[This has been rewritten from 2025 with updated sources, grammar and spelling corrections.]
RMS Olympic Arrives In New York on Maiden Voyage, 21 June 1911 Source: U.S. Library of Commerce/Wikimedia Commons Public Domain
The revelation that there were not enough lifeboats on Titanic led to an immediate change for the ocean liners. Up until the disaster, the general response was that putting more lifeboats aboard ships was impractical as it took away deck space. Almost immediately after Titanic sank they found room for them and proudly told passengers they could now travel in peace knowing of this.
RMS Olympic, Titanic’s sister ship, was scheduled to depart from Southampton on April 24, 1912. They had added 40 collapsible lifeboats they had gotten from troopships to have enough lifeboats for all passengers. However, some crew aboard Olympic were not convinced they were seaworthy. They requested they be replaced by wooden lifeboats, but this was denied. White Star said they were deemed seaworthy by a Board of Trade inspector. 284 firemen went on strike protesting the collapsible lifeboats as unsafe causing departure to be delayed. White Star hired non-union strikers to replace them.
New lifeboats being loaded on RMS Olympic, Titanic’s sister-ship Circa 22 April 1912-25 April 1912 Author Unknown Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons
On the following day, representatives of the strikers witnessed a test of four collapsible boats; one was found unseaworthy. The representatives said they would recommend the strikers return to work. However, a separate complaint was lodged about the non-union workers; White Star refused to fire them. 54 crew members left the ship in protest resulting in the ship’s departure being canceled. They would be all charged and convicted of mutiny, but no penalty was awarded due to the circumstances. White Star would hire them all back due to the support they had received from the public. The departure was rescheduled and Olympic would sail for New York on May 15, 1912.
[Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.]
Lord, Walter, A NIGHT TO REMEMBER, Holt Rinehart and Winston, New York, New York, 1955. Multiple revisions and reprints, notably Illustrated editions (1976,1977,1978 etc.)
Lord, Walter, THE NIGHT LIVES ON, Willian Morrow and Company, New York, New York, 1986 (First Edition)
[This has been rewritten from 2025 and includes more source citations.]
News of the Titanic sinking and the large number that died shocked people all over the world. There were demands on both sides of the Atlantic for an investigation as to how this tragedy had occurred. Cartoonists depicted the number of dead to the lifeboats available with a large question mark as to why lifeboats for all were not there. Scathing commentary too that Ismay had survived while so many died were made as well. U.S. Senator William Alden Smith from Michigan was appalled by the tragedy and called, along with others, for a Senate inquiry into what happened. The formal proposal was made on April 17, 1912.The British were outraged believing they had sole jurisdiction since the ship was a British flagged steamer. Smith and others countered that since the ship was owned by an American corporation, that the U.S. had also the right to hold an inquiry. Attempts to stop it went right to the top where President Taft was asked to oppose it. He declined since his friend and military aide, Archibald Butt, died in the sinking.
Senator William Alden Smith of Michigan Unknown date (between 1905 and 1945) Public Domain
Smith, a lifelong Republican, was more progressive than some of his party and wanted to determine if White Star had liability for what happened. He and Senator Francis Newlands along with others quickly traveled by train to New York to be there when Carpathia docked on 18 April. They boarded the ship after it was docked and had subpoenas handed out to Ismay, all the surviving Titanic officers, and Captain Rostron. Other parties-crew, survivors, and Captain Stanley Lord and crew of Californian-would be asked to testify as well. The hearings would begin at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York and later be moved to Washington D.C. at the Russell Senate Office Building. The hearings, with many recesses in-between, would run for 18 days till May 25, 1912.
The subcommittee doing the inquiry was composed of seven senators (three Republicans and three Democrats) with Smith as chair. While members could ask questions of witnesses, Smith reserved the right to question the chief witnesses. This led to some friction as some members thought he was trying to seize the limelight resulting in some members not showing up for scheduled hearings. The British press and government harshly condemned the inquiry and Smith personally. Smith was portrayed poorly as an out-of-control ego centered senator wanting to use the tragedy to gain prominence. The inquiry was condemned for having no jurisdiction in the press and by the government. President Taft was not immune either from criticism for allowing this to happen. The row carried out in front page headlines daily and the British government made very clear it was against the inquiry.
Sketch of J. Bruce Ismay giving testimony before U.S. Senate Titanic inquiry. Public Domain (via Wikipedia)
The inquiry heard testimony from the Titanic surviving officers, crew, and survivors in particular Charles Lightoller, Frederick Fleet, Harold Bride, and First-Class passenger Archibald Gracie. Captain Arthur Rostron of Carpathia, Captain Stanley Lord of California, and Captain Herbert Haddock of RMS Olympic testified. The inquiry heard expert testimony about the Marconi radio telegraph, icebergs and about the news coverage. Of particular interest was how the messages got so mixed up as to render confusing reports of the situation. Phillip Franklin, the vice-president of International Mercantile Marine, testified as well. Smith also visited the RMS Olympic when it was in port in New York on May 25, 1912 to inspect the ship and interview some of the crew.
The official report was delivered to the United States Senate on May 28, 1912. The report, nineteen pages long and with 44 exhibits, summarized over 1,145 pages of testimony and sworn affidavits. Its findings and recommendations, echoed by the British Inquiry that would come later, would make changes to safety practices on ships at sea. The key findings are:
The ship was unprepared for the emergency due, that no general alarm was given, there was no orderly routine for the evacuations nor an organized system of safety.
There was no testing of the safety and life-saving equipment.
Captain Edward Smith showed indifference to the danger and contributed to the tragedy.
The lack of lifeboats aboard was due to British Board of Trade lax regulation on lifeboats needed. The report also criticized the speed of the sea trials as hasty.
The SS Californian was nearer to Titanic than what its captain claimed it was and requested the British government act against him.
That the presence of White Star Line president, J. Bruce Ismay, may have contributed to Captain Smith’s decision to increase speed.
Third-Class passengers, while not prevented from getting to the lifeboats, did not realize until far too late that Titanic was sinking.
The report criticized the seafaring practices that had led to complacency and how each component-from the builders, owners and crew–all contributed to its demise.There was no finding of negligence by the subcommittee and while the actions that led up to the disaster were a problem, the disaster itself was considered an “act of God.”
Smith had hoped to prove negligence as that would have helped those who lost relatives and cargo get damages. However, due to laws limiting liability unless you could prove negligence, most would never get much compensation from White Star. They did settle legal claims brought against them, but the amount paid was far less than it could have been. Those who were employed by outside vendors, such as Wallace Hartley and his band, had no legal recourse against White Star. The firm that employed them tried to bill their relatives for the lost items (lyre lapel insignia or White Star logo) required to be worn. One of them sent the bill to the Amalgamated Musicians’ Union which reprinted it in the monthly newsletter. The controversy it generated showed how much had changed. Musicians were paid modest fees for their services and the fact that their employer demanded payment for lost pins or buttons that were lost when they died at sea was considered outrageous. There is no record that the company was paid nor that they sought legal action to collect.
Captain Smith, while found complacent and failed to have proper drills for the crew to handle the lifeboats, was not found negligent. Ismay was still a villain for surviving in the press, but Captain Stanley Lord of Californian faced severe criticism for the indifference he and his crew showed to the rockets that were seen. He would never shake it, and the British Inquiry also harshly judged him as well. He would be fired by the Leyland Line in August 1912 but found employment with the Nitrate Producers Steamship Co. where he stayed until 1927.
Sources
Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Books
Behe, George TITANIC: SAFETY, SPEED AND SACRIFICE, Transportation Trails, Polo, IL 1997
Lord, Walter, A NIGHT TO REMEMBER, Holt Rinehart and Winston, New York, New York, 1955. Multiple revisions and reprints, notably Illustrated editions (1976,1977,1978 etc.)
Lord, Walter, THE NIGHT LIVES ON, Willian Morrow and Company, New York, New York, 1986 (First Edition)
Titanic survivors aboard Carpathia. U.S. Library of Congress, digital id: cph 3b04287 Public Domain
Since the sinking, the Carpathia has maintained a radio silence refusing to acknowledge except the most required about its upcoming arrival in New York. Names of those who were rescued were transmitted via the RMS Olympic to Cape Race and onto New York where the White Star Line made the names known to the public. Many had gathered outside their offices in New York City to learn the fate of those aboard Titanic. Messages from survivors were transmitted from Carpathia to their relatives.
Boats of news reporters went out to meet Carpathia as it entered. Using megaphones, they yelled to people on deck hoping to get something. One reporter did manage to get aboard and get some interviews before tossing a cigar box filled with his notes that was lined with champagne corks to his editor waiting in a tugboat. It would swiftly be taken to the New York Herald and published. A large crowd, estimated at around 10,000 to see Carpathia come down the battery and about 1,000 where the ship was to dock. J.P. Morgan along with families of the famous people aboard such as the Astor, Thayer, and Widener families were there. Many had been on the special train that was mistakenly sent to Halifax believing Titanic was headed there to dock.
Bain News Service, Publisher. Crowd awaiting survivors from CARPATHIA. , 1912. [April date created or published later by Bain] Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/2014690330/. Public Domain
It was raining that evening as Carpathia made its way to its dock but stopped first at the White Star Line dock to drop off the Titanic lifeboats. These lifeboats, except for the flotsam and jetsam on the ocean, were all that was left of the once great ship RMS Titanic. This delayed Carpathia’s arrival as it had been scheduled to arrive at 8:30 pm and was not until after 9 pm at Pier 54 it finally docked with the gangway coming down at 9:25 pm. News reports indicate some were crying in the crowd. The crowd had been silent up to its arrival, but now that had changed. A detachment of doctors, nurses, nuns, and priests went aboard. Three women, not wanting to wait for the gangway to come down, used the ship ladders to get down. The Salvation Army also was there to help as well.
Most came off Carpathia wearing a hodgepodge of clothes they were able to get aboard ship. Men standing in the crowd took off their hats as a show of respect. Those who had relatives were greeted by them. Those who had no one were assisted by a variety of groups: Women’s Relief Committee, Travelers Aid Society of New York, the Council of Jewish Women and many more. Transportation to shelters was provided for. Those with relatives in New York left soon afterwards while those who were elsewhere in the US had to make travel arrangements. The Pennsylvania Railroad provided a special free train to take survivors to Philadelphia. Surviving Titanic crew members were taken to the Red Star Line steamer SS Lapland to be housed temporarily.
Among the people that boarded Carpathia that night were two U.S. Senators: William Alden Smith and Francis G. Newlands. They had subpoenas served on J. Bruce Ismay, the surviving Titanic officers and crew, and Captain Rostron. A formal inquiry was about to take place in the United States, and they were not going to wait for an official British inquiry down the road. Smith argued that since White Star Line was ultimately owned by an American company–International Mercantile Marine–the United States had every right to conduct an inquiry of its own. This would cause considerable anger in Britain over it and unfavorable depictions of Smith in its press. However, both inquiries would explore exactly how this tragedy occurred and how something so simple, having lifeboats for all, was not required by the British Board of Trade.
Sources
Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Lord, Walter, A NIGHT TO REMEMBER, Holt Rinehart and Winston, New York, New York, 1955. Multiple revisions and reprints, notably Illustrated editions (1976,1977,1978 etc.)
Lord, Walter, THE NIGHT LIVES ON, Willian Morrow and Company, New York, New York, 1986 (First Edition)
Titanic lost: Belfast Telegraph front page on 16 April 1912 Source: Belfast Telegraph
News of the sinking stunned the world. In the United States, messages from Titanic and other ships got mixed up and jumbled together giving false hope that Titanic had survived. At one-point, White Star Line had charted a special train to take families to Halifax where Titanic would arrive with its passengers. It was stopped halfway when the truth was learned and returned to New York. At the White Star Line office where hope had turned to sorrow, people came to learn whether their loved ones had survived. Lists of the survivors were sent to Cape Race via the Olympic and then to the White Star office. The names of those who didn’t survive were shocking.
New York Times Front Page 16 April 1912 Public Domain (Wikimedia Commons)
Communications with Carpathian were limited. Outside of the list sent via Olympic and required messages about estimated time of arrival in New York, requests for information sent to the ship went unanswered even from U.S. President William Howard Taft. Taft wanted to know if his friend and military advisor Archibald Butt had survived. But the blackout remained. In Britain and elsewhere, there was no mixing of messages. They learned of it very quickly and newspapers reported it. In Belfast where the Titanic had been built, it was as if a family member had died.
Titanic was mostly hand built and employed thousands for large and small projects. Some drove the rivets sealing the metal plates to the ship. Others did detail work on the inside: doors, windows, cabinets, trimmings of all kinds. There were no prefabricated materials back then, you custom built just about everything for Titanic. Francis Parkinson Jr’s father was a skilled woodworker on Titanic. He fashioned many of the elegant doors. And he remembers vividly not only seeing the giant ship being built but the day she was reported sunk. He recalled seeing the news poster where the paper boy was selling papers and it had just two words:
Titanic Sunk
His father ran out to get the special edition and read it in shock. And then like many who had worked on it, cried. None could believe the ship they had worked on was gone. So many prominent people from both sides of the Atlantic perished as well. The sinking of Titanic was a gut punch to firmly held beliefs of man’s steady progress. It was the death of a dream for many and the world was made less certain because of it.
Colorised photo of Ned Parfett, best known as the “Titanic paperboy”, holding a large newspaper about the sinking, standing outside the White Star Line offices at Oceanic House on Cockspur Street near Trafalgar Square in London SW1, April 16, 1912. Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons
Sources
(Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.)
Behe, George TITANIC: SAFETY, SPEED AND SACRIFICE, Transportation Trails, Polo, IL 1997
Lord, Walter, A NIGHT TO REMEMBER, Holt Rinehart and Winston, New York, New York, 1955. Multiple revisions and reprints, notably Illustrated editions (1976,1977,1978 etc.)
Lord, Walter, THE NIGHT LIVES ON, Willian Morrow and Company, New York, New York, 1986 (First Edition)
RMS Titanic pictured in Queenstown, Ireland 11 April 1912 Source:Cobh Heritage Centre, Cobh Ireland/Wikimedia Commons
Helen Candee awoke early on Sunday and went out on the deck to view the sunrise. She was not disappointed. This was to be the final day of the maiden voyage for tomorrow the ship would dock in New York. Little did anyone know that it would be the last sunrise Titanic would ever see.
At 10:30 am, a religious service was held in the First-Class dining room with a nice meal that followed for both First and Second class. On the bridge, ice warnings from other ships had been received but since such sightings were common, they were not of serious concern. No one had thought it serious enough to plot them. At noon the ship’s officers got together on the wing bridge to calculate Titanic’s position.
White Star liner Baltic reported at 1:42 pm of large quantities of ice providing coordinates. The message was delivered to Captain Smith who also showed the message to J. Bruce Ismay, chairman of the White Star Line. The SS Amerika spotted an iceberg at 1:45 and provided its coordinates. By afternoon, the temperature was falling fast and by 7:30 pm was 33F (1 C). Captain Smith ordered a course change to south and west around 5:50 pm possibly due to ice warnings.
RMS Olympic’s A la Carte Restaurant, located in B-Deck level. Circa May 1911 Robert John Welch (1859-1936), official photographer for Harland & Wolff Public Domain/Wikimedia Commons
Meanwhile passengers enjoyed their last night on Titanic. Many survivors believe this was the best night of the trip. The food was exemplary and everyone was dressed in their finest clothes. There was joyful celebration of their last night together on Titanic. On the bridge, Second Officer Charles Lightoller was going over a report from the California that reported three large icebergs that came in at 7:30 pm. Noting the drop in temperature to near freezing, he ordered the crew to watch the fresh water. Captain Smith returned to the bridge after dinner around 8:55 pm and conferred with Lightoller about the weather and icebergs. He then retired for the night advising Lightoller to awaken him “if becomes at all doubtful’. Lightoller at 9:30 pm advised the lookouts to watch for icebergs.
The only picture of the Marconi radio room onboard the Titanic. Harold Bride is seated at his station. Photo was taken by Father Francis Browne, SJ, while aboard Titanic. Public Domain/Wikimedia Commons
Down in the Marconi telegraph office, Jack Phillips was busy handling heavy passenger traffic when a message for Mesaba came in warning about heavy pack ice and icebergs at 9:40 pm. The message never made it to the bridge, so they were unaware of it. First Officer William Murdoch relieved Lightoller at 10 pm. New lookouts took over as well, Frederick Fleet and Reginald Lee, who were advised to watch for icebergs. It was a moonless night with unusually calm seas, so they had to be especially alert for ice fields and icebergs. Unfortunately, the binoculars they should have had had been misplaced. By this time, the temperature had dropped to 31 F.
Public Domain
The captain of the SS Californian, Stanley Lord, decides to stop his ship for the night due to a large ice field in the way. The telegraph operator, Cyril Evans, sent out warnings to all ships in the area but Jack Phillips on Titanic sent back a blunt response: shut up. He was busy sending messages through Cape Race. Evans shut off his equipment and went to bed leaving the Californian with no wireless communications till morning. On Titanic, most were either asleep or heading to their cabins at 11 pm. Only a few were lingering over drinks, a card game, or reading. By 11:30 pm, around the time Cyril Evans went to bed, Titanic had settled in for the night.
Photograph of iceberg taken by chief steward of Prinz Adalbert on morning of 15 April 1912 near where Titanic sank. At the time he had not learned of the Titanic disaster. Smears of red paint along the base caught his attention. The photo and accompanying statement were sent to Titanic’s lawyers, which hung in their boardroom until the firm dissolved in 2002. Public Domain
Then just before 11:40 pm, the lookouts spotted an iceberg 500 feet away. Frederic Fleet rang the bell three times and calls the bridge telling Murdoch ‘Iceberg, right ahead.’ Titanic was going 21 knots (or slightly less) at the time. Murdoch ordered hard a starboard,” orders the engines stopped then full astern, and seals the watertight doors. Due to its size, Titanic had a larger turning radius, and this made it look like it would hit the iceberg dead on. Then it slowly veered to port making it appear the ship would pass the iceberg on the starboard side. Some speculate that it may have been a rare blue berg meaning it flipped over and was much larger underwater. The iceberg impacted on the starboard ship resulting in large and small punctures as it scraped the ship. Captain Smith came to the bridge to determine what happened learning they had struck an icebox. At first the damage reports seemed okay then it turned ominous with reports of water in the mailroom and other areas of the ship. Thomas Andrews assesses the damage himself and reports to Captain Smith that the ship is doomed. He tells Smith that the forward five compartments had been compromised and water is coming in. With water pulling the ship down at the bow, there was no way to prevent sinking. Titanic could stay afloat with one or two taking water but not all five at the same time.
Titanic Captain Edward J Smith, 1911 Author unknown. Published after sinking in 1912 Public Domain/Wikipedia Commons
For Captain Edward J. Smith, who had an illustrious career and set to retire after this voyage, this was a major shock. Unlike what has been dramatized, he had to be prodded by his officers to order lifeboats be lowered, muster the crew, and evacuate the passengers. Worse, despite having more than the required lifeboats per British Board of Trade regulations, it was still woefully short since the regulations were based on tonnage and not capacity. Of the 2,227 passengers and crew, only 1,178 would fit into them providing that they were filled completely to capacity. Wireless operators Jack Phillips and Harold Bride were ordered by Smith to send a distress call at 12:15 am. They first used the older one, CQD, and later switched to the newer one SOS. While many ships received the distress message, most were too far away to help. The SS Carpathia, about 58 miles away, received the distress call at 12:20 am. Harold Cottam quickly responded back to confirm the distress call and got the reply:
“Come at once. We have struck a berg. It’s a CQD, old man.”
Capt. Arthur H. Rostron, R.D., R.N.R, while serving as master of the Cunard liner RMS Carpathia in 1912 Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons
Cottam awakened Captain Arthur Rostron to inform him of the news. Rostron immediately gave out numerous orders to prepare the ship to take on survivors. And Carpathia quickly moved at high speed through the dangerous ice field in the hopes of getting there fast; they would arrive in three hours. However back on Titanic Andrews had told Smith that Titanic that the ship would sink in about 1 ½ hours to 2 hours making getting there before the ship sank impossible. Aboard Titanic, there was no central way to notify passengers, so stewards and others knocked on doors to rouse and inform them they had to put on life jackets and go topside. Many doubted they were in serious trouble and many of the staff did not know how dire the situation was. Up on deck, the crew had not any training–nor any drills–on how to operate the lifeboats. They required manual operation to be lowered into the water, and some were not sure if the davits were strong enough. And no one had told them that the lifeboats could carry 65 people, which is why some lifeboats that left could have taken on a lot more. Lightoller was strict in implementing the “women and children first “rule but seemed to interpret it meant no men could go aboard lifeboats (except for crew to steer it). However, on the other side of the ship, that rule was not carried out and many men boarded lifeboats there.
To try and get other ships in the area to respond, Titanic fired rockets. The crew on the Californian saw them but did not know its source nor did they investigate or awaken the wireless operator. They did think there was a ship that was ten miles away that appeared to be moving away, so it obviously was not in distress. Titanic tried using its Morse lamp as well but to no avail. Some believe it was a mirage while others wonder if it was an illegal Norwegian sealer, but that has never been confirmed. By 12:55 am lifeboats 5 and 6 were being lowered. Molly Brown was aboard Lifeboat 6 along with lookout Frederic Fleet and Quartermaster Robert Hitchens. Hitchens had been at the helm when Titanic hit the iceberg, and his testimony would prove valuable at the inquiries. However, his refusal to look for survivors would bring harsh criticism later.
Lifeboats 1 and 3 would be lowered around 1:00 am. Lifeboat 1, Emergency Cutter 1 has only 12 people (and can carry 40 people) while Lifeboat 3 has 39. Aboard Lifeboat 1 is Sir Cosmo Edmund-Duff Gordon and his wife, Lucy Duff-Gordon. She was a well-known British fashion designer known for innovative designs. Sir Cosmo handed out £5 notes to each of the crew aboard the lifeboat. Some argued later it was to keep others off the lifeboat. He strenuously denied the allegation and pointed out it was to help them replace lost clothing and gear. At 1:10 am Lifeboat 8 was lowered containing only 28 people that had aboard Noel, the Countess of Rothes. Both Isidor and Ida Straus were offered seats on the lifeboat but declined. Isidor, who had helped found Macy’s department store, believed only women and children should go first but Id did not want to leave her husband. She said famously: “Where you go, I go.” They would both perish when Titanic sank.
Lifeboat 9 launched at 1:20 am only had 30 people on it and was loaded by Purser Hugh McElroy and First Officer William Murdoch. It had 30 people on it with 17 crew members, possibly stewards and cooks according to one survivor. Another account puts it between 35-40 with 12 ladies, 6-7 men passengers, and 18 male crew members. The mistress to Benjamin Guggenheim, Léontine Aubart, was on this lifeboat. He and his valet choose to dress properly and go down with the ship as gentleman. Lifeboat 10 is launched at 1:47 am had 57 people when it was launched but some transfers to other lifeboats brought it down to 50. Nine-week-old Milvina Deam was on this lifeboat. She along with her mother and brother would survive while her father died on Titanic. She became known later to many in the Titanic community living a long life dying at the age of 97 in 2009.
RMS Olympic Arrives In New York on Maiden Voyage, 21 June 1911 Source: U.S. Library of Commerce/Wikimedia Commons Public Domain
Olympic received Titanic’s distress call but there was confusion because of many mixed signals and messages bouncing around; they did not know the severity of the disaster. They thought at one point Titanic was sailing towards them but got a quick message back they were putting women off in the lifeboats. They would learn of Titanic’s sinking later from Carpathia. Meanwhile on Titanic panic was setting in as it was obvious Titanic was sinking. Near Lifeboat 14 Fourth Officer Joseph Boxhall was forced to discharge his gun to calm things down, He would take command of Lifeboat 14 later transferring people to other boats so they could look for survivors. Lifeboats 13 and 15 are lowered but 15 starts drifting underneath the other lowering lifeboat. Quick action in 13 by crew averts disaster.
Sometime between 1:35 -1:40 am Lifeboat 16 and Collapsible C is lowered. White Star chairman J. Bruce Ismay is aboard C. Criticism that he boarded before women and children would haunt him after the sinking. He claimed that neither were around when he boarded C, so he boarded. Emergency Cutter 2 is lowered and not long afterwards Lifeboats 11 and 4. A pregnant Madeline Astor is aboard Lifeboat 4. John Jacob Astor did ask if he could join her, but Lightoller denied the request. By 2 am only the collapsible boats remain but Titanic was slowly rising in the stern with its propellers visible. Collapsible D was the only one successfully launched and would carry 20 in it. A is washed off the deck and fills partly with water while B falls and is swept off before it is righted. Before this Captain Smith has released the crew saying it is now “every man for himself.” Wireless operator Phillips sends the final distress signal at 2:17 am. He would get to Collapsible B but would die later from exposure and his body would never be recovered.
By 2 am only the collapsible boats remain. Titanic had sunk low enough that the stern propellers were visible. Collapsible lifeboat D is launched from the roof of the officer’s quarters and would have 20 people in it. Collapsible A is washed off the deck and partly filled with water. Fifth Officer Harold Lowe in lifeboat 14 finds only 12 of the 20 that got into it are alive. Collapsible B falls and is swept off before it can be righted. The now overturned lifeboats are used by 30 people including Lightoller and wireless operator Bride. At this point, Captain Smith releases the crew saying, “it’s every man for himself.” Smith was last seen on the bridge and his body was never recovered. Wireless operator Phillips sends the final distress signal at 2:17 am. He made it to collapsible lifeboat B but died from exposure. His body would not be recovered.
Meanwhile the ship was plunged into darkness as the power went off. People frantically ran to the stern. Some would jump into the water while others hoped that by some miracle they would be spared. It is around 2:18 am when Titanic, suffering tremendous strain midsection would break in two between the third and fourth funnels. The bow sank into the water and for a time the stern seemed to float on its own but slowly sank. Those remaining on the stern would just swim away since there was no suction. Then it too slowly began to rise becoming vertical and sink beneath the waves. By 2:20 am, Titanic was gone. J. Bruce Ismay turned away before this; he did not want to see Titanic sink. The cries of those in the water was a sound no one in the boats would ever forget. And would haunt many for the rest of their lives.
RMS Carpathia (date unknown) Image: public domain
Carpathia would arrive in the area firing rockets to get attention at around 3:30 am. Lifeboat 2 was the first to reach the rescue ship. It would take several hours to pick up all the survivors. Ismay would send a message to the White Star Line office informing Titanic sank. He then would isolate himself in a cabin for the remainder of the voyage to New York. The Californian arrived on scene at around 8 am. Carpathia asked her to look for any bodies, but they would find none and depart. Meanwhile aboard Carpathia, they held a service for the four bodies they had recovered. They would see one more as they steamed around the area but did not pick it up. Before 9 am, Carpathia sounded its whistle and began steaming towards New York
Meanwhile the Carpathia’s purser compiled a list of the Titanic survivors, which Rostron ordered Cottam to transmit the list to Cape Race but due to the limited range of their transmitter, this could not be achieved. They could get signals from Cape Race but not send them back. Cottam was besieged with messages wanting information and Titanic survivors wanting to send messages as well. Harold Bride, the surviving Titanic wireless operator, assisted him so he could get sleep. Rostron allowed no communications with the press. Eventually they were able to use Olympic, which had a more powerful transmitter, to transmit the names of those who were aboard Carpathia.
Outside the White Star Line Office after Titanic Disaster, New York, April 1912. Bain News Service, U.S. Library of Congress, digital id#ggbain 10352
In New York, bedlam had reigned. Due to mixed up messages, there were many false reports about Titanic. Some reports indicated all was well and people picked up by Olympic. People gathered outside the White Star Line offices in New York for information. Initially White Star was hopeful and believed Titanic was safe. But the New York Times realized communication from Titanic had stopped after 2:20 am and ran the story she had sunk. The message from Ismay from Carpathia ended all doubt; people wept. Titanic, the pride of the White Star Line, had sunk taking with her over 1,500 plus lives and only 705 survivors. Now they awaited the arrival of Carpathia.
Sources
Behe, George TITANIC: SAFETY, SPEED AND SACRIFICE, Transportation Trails, Polo, IL 1997
A NIGHT TO REMEMBER, Holt Rinehart and Winston, New York, New York, 1955. Multiple revisions and reprints, notably Illustrated editions (1976,1977,1978 etc.)
THE NIGHT LIVES ON, Willian Morrow and Company, New York, New York, 1986 (First Edition)
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HMHS Britannic seen during World War I. Image:public domain
On 21 November 1916, HMHS Britannic was sunk by mine near the island of Kea in the Aegean Sea. The ship sank in 55 minutes and 1,035 people were rescued, only 30 perished. Britannic was the third and last ship of the Olympic class liners built by White Star Line. The other two were Olympic and Titanic. Britannic was launched in February 1914. Many design changes were made prior to launch due to lessons learned from Titanic. Those changes were:
Double hull along the engine and boiler rooms raising six of the watertight bulkheads up to B deck.
More powerful turbine installed due to increase in hull width.
Watertight compartments were enhanced so that the ship can stay afloat with six compartments flooded.
Motorized davits to launch six lifeboats (only five out of eight were installed before war service). Manual operated davits were used for the remaining lifeboats. The new design also allowed all lifeboats to be launched even if the ship was listing. There were 55 lifeboats with capacity for 75 each so that 3,600 people could be carried.
When World War I broke out, the ship had to be retrofitted as a hospital ship. Most of the furnishings were stored in a warehouse to be placed back aboard after the war. The Britannic began service as a hospital ship on 12 December 1915. She was sent to the Aegean Sea to bring back sick and wounded soldiers. Her first tour of service was ended on 6 June 1916 and she was sent back to Belfast to be refitted back as a passenger liner. As this was underway, the ship was again recalled to military service on 26 August 1916 and was sent back to the Mediterranean Sea.
On the morning of 21 November 1916, the Britannic under the command of Captain Alfred Barnett was steaming into the Kea Channel when at 8:12 am a loud explosion shook the ship. The explosion, unknown at the time whether it was a torpedo or mine, damaged the first four watertight compartments and rapidly filled with water. Water was also flowing into the boiler room. Captain Bartlett ordered the watertight doors closed, sent a distress call, and ordered the lifeboats be prepared. Unfortunately, while they could send messages, damage to the antenna wires meant they could not hear the responses back from ships responding to their SOS. Britannic was reaching her flooding limit and open portholes (opened by nurses to ventilate wards) were bringing more water in as well.
As the ship was still moving, Bartlett did not order lifeboats be lowered but two lifeboats were lowered anyway. They were sucked into the ships propellor and torn to bits killing everyone in those two lifeboats. Bartlett ordered the ship stopped to assess the damage. The ship was listing so badly that the gantry davits were inoperable. Thinking the sinking had slowed, he ordered the engines back on to try and beach the ship. The flooding increased as more water was coming in aided by the open portholes the nurses had opened to air out their wards early in the morning. Bartlett ordered the engines stopped and to abandon ship. She would sink at 9:07 am, 55 minutes after the explosion. Thankfully the water temperature was high (70 F), they had more lifeboats than Titanic, and rescue came less than two hours. Nearby fisherman were able to help and at 10:00 am, the HMS Scourge arrived and later the HMS Heroic and later the HMS Foxhound.
1,035 survived. Of the 30 lost, only five were buried as their bodies were not recovered. Memorials in Thessaloniki and London honor those lives lost. Survivors were housed on the warships and the nurses and officers were put into hotels. Most survivors were sent home, and some arrived in time for Christmas. Speculation about whether it was a torpedo or a mine was resolved when it was learned that a German submarine (SM U-73) had planted mines in the Kea Channel in October 1916. The loss of two Olympic class ships was a major blow to White Star Line. They would get, as a result of the Treaty of Versailles, the German ocean liner Bismarck (renamed Majestic), which replaced Britannic. They also got Columbus which was named Homeric.
Britannic has been largely forgotten except when news of expeditions were made to the wreck site over the years. The wreck itself was bought by noted author Simon Mills, who has written two books on the ship. An expedition in September 2003 located by sonar mine anchors confirming German records of U-73 that Britannic was sunk by a single mine. The expedition found several watertight doors open making it likely the mine strike was during a watch change on the ship. One notable survivor was Violet Jessop. She had been on Olympic as stewardess when it collided with the HMS Hawke, aboard Titanic in the same capacity when it sank, and then aboard Britannic as a stewardess with the Red Cross.
Lord, Walter, A NIGHT TO REMEMBER, Holt Rinehart and Winston, New York, New York, 1955. Multiple revisions and reprints, notably Illustrated editions (1976,1977,1978 etc.)
Lord, Walter, THE NIGHT LIVES ON, Willian Morrow and Company, New York, New York, 1986 (First Edition)
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RMS Olympic Arrives In New York on Maiden Voyage, 21 June 1911 Source: U.S. Library of Commerce/Wikimedia Commons Public Domain
In the wake of the Titanic sinking, all passenger ships were equipped with lifeboats for everyone aboard. Olympic, like her sister ship, did not have enough lifeboats but they were quickly added for her upcoming departure from Southampton on 24 April 1912. 40 collapsible lifeboats (all second-hand) had come from troopships. However, there was concern amongst the crew that these lifeboats were not seaworthy. A request sent by crewman that they should be replaced by wooden lifeboats was declined by White Star which said that it was impossible to do that and they had passed as seaworthy by the Board of Trade inspector.
New lifeboats being loaded on RMS Olympic, Titanic’s sister-ship Circa 22 April 1912-30 April 1912 Author Unknown Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons
Not convinced of this, 284 firemen went on strike delaying the departure. Non-union crew were hired from Southampton and from Liverpool to make up the difference. On 25 April 1912, representatives of the strikers witnessed a test of four of the collapsible boats. One was found unseaworthy. The representatives said they would recommend the strikers return to work as a result. A separate objection about the non-union workers who were hired came up as an issue. White Star refused to fire them. This resulted in 54 crewmembers leaving the ship in protest causing the cancellation of the sailing. Later they would be charged and convicted of mutiny, but no punishment was awarded due to the circumstances. White Star Line hired them back in end fearing a public backlash in support of the strikers. Olympic would sail for New York on 15 May 1912.
Sources
Books
Behe, George TITANIC: SAFETY, SPEED AND SACRIFICE, Transportation Trails, Polo, IL 1997
Lord, Walter, A NIGHT TO REMEMBER, Holt Rinehart and Winston, New York, New York, 1955. Multiple revisions and reprints, notably Illustrated editions (1976,1977,1978 etc.)
Lord, Walter, THE NIGHT LIVES ON, Willian Morrow and Company, New York, New York, 1986 (First Edition)
Lynch, Don & Marshall Ken, TITANIC AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY, Madison Press Books, Toronto, Ontario Canada, 1992
Internet
Tikkanen and Amy, “Titanic | History, Sinking, Rescue, Survivors, Movies, & Facts,” Encyclopedia Britannica, last modified April 7, 2025, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Titanic.
Titanic News Channel is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
Senator William Alden Smith of Michigan Unknown date (between 1905 and 1945) Public Domain
The shocking news of the Titanic sinking had people on both sides of the Atlantic wanting an inquiry into how it happened. The United States would be the first to do so, but not without criticism from the British. U.S. Senator William Alden Smith, a Republican from Michigan, believed that rapid action was needed. He was also concerned that many of the surviving witnesses aboard Carpathia would disperse and head home. This led to his proposal on 17 April 1912 that an official inquiry be held on the sinking. President Taft concurred having lost his good friend and military advisor Archibald Butt in the sinking. Taft ordered a U.S. naval escort for Carpathia as well.
Smith along with fellow subcommittee member Francis G. Newlands (and other officials) quickly traveled to New York by train in order to meet Carpathia when it docked on 18 April in the evening. Smith, Newlands, and the other officials boarded Carpathia and served subpoenas upon J. Bruce Ismay and all the surviving officers requiring them to stay in the U.S. for the hearings which started the next day in New York. Survivors and other witnesses who had knowledge would also testify as well. The hearings would begin at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York and later be moved to Washington D.C. at the Russell Senate Office Building. The hearings, with many recesses in-between, would run for 18 days till May 25, 1912.
Sketch of J. Bruce Ismay giving testimony before U.S. Senate Titanic inquiry. Public Domain (via Wikipedia)Witnesses who attended the United States Senate inquiry into the sinking of the RMS Titanic Author: Louis Grant, The Graphic, 11 May 1912 Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons
The subcommittee was composed of seven senators (three Republicans and three Democrats) with Smith as chair. The composition was carefully chosen to include the various wings of the two parties. Members of the committee asked questions, but Smith personally handled the questioning of the chief witnesses. This led to friction within the committee as some felt he was trying to seize the limelight. The result was some members would only infrequently attend the hearings as there was little for them to do. Harsher criticism came from the British press and also the British government as well. Smith was not portrayed well and was called an opportunist. The British government (and the press as well) said the U.S. had no jurisdiction since this was a British ship. This conveniently forgot that White Star Line was owned by an American, J.P. Morgan. The British would hold their own inquiry much later after the American one had concluded.
Sources
Books
Behe, George TITANIC: SAFETY, SPEED AND SACRIFICE, Transportation Trails, Polo, IL 1997
Lord, Walter, A NIGHT TO REMEMBER, Holt Rinehart and Winston, New York, New York, 1955. Multiple revisions and reprints, notably Illustrated editions (1976,1977,1978 etc.)
Lord, Walter, THE NIGHT LIVES ON, Willian Morrow and Company, New York, New York, 1986 (First Edition)
Lynch, Don & Marshall Ken, TITANIC AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY, Madison Press Books, Toronto, Ontario Canada, 1992
Internet
Tikkanen and Amy, “Titanic | History, Sinking, Rescue, Survivors, Movies, & Facts,” Encyclopedia Britannica, last modified April 7, 2025, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Titanic.
Titanic News Channel is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
Titanic survivors aboard Carpathia. U.S. Library of Congress, digital id: cph 3b04287 Public Domain
Since the sinking of the Titanic, lingering questions as to who survived and who died were the subject of much speculation. Captain Arthur Rostron of the Carpathia had kept a media blackout refusing to answer any messages. J. Bruce Ismay was sequestered in a cabin and stayed there for the entire voyage back to New York. He sent a message to the New York office of the White Star Line informing of the sinking. Except for survivors sending their own messages out, no one really knew who had lived or died when Carpathia finally arrived on a rainy Thursday evening on 18 April 1912.
News reporters had gathered in boats with megaphones yelling to people aboard they would pay for their survivor accounts. One enterprising reporter did manage to get aboard and get some quick interviews. He tossed the notes inside a cigar box lined with champagne corks to a Hearst editor in a tugboat. It would be rushed back to the New York World for a special evening edition. Meanwhile in the pier sheds there were some 1,000 people-mainly friends and relatives-gathered there. J.P. Morgan Jr. was there along with members of the Widener and Thayer families who had been on the special trains that had been heading north to Halifax to greet the survivors there. There was some crying heard. As Carpathia slowly made her way down the battery, it was estimated close to 10,000 people were watching, mostly in silence, as she passed. Some numbers are higher at 40,000.
Crowd Awaiting Survivors of Titanic, 18 April 1912 U.S. Library of Congress,Bain Collection, Control #ggb2004010347 Public Domain
Carpathia would make a slight detour to the White Star dock to drop off her lifeboats. It was a stunning moment when you realize that those lifeboats, along with the flotsam and jetsam, were all that remained of the once proud RMS Titanic. Although arriving in New York at 8:30 pm, the delay to unload the lifeboats along with the rain and darkness meant Carpathia did not dock at Pier 54 until after 9 pm. The gangway went down at 9:25 pm. There were a large detachment of doctors, nurses, nuns, and priests ready to board along with stretchers. According to one report, three women did not want to wait for the gangway to come down and climbed down ladders from the ship. The Salvation Army was also there to render assistance as well.
Many men removed their hats in respect when the gangway went down. Many survivors had little clothing, just what they had on when they left Titanic, and wore a hodge-podge of whatever they could get on Carpathia. Two women were apparently hysterical (one report said violent and deranged). Those who had relatives waiting were greeted by them. Relief for those who had no one was done by the Women’s Relief Committee, the Travelers Aid Society of New York, the Council of Jewish women and many more. Transportation was provided to shelters provided by these groups. Those who had relatives in New York quickly left while those who had relatives within the U.S. stayed for a few days to arrange transportation. The Pennsylvania Railroad provided a special free train to take survivors to Philadelphia. The surviving crew members would be taken to the Red Star Line steamer SS Lapland and housed there temporarily in passenger cabins.
Meanwhile other interesting parties boarded the Carpathia that night. They were U.S. Senators William Alden Smith, Francis G. Newlands, and others armed with subpoenas to serve on J. Bruce Ismay, as well as the surviving officers and crew of Titanic. An inquiry was about to begin, and they wanted to make sure they would be all be there for it the following day at the Waldorf Astoria in New York.
Sources
Books
Behe, George TITANIC: SAFETY, SPEED AND SACRIFICE, Transportation Trails, Polo, IL 1997
Lord, Walter, A NIGHT TO REMEMBER, Holt Rinehart and Winston, New York, New York, 1955. Multiple revisions and reprints, notably Illustrated editions (1976,1977,1978 etc.)
Lord, Walter, THE NIGHT LIVES ON, Willian Morrow and Company, New York, New York, 1986 (First Edition)
Lynch, Don & Marshall Ken, TITANIC AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY, Madison Press Books, Toronto, Ontario Canada, 1992
Internet
Tikkanen and Amy, “Titanic | History, Sinking, Rescue, Survivors, Movies, & Facts,” Encyclopedia Britannica, last modified April 7, 2025, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Titanic.
Titanic News Channel is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
Titanic lost: Belfast Telegraph front page on 16 April 1912 Source: Belfast Telegraph
As the world awaits news of who survived Titanic, the White Star Line decides to hire ships to go out and retrieve bodies. Reports of bodies floating in the Atlantic had been reported and White Star wanted to retrieve them as quickly as possible for a number of practical reasons. Ocean currents would eventually move them out of the area, so getting them retrieved as soon as possible would allow families to lay them to rest. Another reason for speed was that sea creatures and birds would start consuming the bodies making identification difficult as well. The cable ship Mackay Bennett was the first ship hired by White Star. Three other ships would be hired as well: Minia (a cable ship), Montmagny (lighthouse supply ship), and the sealing vessel Algerine.
CS Mackay Bennett (circa 1884) Artist Unknown Public Domain/Wikimedia Commons
Each ship would carry the necessary supplies to retrieve and embalm the bodies. The Mackay Bennett emptied itself of its normal stores in Halifax, Nova Scotia and brought aboard supplies for its new mission:
Embalming supplies and coffins (100)
Chief embalmer of John Snow & Co., John R. Snow Jr.
100 tons of ice to store the bodies
Canon Kenneth Hind of All Saints Cathedral, Halifax
Mackay Bennett left Halifax at 12:28 pm on 17 April 1912. Due to heavy fog and rough seas, it would take four days to reach where Titanic sank. They began recovery at 0600 on 20 April. Bodies were manually recovered by skiffs and brought back to the ship. They recovered 51 bodies but realized they did not have enough embalming supplies on hand. Since the laws at the time required bodies to be embalmed before unloading from ships docking in a Canadian port, they followed a general procedure:
First class passengers were embalmed and placed in coffins.
Second class passengers embalmed but wrapped in canvas.
Third class, crew, and bodies that were too decomposed or disfigured were buried at sea.
Bodies that were brought back were either transported by relatives to their final resting place or interred in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Back in Halifax John Henry Barnstead, the Registrar of Vital Statistics, developed a system of identifying the bodies and protect personal possessions of the deceased. Since Halifax had direct rail and steamship connections, this made it easier for families of victims to travel to Halifax and identify the bodies. A large temporary morgue was set up using a local curling rink and undertakers from all over the area were asked to assist. Many families did decide to transport the bodies back to their hometowns in the United States or in Europe. Unclaimed or unidentified bodies would be interred in Halifax. 150 bodies would eventually be interred in Halifax cemeteries. The largest number are in the Fairview Lawn Cemetery followed by the nearby Mount Olivet and Baron de Hirsch cemeteries.
Titanic Grave markers at Fairview Cemetery Halifax N.S William B. Grice (Wikimedia)
Bodies were still being reported in May. The Oceanic found three bodies in Titanic’s Collapsible A over two hundred miles from the sinking. When Carpathia had arrived, Fifth Officer Harold Lowe and other crewmembers removed the survivors but left three dead bodies aboard. Oceanic retrieved their bodies and then buried them at sea. On 22 May the Algerine found the body of steward James McGrady. His body was brought back to Halifax and buried in June at the Fairview Lawn Cemetery.
In the end only 333 bodies were recovered, a small number compared to the over 1,500 victims. Currents quickly moved bodies hundreds of miles making their recovery difficult. Life jackets will eventually disintegrate allowing bodies to sink or drift further away. Most who lost family, friends, and relatives had no body to bury since it was never recovered.
Sources
Books
Behe, George TITANIC: SAFETY, SPEED AND SACRIFICE, Transportation Trails, Polo, IL 1997
Lord, Walter, A NIGHT TO REMEMBER, Holt Rinehart and Winston, New York, New York, 1955. Multiple revisions and reprints, notably Illustrated editions (1976,1977,1978 etc.)
Lord, Walter, THE NIGHT LIVES ON, Willian Morrow and Company, New York, New York, 1986 (First Edition)
Lynch, Don & Marshall Ken, TITANIC AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY, Madison Press Books, Toronto, Ontario Canada, 1992
Internet
Tikkanen and Amy, “Titanic | History, Sinking, Rescue, Survivors, Movies, & Facts,” Encyclopedia Britannica, last modified April 7, 2025, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Titanic.
Titanic News Channel is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
