her, Captain Smith ignored her, shouting again through his megaphone the message of women and children first.<ref>Statement of Mrs. Lucian P. Smith at the US Inquiry</ref>

Illustration of the sinking of the Titanic

Just minutes before the ship started its final plunge, Smith was still busy releasing TitanicTemplate:'s crew from their duties; he went to the Marconi operators' room and released Bride and Phillips from their duties. He then carried out a final tour of the deck, telling crew members: "Now it's every man for himself."<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> At 2:10 a.m., as Steward Edward Brown assisted men in attempting to launch Collapsible Boat A, the captain approached with a megaphone in his hand, saying, "Well, boys, do your best for the women and children, and look out for yourselves."Template:Efn Brown saw Smith return to the bridge.<ref>"British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry. Day 9". Titanic Inquiry.</ref><ref name="Edward Brown testimony">Template:Cite book</ref> A few minutes later, Trimmer Samuel Hemming found the bridge apparently empty.<ref>Testimony of Samuel Hemming at Titanic inquiry.com</ref> At 2:20 a.m., Titanic sank. Smith perished along with around 1,500 others; his body was never recovered.

Death

Template:See also Conflicting accounts of Smith's death emerged following the disaster.<ref name="strength3">On A Sea of Glass: The Life & Loss of the R.M.S. Titanic (Tad Fitch, J. Kent Layton and Bill Wormstedt), Appendix M: "Down With the Ship? Captain Smith's Fate", Template:ISBN), pg. 323.</ref> Initial rumours claimed that Smith shot himself.<ref>Template:Cite encyclopedia</ref> Some press accounts speculated that Smith chose to go down with his ship and died on the bridge when it was engulfed by the sea.Template:Sfnmp<ref>Daniel Allen Butler suggests Smith entered the wheelhouse on the bridge to await his end: "If Smith did indeed go to the bridge around 2:10 a.m. as Steward Brown said, and took refuge inside the wheelhouse, that would explain why Trimmer Hemming did not see him when he went onto the bridge a few minutes later. Earlier, at nightfall, the shutters on the Titanic's wheelhouse windows would have been raised, to keep the lights of the wheelhouse from interfering with the bridge officers' night vision: Trimmer Hemming would have been unable to see Captain Smith had the captain indeed been inside the wheelhouse, awaiting his end". (website) Template:Webarchive</ref> The New York Herald in its 19 April 1912 edition quoted Robert Williams Daniel as having seen Smith on the bridge, waist-high in water.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Daniel's account is unlikely as he jumped from the stern as the ship sank.Template:Sfn

Captain Smith himself made statements hinting that he would go down with his ship if he was ever confronted with a disaster. A friend of Smith's, Dr. Williams, asked Captain Smith what would happen if the Adriatic struck ice and was damaged. "Some of us would go to the bottom with the ship," was Smith's reply. A boyhood friend, William Jones said, "Ted Smith passed away just as he would have loved to do. To stand on the bridge of his vessel and go down with her was characteristic of all his actions when we were boys together."<ref name="seaofglass">On a Sea of Glass: the life and loss of the RMS Titanic. by Tad Fitch, J. Kent Layton & Bill Wormstedt. Amberley Books, March 2012. pp 329-334</ref> This popular belief has been perpetuated in various portrayals of the disaster, including the 1958 film A Night to Remember and the 1997 film Titanic.Template:Sfn

Alternatively, Smith may have jumped overboard from the bridge—after entering the bridge from the starboard side—after giving the command to abandon ship to crew on the port side. When working to free Collapsible B, Harold Bride said he saw Smith dive from the bridge into the sea just as Collapsible B was levered off the roof of the officers' quarters.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Tim Maltin suggests Bride "could here be mistaking Captain Smith for Lightoller, who we know did exactly this at this time, first swimming towards the crow's nest."<ref name="101things">Template:Cite book</ref> However, first-class passenger Mrs. Eleanor Widener, who was in Lifeboat No. 4 (the closest to the sinking ship) at the time,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and second-class passenger William John Mellors, who survived aboard Collapsible B, both stated that Smith jumped from the bridge. <ref name="Shots in the dark">Template:Cite web</ref> In addition, mess steward Cecil Fitzpatrick claimed to have seen Smith on the bridge just a few minutes before the ship began its final plunge. He was said to be with Andrews. The two put on lifebelts; Smith told Andrews, "We cannot stay any longer; she is going!" Fitzpatrick saw Andrews and Smith both jump overboard just as the water reached the bridge.Template:Sfn

Moreover, there is circumstantial evidence to suggest that Smith may have perished in the water near the overturned Collapsible B. Colonel Archibald Gracie reported that an unknown swimmer came near the capsized and overcrowded lifeboat and that one of the men onboard told him "Hold on to what you have, old boy. One more of you aboard would sink us all." In a powerful voice, the swimmer replied "All right boys. Good luck and God bless you."<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The man never asked to come aboard the boat, but instead cheered its occupants saying "Good boys! Good lads!" with "the voice of authority".<ref name=ANTR>Template:Cite book</ref> One of the Collapsible B survivors, fireman Walter Hurst, tried to reach him with an oar, but the man had died.<ref name=ANTR/> Hurst said he was certain this man was Smith.<ref name=ANTR/> Gracie said he heard men, including stoker Harry Senior and entree cook Isaac Maynard, on Collapsible B say that Captain Smith was the swimmer.Template:Sfn Some of these accounts also describe Smith carrying a child to the boat, with press reports saying that Maynard had retrieved a baby from the captain.<ref name="Shots in the dark"/>Template:Sfn No baby was saved from Collapsible B, and second-class passenger Elizabeth Nye gave a press interview saying she had heard the child had died.Template:Sfn Smith's wife later expressed her belief in the story of Smith saving a child.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Lightoller, who survived on Collapsible B, never reported seeing Smith in the water or receiving a child from him. Some have questioned whether, based on the wordings, survivors on Collapsible B would have been able to verify an individual's identity under such dimly lit and chaotic circumstances, and debate whether it was wishful thinking that made them think it was the Captain.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Legacy

Smith's statue in Beacon Park, Lichfield

Eleanor Smith wrote a letter of condolence to family members and friends of those who perished in the sinking, which was posted outside the White Star Line offices in London on April 18: "To my poor fellow sufferers: My heart overflows with grief for you. I am laden with sorrow that you should be weighed down with this terrible burden that has been thrust upon us. I pray God will comfort all."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

A statue of Smith, sculpted by Kathleen Scott, widow of Antarctic explorer Robert Falcon Scott, was unveiled in July 1914 at the western end of the Museum Gardens in Beacon Park, Lichfield.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The pedestal is made from Cornish granite and the figure is bronze.<ref name=noz>Template:Citation</ref> Lichfield was chosen as the location for the monument because Smith was a Staffordshire man and Lichfield was the centre of the diocese.<ref name=LM>Template:Cite news</ref> The statue originally cost £740 (£Template:Inflation with inflationTemplate:Inflation-fn) raised through local and national contributions.<ref name=LM/>

In 2010, as part of the "Parks for People" programme, the statue was restored and the green patina removed from its surface at a cost of £16,000.<ref name="LM"/> In 2011 an unsuccessful campaign was started to get the statue moved to Captain Smith's hometown of Hanley.<ref name=pmslsa2>Template:Citation</ref>

Smith had already been commemorated in Hanley Town Hall with a plaque reading: "This tablet is dedicated to the memory of Commander Edward John Smith RD, RNR. Born in Hanley, 27th Jany 1850, died at sea, 15th April 1912. Whilst in command of the White Star SS Titanic that great ship struck an iceberg in the Atlantic Ocean during the night and speedily sank with nearly all who were on board. Captain Smith having done all man could do for the safety of passengers and crew remained at his post on the sinking ship until the end. His last message to the crew was 'Be British.'"Template:Sfn

The plaque was removed in 1961, given to a local school and then returned to the Town Hall but remounted in the interior of the building in 1978.Template:Sfn The Titanic Brewery in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, is in honour of Smith.<ref>"Titanic Brewer" Template:Webarchive. titanicbrewery.co.uk</ref> As a member of the Royal Naval Reserve, Smith wore his two decorations when in uniform: the Decoration for Officers of the Royal Naval Reserve and the Transport Medal.

Portrayals

Bibliography

Notes

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