thomas marshall chadwick
Member
could captain smith of hit into an iceburg on purpose because he new he had to retire after sailing the titanic?? (i just thought of it )
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Possible Captain Smith Suicide
- Thread starter thomas marshall chadwick
- Start date
Ernie Luck
Member
Committed suicide and murdered everyone else you mean. Dream on.
Paul Rogers
Member
Thomas,
To paraphrase Douglas Adams, in an infinite universe, anything is possible. However the possibility of Capt. Smith being so depressed over his impending retirement that he chose to commit suicide (and take 1,500 others with him) is pretty damn improbable, to say the least.
I, for one, am counting the days to my retirement!
To paraphrase Douglas Adams, in an infinite universe, anything is possible. However the possibility of Capt. Smith being so depressed over his impending retirement that he chose to commit suicide (and take 1,500 others with him) is pretty damn improbable, to say the least.
I, for one, am counting the days to my retirement!
Dave Gittins
Member
There is evidence that Captain Smith was not going to retire after Titanic's maiden voyage. Rumours of his retirement were denied by White Star's New York office before the disaster. The New York Herald, 11 April 1912.
After the sinking, the media presented the rumours as fact, for dramatic effect. As to the suicide, we Aussies call such theories ratbaggery, which is a kind of flamboyant idiocy.
After the sinking, the media presented the rumours as fact, for dramatic effect. As to the suicide, we Aussies call such theories ratbaggery, which is a kind of flamboyant idiocy.
Michael H. Standart
Member
>>could captain smith of hit into an iceburg on purpose because he new he had to retire after sailing the titanic?? (i just thought of it )<<
In order to do that, he would first have to be the one conning the ship. He wasn't. Will Murdoch was and he was the one who gave helm and possibly engine orders in an effort to avoid the collision.
In order to do that, he would first have to be the one conning the ship. He wasn't. Will Murdoch was and he was the one who gave helm and possibly engine orders in an effort to avoid the collision.
Steve Olguin
Member
That would be one interesting theory. I do think its possible he killed himself due to the grief of being the officer on watch when the ship hit the iceberg. We will never know for certain. I sometimes wish i could go back in time for the entire voyage, be invisible and record everything. Fantasy indeed.
Michael H. Standart
Member
For whatever it may be worth, the last reliable sighting of Captain Smith had him jumping off of the bridge and into the sea as the ship took her final plunge.
Jeffrey Beaudry
Guest
Whose sighting was that, Michael?
Michael H. Standart
Member
>>Whose sighting was that, Michael?<<
That would have been Harld Bride in which he mentioned that in his report to the Marconi Company. You can read about it on Bill Wormstedt's Website in the Primary Accounts which do not mention an officer's suicide. There's even a link to the full text of Bride's report.
That would have been Harld Bride in which he mentioned that in his report to the Marconi Company. You can read about it on Bill Wormstedt's Website in the Primary Accounts which do not mention an officer's suicide. There's even a link to the full text of Bride's report.
Roy Kristiansen
Member
Mrs. Widener and James McGann also said they saw Smith jump into the sea, just before the Big Wave hit. Mrs. Widener was in Boat 4 and McGann was on the port boat deck, very near to where Bride was working. There were a few others who didn't actually see Smith jump, but who saw him standing in the same place at the same time.
Roy
Roy
Paul Rogers
Member
I've amended the title of this thread to make it more specific to the topic under discussion.
Mindy Deckard
Member
The statement initially made was improbable anyway due to the fact that Captain Smith wasn't even on the bridge when the Titanic struck the iceberg....and I highly doubt that he told any other officers to purposely crash the ship. Not only would that have been unethical but there would have been serious ramifications for any officer choosing to partake in the conspiracy.
matthew ewing
Member
I like this theory of suicide. well let's think here. he ran the ship at full speed, even when it hit. he was going to retire, meaning he could be forgotten in history, and he had iceberg warnings throughout the ill-fated trip. thomas, we should talk more. this is a very intressting theory you have. i would like to hear more about it.
Paul Rogers
Member
"he ran the ship at full speed, even when it hit"
Actually, Titanic wasn't travelling at full speed, and was simply keeping to the standard operating practice of the time - keep going until you see something.
"he was going to retire, meaning he could be forgotten in history"
See Dave Gittins' post, above. It appears unlikely that Capt. Smith was, in fact, going to retire after the voyage. He certainly wasn't forgotten in history either!
"he had iceberg warnings throughout the ill-fated trip"
Indeed, but see my first comment. Warnings were treated as such, but nothing much tended to happen until somebody saw something.
Besides which, as has been already commented on above, Capt. Smith wasn't even the Officer conning the ship when she struck the iceberg. How did he convince Murdoch and the rest of the bridge crew to join him in this alleged suicide/murder conspiracy?
Actually, Titanic wasn't travelling at full speed, and was simply keeping to the standard operating practice of the time - keep going until you see something.
"he was going to retire, meaning he could be forgotten in history"
See Dave Gittins' post, above. It appears unlikely that Capt. Smith was, in fact, going to retire after the voyage. He certainly wasn't forgotten in history either!
"he had iceberg warnings throughout the ill-fated trip"
Indeed, but see my first comment. Warnings were treated as such, but nothing much tended to happen until somebody saw something.
Besides which, as has been already commented on above, Capt. Smith wasn't even the Officer conning the ship when she struck the iceberg. How did he convince Murdoch and the rest of the bridge crew to join him in this alleged suicide/murder conspiracy?
Jason D. Tiller
Member
Ahhhhh...no. As Dave and Paul have already mentioned, Captain Smith was not going to retire after Titanic's maiden voyage. In fact, he may have gone on to command Britannic, but that's just speculation at best. As to being forgotten in history, no way. He is a major figure in the great ship's history and still is remembered very much today, as there is a statue of him in Lichfield, England which isn't far from Stoke on Trent; his hometown.
As far as this alleged suicide/murder conspiracy goes, it's just as absurd as the switch theory is.
