Captain Smith where were thou

[Parks Stephenson]

I don't believe that Captain Smith was asleep at the time. I believe that is a myth invented to cover the fact that we just don't know what Smith was doing at the time of the collision.

Here's what Boxhall had to say:

16924. Was Captain Smith on and off the bridge during your watch? - Frequently.
16925. At what intervals did he come on the bridge? - The first that I remember seeing of Captain Smith was somewhere in the vicinity of 9 o'clock, but from 9 o'clock to the time of the collision, Captain Smith was around there the whole of the time; I was talking to him on one or two occasions.
16926. Were you talking to him on the bridge? - Sometimes in the Officers' chart room and sometimes at his chart room door.

Could he have been dozing in a chair in his chart room? Maybe. But it seems unlikely that he was, as is so often portrayed, fully asleep in the comfort of his cabin.

Parks

[Moderator's Note: This message and the one immediately above it, originally posted to an urelated thread in this topic, have been moved to this pre-existing thread addressing the same subject. MAB]

 

[George Stone]

I have read how an officer awakened the captain,and told him about hit the iceberg.The captain told who ever it was he would be right up.In fact I have read in one of the logs that this true.Hank

[Moderator's Note: This message, originally posted to the same urelated thread as the previous two, has been moved to this thread. MAB]

 

[Samuel Halpern]

George:

I am not sure where you got your information from, but if go to any of the official transcripts from two inquiries into the disaster you will not find any evidence whatsoever that Capt. Smith was asleep. The most descriptive direct evidence that we have about Capt. Smith's actions at the time of the collision comes from QM Robert Hichens.

quote:

Just about a minute, I suppose, after the collision, the Captain rushed out of his room and asked Mr. Murdoch what was that, and he said, "An iceberg, Sir," and he said, "Close the watertight door." ...he passed through the wheelhouse on to the bridge...The Captain immediately gave him orders to close the watertight doors. He said, "They are already closed." He immediately then sent for the carpenter to sound the ship.

We also know from the evidence of 4th officer Joseph Boxhall and standby QM Olliver that this is about the way it happened. The story of an officer going to his cabin to wake him is absolutely pure fiction.

[Moderator's Note: This message and the next five, originally posted to the same urelated thread as mentioned earlier, have been moved to this thread. MAB]​

 

[George Stone]

How long have you been following these tips about what happened on the titanic?I have been interested in what happened in the last 3 hours before the ship hit the iceberg and after sense 1940.and I would swear by what I have read back then,and still do.I think there is something you guys are missing.Covering up for captain smith.Hank

 

[Samuel Halpern]

Following tips? I tend to go directly to the primary sources of information, not to what people who weren't there had to say or hypothesize. There were only six people who would have known for sure because they were there: Hichens, Boxhall, Olliver, Murdoch, Moody, and Smith. We only know what we know from the first three. The last three never made it. Anything from anyone else is pure hearsay or rumor.

 

[George Stone]

What about the head of the white star esmay.he was saved,and he captain smith were like 2 peas in a pot.Someone has changed what really happened the last 3 hours>I would say it had to be a cover up.Hank

 

[Timothy Trower]

George,

I ask this in all seriousness: What on earth are you talking about?

First off, if you are going to use English, please spell, punctuate and capitalize it correctly.

Second, I'm guessing that you had a post removed, and little of what you are now posting makes any sense.

Third, Ismay and Captain Smith were not like two peas in a pot -- or even two peas in a pod! Are you next going to say that Lightoller was really on the bridge when the ship hit the iceberg and that Murdoch was a patsy?

Sigh.

 

[Michael H. Standart]

>>How long have you been following these tips about what happened on the titanic?<<

Several years, with a lot of ratbaggery being consigned to the dustbin in the journey. The people you're talking to have been studying the event for a much longer period of time, and from primary sources.

>>I think there is something you guys are missing.Covering up for captain smith.Hank<<

Not likely. Trust me, this bunch has no reason or incentive to cover up for anybody. None of us denies explicitly that Ismay had a hand in some of the events, but the problem here is that the evidence for it is dodgy to say the least, some of it being hearsay which made it into the official record.

By the way, who is "Hank?"

 

[Lester Mitcham]

George,

What "log" are you referring to?

 

[Michael H. Standart]

>>In fact I have read in one of the logs that this true.<<

Considering that none of the Titanic's logs have survived, that would be a truly remarkable accomplishment.

 

[Mark Baber]

Second, I'm guessing that you had a post removed

Hello, Tim---

No posts have been removed. George's first message, though, was originally posted to a thread about the ship's log, and I moved it here because it fit here and (at least then) didn't fit there. Some follow-up messages (from folks who post directly to the board) landed in this thread, while others (from folks who post via email) wound up in the thread about the log. I've been moving the messages from the log thread to this one, as you can see, but nothing's been removed.

 

[Timothy Trower]

Mark,

Thanks for clearing up the confusion -- it really didn't make sense at all without that first post.

Um, really, it still doesn't make sense even now! (Read it in one of the logs?????)

 

[Michael H. Standart]

>>Um, really, it still doesn't make sense even now! (Read it in one of the logs?????)<<

Join the club on that one, Tim. The formal log just wouldn't have the sort of information that's being suggested here. Come to think of it, the only way I know of that the scrap log would have information on the captain being asleep would be if it was so deep, the poor old guy would need embalming.

Of course, it would help if the logs had survived in the first place and there's no evidence whatever that they did.