Captain Edward John Smith

On January 27, 1850, in Hanley, Stoke, England, Edward John Smith was born. By April 1912, he had gained a favorable reputation as a captain, popular with both passengers and crew. He was a firm disciplinarian, but he was soft-spoken and smiled easily. He was living in Southampton, England, in a red brick, twin-gabled home called Woodhead. He was married to Sarah Eleanor Pennington. She was later killed by a taxi-cab. They had one daughter named Helen.

"A great favorite, and a man any officer would give his ears to sail under."

~~Officer Charles Lightoller, about Captain E. J. Smith

Before taking command of Titanic, Captain Smith had commanded 17 White Star Line ships. Although he described his career as uneventful, several of the ships he had commanded had been through some adventures. While he was in charge of the Germanic, the ship capsized in the New York harbor because of ice. The Olympic's propeller nearly destroyed a tug, the Hellenbeck. Also, suction created by the Olympic caused the Hawke to crash into the side of the Olympic, near the starboard propellor. The Olympic went in for repairs. The courts had ruled that White Star Line was responsible for the damage, so they didn't get any insurance money, so some people think that during these repairs, the Olympic and Titanic were switched, and Titanic was crashed into an iceberg on purpose so the firm could collect the insurance money. This isn't possible, though, because when he explored the wreck site, Dr. Ballard looked for the serial number, and it was Titanic's serial number. According to most people, Titanic was going to be Captain Smith's last voyage before retirement. I've also read that he was going to be in charge of the ship until Gigantic was finished.

"When anyone asks me how I can best describe my experiences of nearly 40 years at sea, I merely say 'uneventful.' I have never been in an accident of any sort worth speaking about. I never saw a wreck and have never been wrecked, nor was I ever in any predicament that threatened to end in disaster of any sort. You see, I am not very good material for a story."

~~Captain Edward John Smith

Aboard the Titanic, Captain Smith began his days with a thorough inspection of the ship. He did this in full dress uniform. He took the chief engineer, purser, assistant purser, surgeon, and cheif steward with him on this inspection. After that, he assembled the officers to discuss the day's navigation and inspection results. In the evenings, he most frequently dined at a table for 6 in the first class dining room. In thick weather or in port, he ate on the bridge or in his own quarters. His steward was J. A. Painton. There were a few special problems he faced. First, there was a coal fire down in boiler room 6; he didn't tell anyone about it, but it went out on Saturday without causing much (if any) damage. Also, he got some ice warnings. Two of them were posted. I'm not exactly sure what happened to the rest of them. One of them was given to J. Bruce Ismay, who carried it around with him and showed it off to the other passengers, until Captain Smith asked for it back.

"There's no reason to go around shouting and issuing orders and being noisy...He ran a very good ship, you know."

~~Bernard Hill, on his character, Captain Smith (James Cameron's Titanic)

On the morning of April 14, 1912, Captain Smith led the church service in the first class dining room with the White Star Line prayer book. There was a boat drill scheduled after the service, but it was decided to skip it. That evening, he left orders to alter the course a bit south and west. The crew believed this was a precaustionary measure, because of the iceberg warnings. The captain then went to a party that was being given by Mr. and Mrs. George Widener, and spent a few hours there. Then he went back up and had the "mill pond" conversation with Officer Lightoller ("I don't think I've ever seen such a flat calm..." "Like a mill pond." "It will make the bergs difficult to see, sir..." For those of you who know the movie better than the actual conversation. :-). He then went "just inside", and instructed Lightoller to call him if he needed anything. When the ship struck the iceberg, he felt the impact and rushed back on deck ("What is that?" "An iceberg, sir..."). He went with Andrews to survey the damage. He got their position and took it to the wireless room, telling Bride and Philips, "You had better get assistance at once." Just after midnight, he ordered the lifeboats to be filled with women and children first. He was the one who gave the order to fill Boat No. 4 from the promenade deck. He had forgotten that it was enclosed. He stood with Officer Boxhall while most of the flares went up. While boat no. 6 was being loaded, the people inside asked for another man to help row the boat. Major Peuchen volunteered, and the captain suggested that he go break out a pane of glass in one of the portholes and jump aboard. His last command was to sail toward the "mystery ship" that Officer Boxhall had been signalling with the flares.

"You had better get assistance."

~~Captain E. J. Smith, to Bride and Philips

No one is exactly sure how he met his death. G. A. Hogg saw him swimming in the water and tried to get him aboard a lifeboat, but the captain said he was going to follow thie ship. One witness said he dived from the bridge. Another witness said he carried a child to a lifeboat, but was then swept away by a wave. Someone else said he was swept off the bridge when the ship lurched forward. Still another said he shot himself (although this is doubtful). Someone even claims to have seen him a few days after the disaster, walking around in Southampton. However he met his end, he has inspired many people, and is nearly as popular today as he was in 1912.

"The brave captain was a sailor true. Cannot we all picture that last moment so that the message will come home to us all? The last boat was launched, the last grand plunge had begun. The strains of 'Nearer, My God, to Thee' floated to the ears of those pulling away. And what was the cry? 'Be British, boys, be British!"

~~F. W. Clampett