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Captain Edward John Smith (age 62) was born at Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, England on January 27th, 1850 - the son of potter Edward Smith and his wife Catherine.
Edward John Smith attended the Etruria British School until the age of 13 when he went to Liverpool to begin a seafaring career as an apprentice on a clipper ship - the 'Senator Weber' owned by Gibson & Co. - in 1869.
He joined the White Star Line in 1880 as Fourth Officer and gaining his first command in 1887. Among the ships he would command were the first 'Republic', 'Coptic', 'Majestic', 'Baltic', 'Adriatic' and 'Olympic'. In total he captained 17 White Star liners.
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On January 13th, 1887 he married Sarah Eleanor Pennington at St. Oswald's Church, Winwick.
Captain Smith soon became a master seaman, and was considered the top dog
in the formidable White Star Line's fleet. He often took the company's ships out
on their sea trials and their first voyages.
Their daughter Helen Melville Smith, known as Mel, was born in Liverpool and later moved to Southampton with her parents.
The family lived in an imposing red brick, twin-gabled house "Woodhead" on Winn Road, Westwood, Southampton.
His capability and experience attracted a lot of people to him. Many of the
White Star Line employees would request to be transferred to whatever ship he
was captaining at the time in order to be near the "millionaires Captain".
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Prior to the disaster, Captain Smith had captained the 'Olympic', Titanic's identical sister ship, for almost a year.
Sadly, he planned to retire after Titanic's maiden voyage.
A large statue of Captain Smith was unveiled by his daughter Helen on July 29th, 1914 in Lichfield, England. The sculptor was Lady Kathleen Scott (1870 - 1947) widow of Captain Robert Falcon Scott, "Scott of the Antarctic." A plaque which was placed on Hanley Town Hall in his memory in 1913 was later removed to Etruria Middle School.
All in all, Captain Smith had 46 years of experience on the sea, including captaining a ship during the Boer war.
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Captain Smith's widow Eleanor Sarah was born on June 17th, 1861. After her husband's death she remained in Southampton for a time but later moved to London. She died after being knocked down by a taxi outside her London home on April 28th, 1931.
Captain Smith had served
his apprenticeship aboard the 'Senator Weber', an American built sailing
vessel owned by A. Gibson & Co. of Liverpool.
Joining the White Star
Line in 1880 Smith served aboard the company's major vessel-freight liners
to Australia, liners to New York-and quickly assumed command. As the ships
grew in size , so did the importance of Captain Smith's presence. He worked
his way up through 'Adriatic', 'Celtic' and 'Coptic' (the latter for experience
in the Australian route) and 'Germanic', among others. He was 'Majestic's'
captain for nine years commencing in 1895, during which period he was awarded
the Transport Medal. In addition he was an honorary commander of the Royal
Naval Reserve and, as such, had been granted warrant number 690 allowing
him to fly the Blue Ensign on any merchant vessel he commanded.
Captain Smith was regarded as a 'safe captain' and, for the period,
he probably was. Yet he had been in command of the 'Germanic' when on 16
February 1899 she capsized at her New York pier from ice accumulations
in her rigging and superstructure. And he had commanded the 'Olympic', Titanic's identical sister ship, when
she had been damaged in collision with H.M.S. 'Hawke' in September 1911.
Earlier, in June 1911, while maneuvering 'Olympic' into a New York pier,
he had damaged a tugboat with the thrust from one of the liner's propellers.
It seemed that Captain Smith - along with most contemporary liner captains
- had much to learn about the displacement effects of so huge a hulk of
the vessel he now commanded.
At age 62, Smith was close to retirement. Since 'Baltic' of 1904 he had
taken out the company's newest liners on their maiden voyages. After 'Baltic',
came 'Adriatic' in 1907, then 'Olympic' in 1911, and now the Titanic. It was generally
thought that he would retire from the White Star Line service upon completion of
Titanic's maiden voyage. But an article appearing on April 9th, 1912 in the
Halifax, Nova Scotia Morning Chronicle quoted White Star Line officials as announcing
that he would have charge of the Titanic until the company completed the larger
and finer steamer then under construction. Yet 'Gigantic' was expected
to be ready for her own first voyage by 1915. By the time he was 65 Smith
would not have been the oldest captain commanding a transatlantic liner.
Perhaps he might have been considering staying on, at least for three more
years.....
"When anyone asks me how I can best describe my experience in nearly
forty years at sea, I merely say, uneventful. Of course there have been
winter gales, and storms and fog and the like. But in all my experience,
I have never been in any accident ... or any sort worth speaking about.
I have seen but one vessel in distress in all my years at sea. I never
saw a wreck and never have been wrecked nor was I ever in any predicament
that threatened to end in disaster of any sort."
(Quote by: Edward John Smith, 1907, Captain of the RMS Titanic)
The British and American press portrayed Captain Smith's conduct as heroic and self-sacrificing. In the past few years, questions have been raised about his ability and judgement. It is after the collision that Smith's behavior and decision making became questionable. For the next two hours and twenty minutes, he would only be a shadow of his former self. He isolated himself on the bridge, failing to pass on critical information to his Senior Officers and Senior Seamen, acting and reacting slowly to reports and rapidly changing circumstances, and giving half hearted orders, some of which the crew would openly defy.
A lot of factors contributed to Captain Smith's behavior. His 30 years of service with the White Star Line,
Titanic's size, crucial messages not being delivered to the bridge, the new Marconi system, a shortage of lifeboat capacity, the list goes on and on.
From the time Thomas Andrews - Titanic's designer - conferred on the effect of the damage with the Captain, Smith seemed to have changed. Captain Smith would have known what this meant to the doomed vessel, passengers and crew.
Dr. Dorothy Mihalyfi, a clinical psychologist from Boca Raton, Florida , who specializes in crisis counseling, reviewed Smiths actions that night. She feels he was in "a temporary disfunctionality". All the factors including his thinking the Titanic being 'unsinkable', would have caused a mental void and a blank state of immobility. It would be similar to a boxer in a fight, to many blows to defend himself yet he refuses to go down. Every order would remind him of what was about to happen and the loss of life. Indecision was easier and isolation on the bridge even easier.
Dr. Mihalyfi pointed out it is quite common for someone who has undergone such extreme psychological trauma to enter a state of complete hopelessness, resigning themselves to their fate. This may have resulted in even more loss of life. Captain Smith did not inform any of his officers as to the severity of the situation. Only a hand full of people knew what was about to happen. The life boats where not loaded to capacity until the end. Not once did Captain Smith appear on the Boat-Deck.
It is not that Captain Smith went mad or mentally deranged or he was to blame for the disaster. It is clear he was confronted that he wasn't prepared for by emotion, experience, or training to handle. If Captain Smith was overwhelmed by the circumstances it is something he should be pitied for, never condemned.
Which of us could have handled it any better ? ? ?
On April 10th, 1912 Captain Edward John Smith, wearing a bowler hat and a long overcoat, took a taxi from his home to the Southampton docks. He came aboard the Titanic at 7.00 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.
The Titanic set out on her maiden voyage on April 10th, 1912 at noon. Her Captain, Edward John Smith was known as "the millionaires
Captain" and was one of the highest paid in the world. It was customary
for Captain Smith to take the White Star Liners on their maiden voyage.
This would be "E.J.'s" last voyage however, since he was planning to retire
to spend more time with his wife and daughter. After taking on additional
crew, passengers and mail in Southampton it was off to Cherbourg to take
on more passengers. Titanic's last stop, at Queenstown, saw the loading
of the last of the passengers and mail.
During Titanic's maiden voyage Captain Smith normally took meals at a small table in the First-Class dining saloon or in his cabin, attended by his personal valet (Mr. James Arthur Paintin).
On that "Fateful Night" at 11.39 p.m.Captain Smith was awakened by the collision with the iceberg and rushed to the bridge. He received the report of the accident from First Officer Murdoch and then ordered a quick inspection of the ship by Thomas Andrews - Titanic's designer - and John Hall Hutchinson - Titanic's Carpenter.
He is told that water had poured in and risen 14 feet in the front part of the ship and that the Titanic can only stay afloat for a couple of hours.
He immediately ordered the lifeboats prepared but wavered when it came to giving the order to load and lower them. Second Officer Lightoller had to approach him for the order which he eventually gave.
Surprisingly little is known about Captain Smith's actions in the last two hours of the ships life. His legendary skills of leadership seem to have left him, he was curiously indecisive and unusually cautious.
He was last seem in the bridge area having given the final order to abandon ship.
On the night of April 14th, however, he attended a dinner party held in his honour by Mr. George Widener and his family in the "A la Carte Restaurant". The party was attended by the cream of 1912 society as it was represented on the Titanic. However Captain Smith was possibly concerned that the ship was entering the ice zone about which he had received ample warnings during the weekend. He excused himself early and went to the bridge.
He appears to have made no attempt to save himself. His body was never recovered.
According to eyewitnesses, Captain Edward John Smith met his demise in at least three different ways:
Also in question was his last words. They might have been "Be British Boys, Be British!" Or they might have been "Every Man for Himself!" Or, after supposedly delivering that baby to a lifeboat, he refused to be brought aboard, saying "Good-Bye Boys, I'm going to follow the ship!".
Mr. James Arthur Paintin was 29 years old at the time of the Titanic sinking and was the son of Mr. William Paintin, of 52 Marlborough Road, Oxford.
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In 1907 he left his home town of Oxford to join the White Star Line. Paintin travelled considerably in his years with the White Star Line. He had visited India, but during the past four years had chiefly been on the North Atlantic run. As "Tiger" (steward) to Captain Edward John Smith he served on both the 'Adriatic' and the 'Olympic' before joining the Titanic.
As a young lad it is know he sang in the choir at All Saints Church in Oxford.
In November 1911 he married Alice. They lived on Shakespear Avenue in Southampton. His wife, who has been visiting Oxford at the time of the disaster, journeyed hurriedly to Southampton in the hope of gaining news from the White Star Line offices, but only later would she discover, while she was waiting for survivors to arrive on the 'Carpathia', that her husband did not survive the sinking of the Titanic.
This website is dedicated to the eternal legacy of the RMS Titanic and to all of those who needlessly died one cold night in April, 1912...
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