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90-684: Edward John Smith RD RNR (27 January 1850 – 15 April 1912) was a British 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. During the Second Boer War , he served in the Royal Naval Reserve , transporting British Imperial troops to

180-548: A midshipman ), with wartime service counting double. Clasps to the Reserve Decoration were awarded to recognise further periods of 15 years' service after the first award. When just the ribbon of the Decoration was worn, each clasp was indicated by a silver 'rosette' on the ribbon. The Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Decoration was of the same design as the Reserve Decoration but was distinguished, from 1919, by

270-556: 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. 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. Although some sources state that he had decided to retire after completing Titanic ' s maiden voyage, an article in

360-632: A " Kaiser class ". In response to this, the British Cunard Line ordered two vessels whose speed earned them the nickname "greyhounds of the seas"': Lusitania and Mauretania . Mauretania held the Blue Riband for more than twenty years, from 1909 to 1929. The White Star Line knew that their Big Four , a quartet of ships built for size and luxury, were no match for the Cunard's new liners in terms of speed. In July 1907, during

450-519: A British warship, HMS  Hawke , in which the warship lost her prow . Although the collision left two of Olympic ' 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 , finding that her massive size generated a suction that pulled Hawke into her side. Captain Smith had been on

540-426: 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." Shortly after 11:40 p.m. on 14 April, Smith was informed by First Officer William Murdoch that the ship had just collided with an iceberg. It

630-493: A combined-services Volunteer Reserves Service Medal on 1 April 1999. Olympic class ocean liner The Olympic -class ocean liners were a trio of British ocean liners built by the Harland & Wolff shipyard for the White Star Line during the early 20th century, named Olympic (1911), Titanic (1912) and Britannic (1914). All three were designated to be the largest as well as most luxurious liners of

720-496: A common area, and a dining room. Britannic was planned to provide the third-class passengers with more comfort than its two sister ships . 1: ^ For ships in passenger service, "commissioned" is taken to mean the date of departure on maiden passenger voyage First of the Olympic -class liners, Olympic was launched on 20 October 1910 and commissioned on 14 June 1911. She made her maiden voyage on 14 June 1911, under

810-851: A different ribbon. In 1966 the Royal Naval Reserve (drawn from the Merchant Navy ) and the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (civilian volunteers) were merged. Thereafter awards of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Decoration were discontinued, with all reserve Royal Naval officers eligible for the Reserve Decoration. The Reserve Decoration and the Royal Naval Reserve Long Service and Good Conduct Medal for RNR ratings were both replaced by

900-570: A disaster. A friend of Smith's, Dr. Williams, asked Captain Smith what would happen if the Adriatic struck a concealed reef of ice and was badly 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." Because of these factors, as well as accounts of Smith going inside

990-588: A discussion at the latter's Belgravia residence regarding the nearing maiden voyage of Cunard's Lusitania two months ahead, J. Bruce Ismay , chairman of the White Star and William J. Pirrie , director of the Harland & Wolff made note of her speed. Ismay expressed concern at the record-breaking transatlantic crossing of the Lusitania with Pirrie; Despite White Star's reputation for elegance and luxury, Cunard's notability for punctuality and speed posed

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1080-475: A final tour of the deck, telling crew members: "Now it's every man for himself." At 2:10 a.m., Steward Edward Brown saw the captain approach with a megaphone in his hand. He heard him say, "Well, boys, do your best for the women and children, and look out for yourselves." He saw the Captain walk onto the bridge alone. This was the last reliable sighting of Smith. A few minutes later Trimmer Samuel Hemming found

1170-456: A four-stacker liner. The contract was agreed upon on in a drafted agreement between White Star and Harland & Wolff a year afterwards in July of 1908, facilitated as well as signatured by both Pirrie and Ismay in approval. The three vessels were designed by Andrews and Carlisle, the latter being initially the primary architect for the liners until his retirement in 1910, leaving construction under

1260-402: A library, a spacious dining room, and an elevator. Britannic ' s second class also featured a gymnasium. Finally, the third-class passengers enjoyed reasonable accommodation compared to other ships. Instead of large dormitories offered by most ships of the time, the third-class passengers of the Olympic class lived in cabins containing two to ten bunks. The class also had a smoking room,

1350-607: A lifeboat go past. Smith did not inform his officers that the ship did not have enough lifeboats to save everyone. He did not supervise the loading of the lifeboats and seemingly made no effort to find out if his orders were being followed. Just minutes before the ship started its final plunge, Smith was still busy releasing Titanic 's crew from their duties; he went to the Marconi operators' room and released Junior Marconi Officer Harold Bride and senior wireless operator John "Jack" Phillips from their duties. He then carried out

1440-515: A lifeboat's purpose was that of a ferry between a foundering liner and a rescue ship. Despite the low number of lifeboats, both Olympic and Titanic exceeded Board of Trade regulations of the time. Following the sinking of Titanic , more lifeboats were added to Olympic . Britannic , meanwhile, was equipped with eight huge gantry davits , six along the Boat Deck and two on the Poop Deck at

1530-707: A ship moored in the port pulled by the propellers of Titanic . After a stopover at Cherbourg, France and another in Queenstown, Ireland, she sailed into the Atlantic with 2,200 passengers and crew on board, under the command of Captain Edward J. Smith headed for New York City. The crossing took place without major incident until 14 April at 23:40. Titanic struck an iceberg at 41°46′N 50°14′W  /  41.767°N 50.233°W  / 41.767; -50.233 while sailing about 400 miles (640 km) south of

1620-499: A threat to both of their respective firms to a great extent. Pirrie formulated the concept of a large three-stack liner constructed in order to compensate for the recent ascension of Lusitania , with an emphasis upon prestige as well as her design. Moreover, this would advance to a new class of the three largest and luxurious liners being constructed as opposed to Cunard's Mauretania and Luistania duo, with an additional liner laid upon to forward themselves ahead of Cunard. These were

1710-579: Is in honour of him. 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 . 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,

1800-512: Is relatively well preserved, but the stern partially imploded, and to a large extent disintegrated during the descent and impact on the seabed. The wreck of Britannic was discovered in 1975 by Jacques Cousteau . It has a large tear in the front caused by the bow hitting the ocean floor before the rest of the ship sank, as the ship's length is greater than the depth of the water. After the discovery, she has been seen regularly as part of many other expeditions. In contrast to Titanic , which lies at

1890-592: The Republic . 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

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1980-522: The Cape Colony . Smith served as captain of the ocean liner Titanic , and went down with the ship when she sank on her maiden voyage . Edward John Smith was born on 27 January 1850 on Well Street, Hanley, Staffordshire , England to Edward Smith, a potter , and Catherine Hancock, born Marsh, who married on 2 August 1841 in Shelton, Staffordshire. His parents later owned a shop. Smith attended

2070-529: The First World War after hitting a mine off Kea in the Aegean Sea before entering service. Although two of the vessels did not achieve successful enough legacies, they are amongst the most famous ocean liners ever built; Both Olympic and Titanic enjoyed the distinction of being the largest ships in the world. Olympic was the largest British-built ship in the world for over 20 years until

2160-489: The Grand Banks of Newfoundland at 11:40 pm ships time. The strike and the resulting shock sheared the rivets, which opened several tears in the hull below the waterline. This caused the first five compartments to be flooded with water with flooding in a sixth compartment controlled by the pumps; the ship was only designed to stay afloat with a maximum of four compartments flooded. Titanic sank 2 hours and 40 minutes after

2250-607: The Halifax Morning Chronicle on 9 April 1912 stated that Smith would remain in charge of Titanic "until the Company (White Star Line) completed a larger and finer steamer". On 10 April 1912, Smith came aboard Titanic at 7 a.m. to prepare for the Board of Trade muster at 8:00 a.m. He immediately went to his cabin to get the sailing report from Chief Officer Henry Wilde . After departure at noon,

2340-519: The Royal Canadian Yacht Club said, "He was doing everything in his power to get women in these boats, and to see that they were lowered properly. I thought he was doing his duty in regard to the lowering of the boats". Robert Williams Daniel , a first-class passenger, said: "Captain Smith was the biggest hero I ever saw. He stood on the bridge and shouted through a megaphone, trying to make himself heard." Other sources say that he

2430-530: 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. Smith even became known as the "Millionaires' Captain". From 1904 on, Smith commanded the White Star Line's newest ships on their maiden voyages. In 1904, he was given command of what

2520-417: The cypher of the reigning monarch in silver gilt surrounded by a oval silver cable tied with a reef knot at the base and surmounted by a gilt crown. The reverse is plain, with later issues often engraved with the year of award. The ribbon, suspended from a ring, was dark green until October 1941, and green edged white thereafter. To qualify, fifteen years' service was required (not counting service as

2610-621: The A&;E Documentary Titanic: Death of a Dream . Lightoller, who survived on Collapsible B, never reported seeing Smith in the water or receiving a child from him. There is also no way survivors on Collapsible B would have been able to verify an individual's identity under such dimly lit and chaotic circumstances. It is more likely based on wishful thinking that the person they saw was the Captain. Captain Smith's fate will probably remain uncertain. For many years, there were also conflicting accounts of Smith's last words. Newspaper reports said that as

2700-678: 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. 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,

2790-413: 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 22 knots (41 km/h; 25 mph). Titanic ' 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

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2880-449: The bridge apparently empty. Five minutes later, the ship disappeared beneath the ocean. Smith perished that night along with around 1,500 others, and his body was never recovered. There are conflicting accounts of Smith's death. Some survivors said they saw Smith enter the ship's wheelhouse on the bridge, and die there when it was engulfed. The New York Herald in its 19 April 1912 edition quoted Robert Williams Daniel , who jumped from

2970-412: 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 Titanic ' s completion in order to use one of her propeller shafts and other parts for Olympic . Back at sea in February 1912, Olympic lost

3060-538: The bridge was the last reliable sighting, this would make Smith's last words simply: "Well, boys, do your best for the women and children, and look out for yourselves." 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 . The pedestal is made from Cornish granite and

3150-517: The central propeller had four on the Olympic and Britannic. The Titanic was fitted with a three bladed central propeller to test efficiency against the four bladed central propeller of its older sister, Olympic. The two lateral propellers were powered by reciprocating steam triple expansion , while the central shaft was driven by a steam turbine. All power on board was derived from a total of 29 coal-fired steam boilers in six compartments. However, Olympic ' s boilers were converted to firing by oil at

3240-650: The coal bunkers along either side of the hull from the engine rooms and boiler rooms in the centre. Such an arrangement was believed to increase the risk of a ship capsizing by trapping water lengthwise along the ship and increasing her list. The sinking of Titanic led to Harland & Wolff as well as White Star determining upon refitting the liners following a revision, thereby requiring major safety enhancements for Olympic during late 1912 along with major design reforms within Britannic , having had her keel laid down months beforehand. Six forward compartments amongst

3330-842: The collision. There were not enough lifeboats for all the passengers and the nearest responding ship RMS  Carpathia , being too far away, 1,514 of the 2,224 people on board died, making it one of the deadliest peacetime maritime disasters in history. The third of the Olympic -class trio, Britannic was ordered in 1911 and launched on 26 February 1914 at the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast and fitting out began. In August 1914, before Britannic could commence transatlantic service between New York and Southampton , World War I began. Immediately, all shipyards with Admiralty contracts were given top priority to use available raw materials. All civil contracts, including Britannic fitting out were slowed down. On 13 November 1915, Britannic

3420-406: The command of Captain Edward J. Smith . On 20 September of the same year, while under the command of a harbour pilot she was involved in a collision with the cruiser HMS  Hawke in the port of Southampton, leading to her repair back at Harland and Wolff and delaying the completion of Titanic . When her sister sank, Olympic was on her way across the Atlantic, in the opposite direction. She

3510-407: 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. On 20 September 1911, Olympic ' s first major mishap occurred during a collision with

3600-414: The command to abandon ship. Even some of his bridge officers were unaware for some time after the collision that the ship was sinking; Fourth Officer Joseph Boxhall did not find out until 01:15, barely an hour before the ship went down, while Quartermaster George Rowe was so unaware of the emergency that after the evacuation had started, he phoned the bridge from his watch station to ask why he had just seen

3690-469: The commissioning of Queen Mary in 1936. Titanic ' s story has been adapted into many books, films, and television programs and Britannic was the inspiration of a film of the same name in 2000. The Olympic class had its origins in the intense competition between the United Kingdom and Germany in the construction of the liners. The Norddeutscher Lloyd and Hamburg America Line ,

Edward Smith (sea captain) - Misplaced Pages Continue

3780-412: The commissioning of Olympic and Titanic 's launch. Following the sinking of Titanic , the two remaining vessels underwent many changes in their safety provisions. All three of the Olympic -class ships held nine decks, seven of which were for passengers. From top to bottom, the decks were: Propulsion was achieved through three propellers: two outboard or wing propellers had three blades, while

3870-476: The day, included the actor Charlie Chaplin and the then Edward, Prince of Wales . In 1934 she inadvertently collided with and sank Nantucket Lightship  LV-117 , leading to the death of seven of the lightship's eleven crewmembers. Despite a major refit later in her career, Olympic was outdated compared to newer ships. Following the merger of the White Star Line and Cunard Line in 1934, in April 1935 due to

3960-424: The disaster. One survivor, nurse Violet Jessop was notable as having also previously survived the sinking of Titanic in 1912, and had also been on board Olympic , at the time when it collided with HMS Hawke in 1911. Britannic was the largest ship lost during World War I, but her sinking did not receive the same attention as the sinking of her sister ship, or the sinking of the Cunard liner Lusitania , when she

4050-676: The distinction of being able to fly the Blue Ensign of the RNR; British merchant vessels generally flew the Red Ensign . Smith retired from the RNR in 1905 with the rank of Commander. Smith was Majestic '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

4140-459: The double-bottom along the hull up to G Deck. These improvements were designed in Britannic , along with two additional bulkheads. These reforms translated into both Olympic and Britannic surviving the scenario leading to their middle sister to founder. The three ships were fitted with brass three-chime triple-chambered steam whistles amongst all four stacks. Only the whistles on the first and second of these functioned however, given that those on

4230-469: The end of the First World War, which reduced the number of engine crew required from 350 to 60. The Olympic -class ships were 269.13 metres (883.0 ft) long, displacing 52,310 long tons (53,150 t) normally (their draft at this displacement being 34 ft 7 in or 10.5 m), and their tonnage was around 45–46,000 GRT . Olympic became the largest ship in the world when it

4320-415: The enormity of what was about to happen, he appears to have become paralysed by indecision. He had ordered passengers and crew to muster, but from that point onward, he failed to order his officers to put the passengers into the lifeboats; he did not adequately organise the crew; he failed to convey crucial information to his officers and crew; he sometimes gave ambiguous or impractical orders and he never gave

4410-404: The era, devised to provide White Star an advantage as regards to size and luxury in the transatlantic passenger trade. Whilst Olympic , the primary vessel, was in service for 24 years before being retired for scrap in 1935, her sisters would not witness similar success: Titanic struck an iceberg and sank on her maiden voyage and Britannic was lost whilst serving as a hospital ship during

4500-431: The excess tonnage within the new combined fleet of ships Olympic was withdrawn, sold for breaking and towed to Jarrow for scrapping. Second in line of the Olympic class, Titanic was launched on 31 May 1911, and her commissioning was slightly delayed due to ongoing repairs of Olympic . The ship left the port of Southampton 10 April 1912 for her maiden voyage, narrowly avoiding a collision with SS  New York ,

4590-449: The figure is bronze. Lichfield was chosen as the location for the monument because Smith was a Staffordshire man and Lichfield was the centre of the diocese . The statue originally cost £740 (£90,000 with inflation) raised through local and national contributions. 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. In 2011 an unsuccessful campaign

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4680-400: The final plunge began, Smith advised those on board to "Be British, boys. Be British!" Although this is engraved on his memorial and portrayed in the 1996 TV miniseries , it is a popular myth. If Smith had said these words to anyone, it would have been to the crew, but not one of the surviving crew members claimed he did. Because Steward Brown's account of Smith giving orders before walking onto

4770-554: The fourth being a dummy which was used for ventilation and aesthetic purposes. Smoke from the galleys and Smoking Room fireplaces and fumes from the engine rooms was exhausted through a chimney up the forward portion of this funnel. While it was a decoration to establish a symmetry in the ships' profile, it acted as a huge ventilation shaft, replacing a large amount of ventilation cowls on deck, as on Cunard's Lusitania and Mauretania . The triad implemented modern developments in safety measures within their designs, intended to mitigate

4860-467: 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. The first four days of the voyage passed without incident, but on 14 April 1912, Titanic ' s radio operators received six messages from other ships warning of drifting ice, which passengers on Titanic had begun to notice during

4950-618: The hulls of each ship into 16 watertight compartments , each equipped with electric pumping to remove floodwater. The compartments would be sealed by automatic doors from the bridge in a theoretical collision, thus isolating the water from other holds; Should the bridge switch fail, stokers and engineers were enabled to seal off the doors manually via a lever underneath. Therefore, these designations ensured Olympic and Titanic remaining afloat with four compartments breached. The Olympic -class liners also eliminated longitudinal bulkheads, such as those on Lusitania and Mauretania , which separated

5040-467: 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

5130-439: The man away before he could reach him. Hurst said he was certain this man was Smith. Some of these accounts also describe Smith carrying a child to the boat. Harry Senior, one of Titanic ' s stokers, and second class passenger Charles Eugene Williams, who both survived aboard Collapsible B, stated that Smith swam with a child in his arms to Collapsible B, which Smith presented to a steward, after which he apparently swam back to

5220-560: 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.'" 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. The Titanic Brewery in Burslem , Stoke-on-Trent ,

5310-533: The precedent set on the German Hamburg-America liner Amerika (1905), which had included a restaurant serving French haute cuisine run by the famous hotelier César Ritz . Olympic and Titanic had À la Carte restaurant aft on B-Deck managed by the London restaurateur Luigi Gatti and his staff, all of whom died in the sinking of Titanic . The second class also included a smoking room,

5400-406: The preliminary foundations for the famous trio of liners built between 1908 until 1914. After initial groundwork drawn up by Alexander Carlisle , a veteran architect of Harland & Wolff, and Thomas Andrews , another who was Pirrie's nephew, an additional smoke stack was extended to the blueprints, a feature designated to enhance the vessels' appearance, therefore rendering the original proposition

5490-450: The rapidly foundering ship. Williams' account differs slightly, claiming that, after Smith handed the child over to the steward, he asked what had become of First Officer Murdoch. Upon hearing news of Murdoch's demise, Smith "pushed himself away from the lifeboat, threw his lifebelt from him and slowly sank from our sight. He did not come to the surface again." These accounts are almost certainly apocryphal, according to historians featured in

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5580-418: The risk of flooding and all but eliminate the likelihood of foundering. Each ship featured an inner skin, a second layer of 1.25 in (31.8 mm) thick steel above the keel , which established a watertight box along the bottom of the hull known as a "double bottom." 15 transverse steel bulkheads advancing 45 ft (13.7 m) towards E Deck (D Deck in the event of the two forward most bulkheads) divided

5670-410: The ship,(a second smaller grand staircase which only transcended down three decks.) a Georgian-style smoking room, a Veranda Cafe decorated with palm trees, a swimming pool, Turkish bath , gymnasium, and several other places for meals and entertainment. The Olympic -class liners were the first British ships to contain separate restaurants independent of the dining saloons. These were in imitation of

5760-459: The ships. However, no class was neglected. The first class passengers enjoyed luxurious cabins, many of which were equipped with private bathrooms, a novelty at the time. The two most luxurious suites included a private promenade deck, sitting room, two walk-in wardrobes, two bedrooms, a private bath, and lavatory. Each class had its own large dining saloon, while first class also featured a lavish Grand Staircase descending in seven levels through

5850-409: The sinking ship) at the time. Also second class passenger William John Mellors, who survived aboard Collapsible B, stated that Smith jumped from the bridge. One writer states that witness and survivor Harold 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." Several accounts say that Smith may have been seen in

5940-409: The sixteen bulkheads of Titanic were breached, above the keel albeit below the waterline, bypassing the double-bottom entirely. The low height of the bulkheads also failed the ship, granting leeway for unpreventable flooding after water within the breached compartments reached E Deck. The refit on Olympic raised the middle five bulkheads to B Deck, the others to D Deck and also oversaw an extension of

6030-695: The sole supervision of Andrews, with Roderick Chisholm 's assistance. Construction of Olympic started in December 1908 and Titanic in March 1909. The two ships were built side by side. Before building of Olympic began, three entire slipways were razed to the ground in order to give way for the cradles whereupon both sisters would be laid. As a result of such density, large surroundings were in demand; 6,000t. gantries towering over 200 ft. accompanied with mobile cranes overhead were built to accommodate their keels. The construction of Britannic began in 1911 after

6120-414: The stern immediately before the ship sank, "I saw Captain Smith on the bridge. My eyes seemingly clung to him. The deck from which I had leapt was immersed. The water had risen slowly, and was now to the floor of the bridge. Then it was to Captain Smith's waist. I saw him no more. He died a hero." Captain Smith himself made statements hinting that he would go down with his ship if he was ever confronted with

6210-428: The stern. Each contained six lifeboats and were individually powered by electric motors with their own night time illumination. In the event that the ship should develop a list and make the lowering of lifeboats impossible along one side, the davits could be manoeuvred to pick up lifeboats from the other side of the deck. The three vessels had a total of 8 levels of passenger accommodation, with slight variations between

6300-423: The third and fourth were decorations fitted for aesthetic reasons holding neither valves nor bellows. Each ship could accommodate a maximum of 64 lifeboats. However, only 20 boats were installed on Olympic and Titanic during construction to avoid cluttering the deck and provide more space for passengers. Shipbuilders of the era envisaged the ocean liner itself as the ultimate lifeboat and therefore imagined that

6390-587: The two largest German companies, were indeed involved in the race for speed and size in the late 19th century. The first in service for the Norddeutscher Lloyd was Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse , which won the Blue Riband in 1897 before being beaten by HAPAG's Deutschland in 1900. Then followed the three sister ships to Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse : Kronprinz Wilhelm , Kaiser Wilhelm II and Kronprinzessin Cecilie all of whom were part of

6480-529: The very bottom of the North Atlantic and is being fed on by iron-eating bacteria , Britannic is in remarkably good condition, and is much more accessible than her infamous sister. Many external structural features are still intact, including the propellers, and a great deal of the superstructure and hull. Museums and exhibitions pay tribute to the ships, and the two tragedies have inspired many movies, novels and even musicals and video games. When she

6570-423: The water near the overturned Collapsible B during or after the sinking. Colonel Archibald Gracie reported that an unknown swimmer came near the capsized and overcrowded lifeboat and that one of the men on board 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.". Gracie did not see this man, nor

6660-471: The wheelhouse, this has remained the iconic image of Smith, perpetuated by film portrayals. When working to free Collapsible B, Junior Marconi Officer Harold Bride said he saw Captain Smith dive from the bridge into the sea just as Collapsible B was levered off the roof of the officers' quarters, a story corroborated by first class passenger Mrs Eleanor Widener, who was in Lifeboat No. 4 (the closest to

6750-511: 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 Olympic – 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

6840-510: The wreck was located by Jean-Louis Michel of Ifremer and Robert Ballard following a top secret mission for the US Navy to investigate the wreckage of USS  Thresher and USS  Scorpion , two nuclear submarines that sank in the North Atlantic in the 1960s. The discovery of the wreck occurred on 1 September 1985, at 25 kilometres from the position given of the sinking. The wreck lies about 4,000 metres deep, broken in two. The bow

6930-566: Was sunk by a torpedo in the Irish Sea . When Titanic sank in 1912 and Britannic sank in 1916, the Britannic sinking did not receive the same attention as the Titanic , due to the death toll (1,517 on Titanic and 30 on Britannic ) and the ongoing First World War. Because the exact position of the sinking of the Britannic is known and the location is shallow, the wreck was discovered relatively easily in 1975. Titanic , however, drew everyone's attention in 1912. After several attempts,

7020-459: Was able to identify him, but some other survivors later claimed to have recognised this man as Smith. Another man (or possibly the same) never asked to come aboard the boat, but instead cheered its occupants saying "Good boys! Good lads!" with "the voice of authority". One of the Collapsible B survivors, fireman Walter Hurst, tried to reach him with an oar, but the rapidly rising swell carried

7110-546: Was able to receive a distress call from Titanic but she was too far away to reach her before she sank. After the sinking of Titanic , Olympic was returned to dry dock in October 1912, where she underwent a number of alterations to improve her safety before resuming commercial service. During the First World War, the ship served as a troop transport. On 12 May 1918, she rammed and sank the German submarine U-103 . Once she

7200-649: 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, Highfield, Southampton , Hampshire. Edward Smith joined the White Star Line in March 1880 as the Fourth Officer of SS  Celtic . 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,

7290-558: Was called "the southern track", and made a guess that the ship was on the northerly one. 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, SS  Kronprinz Wilhelm ,

7380-516: Was completed in May, 1911 before losing the title to its sister Titanic when she was completed in April, 1912. After the loss of Titanic , the third ship Britannic claimed the title of largest British-built ship, until her own sinking in November 1916. After this Olympic held the title for 20 years until the commissioning of RMS  Queen Mary in 1936. All three vessels had four funnels, with

7470-554: Was decommissioned in 1935, Olympic –the only surviving ship of her class– was previously set to be converted into a floating hotel, but the project was cancelled. However, its decorative elements were auctioned. The first class lounge and part of the aft grand staircase can be found in the White Swan Hotel , in Alnwick , Northumberland , England. The wood panels of the ship's À la Carte' restaurant are now restored on board

7560-543: Was hit and killed by a taxi in London in 1931. Their daughter, Helen Melville, married and gave birth to twins in 1923, Simon and Priscilla. Simon, a pilot in the Royal Air Force , was killed in 1944, during World War II. Priscilla died from polio three years later; neither of them had children. Helen died in 1973. Decoration for Officers of the Royal Naval Reserve The medal consists of

7650-490: Was requisitioned as a hospital ship from her storage location at Belfast. Repainted white and from bow to stern with large red crosses and a horizontal green stripe, she was renamed HMHS (His Majesty's Hospital Ship) Britannic . At 08:12 am on 21 November 1916, HMHS Britannic struck a mine at 37°42′05″N 24°17′02″E  /  37.70139°N 24.28389°E  / 37.70139; 24.28389 , and sank. Survivors numbered 1,036, and 30 men lost their lives in

7740-513: Was returned to commercial service in 1920, she crossed the Atlantic as one of a trio of grand White Star liners. The other two were seized as war reparations from Germany –the HAPAG 's unfinished Bismarck which was renamed Majestic , and NDL 's Columbus which became Homeric . During the 1920s Olympic would enjoy great popularity on the transatlantic route, earning the nickname "The Ship Magnificent". She often carried famous celebrities of

7830-425: Was soon apparent that the ship was seriously damaged; designer Thomas Andrews reported that all of the first five of the ship's compartments had been breached and that Titanic would sink in under two hours. There are conflicting reports about Smith's actions during the evacuation. Some say that he did all in his power to prevent panic and did his best to assist in the evacuation; Major Arthur Godfrey Peuchen of

7920-668: Was started to get the statue moved to Captain Smith's home town of Hanley. 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

8010-535: Was then the largest ship in the world, the Baltic . 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 Adriatic . 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). As one of

8100-414: Was very ineffective and inactive in preventing loss of life. 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. As Smith began to grasp

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