Captain Smith's Ships

[Robert Hauser]

Hey Daren,

where did you find that out about Smith on the Brittanic? I've been trying to find out about that period in Smith's career for ages!

P.S. Brittanic I was beautiful ship. I just moved to Chicago and they have a good library here. I've finally found some books with good pictures of those older Harland & Wolff classics. Brittanic I was personally designed by Edward Harland, and was a favorate of J.P. Morgan's. Thanks for the info, - Rob H

 

[Mark Baber]

Look here.

 

[Mark Baber]

All voyages started from Southampton to the United States

Ummm...1891-1893 would have been Liverpool-New York, no?

 

[Darren Clossin]

Hi Robert-
The info regarding his voyages there was posted by Brian J. Ticehurst.

 

[Gary Cooper]

Hello Robert, yes, I can give you a list of his ships, or rather the order in which he served on them, no problem:-

5th Feb 1867 - 8th Feb 1868: EJ served as 'Boy' aboard his half brother's ship, Senator Weber.

9th Feb 1868 - 3rd Sept 1870: Served as 3rd mate aboard Senator Weber

18th Oct 1870 - 6th March 1871: Able Seaman aboard the Amoy.

24th March - 15th July 1871: Able Seaman aboard Madge Wildfire.

24th Aug 1871 - 19th Jan 1872: 2nd mate aboard Record.

28th Feb - 27th July 1872: 2nd mate aboard the Agra.

27th Sept 1872 - 3rd March 1873: 2nd mate aboard the Quebec registered N. Mosher.

15th July 1873 - 4th May 1875: Served three terms as mate aboard the Liverpool registered Arzilla.

May 1876 - Jan 1880: Smith's first command, the 1040 ton Liverpool registered ship Lizzie Fennell.

March 1880 - March 1882: Smith served as fourth and later third officer aboard the White Star S.S. Celtic.

March 1882 - March 1884: Second officer aboard the S.S. Coptic in the Pacific service.

March 1884 - July 1885: second officer aboard the S.S. Britannic.

July 1885 - April 1887: first officer aboard the S.S. Republic.

April - August 1887: Temporary command of S.S. Republic.

August 1887 - February 1888: first officer aboard S.S. Britannic.

April - May 1888: Commanded S.S. Baltic.

June - September 1888: Commanded S.S. Britannic.

December 1888: Command of the cattle transporter S.S. Cufic for her maiden voyage.

January 1889: Command of S.S. Republic.

April - July 1889: Commanded S.S. Celtic.

December 1889 - February 1890: Commanded S.S. Coptic in the Australian service.

December 1890 - February 1891: Back to the North Atlantic as commander of S.S. Adriatic.

March - April 1891: Commanded S.S. Runic.

May 1891 - May 1893: Commanded S.S. Britannic.

June 1893: Briefly in command of S.S. Adriatic.

July 1893 - January 1895: Commanded S.S. Britannic.

January 1895: Briefly back in command of S.S. Cufic.

January - April 1895: Commanded S.S. Britannic.

May - June 1895: Commanded S.S. Germanic.

July 1895 - November 1902: Smith's longest command, the S.S. Majestic, including two trips to South Africa, transporting troops to the Boer War.

December 1902 - May 1903: Commanded S.S. Germanic, while Majestic was refitting.

May 1903 - June 1904: Again commanded S.S. Majestic.

29th June 1904 - March 1907: Commanded the new R.M.S. Baltic.

8th May 1907 - February 1911: Commanded the new R.M.S. Adriatic.

May 1911 - March 1912: Commanded the new R.M.S. Olympic.

April 1912: Commanded R.M.S. Titanic.

The majority of these details come from Smith's own service records held at the National Maritime Museum in London. How accurate they are, I cannot say, the actual logs of particular ships may vary the dates. Anyhow, I hope they're of help.

 

[Robert Hauser]

Dear Gary,

Thank you kindly for the info, much appreciated. Wow, what a career E.J. had. Can't wait to read your book. Rob H.

 

[Robert T. Paige]

This is a duplication of another thread on the Titanic movies.

In the 1953 Titanic movie there is this scene.:
Captain Smith receives a parcel from "Captain Henry Evans of Benbenecula [Captain Smith remarks, 'I thought he was dead !'] in the Hebrides" which contains "the flag that flew from the main mast of the old Star of Madagascar." I can't find any basis in fact for this. Is this just one more of the "blatant historical inaccuracies" or a very....very !.... remote possibilty that this is little known historical fact ?

 

[Michael H. Standart]

Sounds like dramatic licence to me, Robert. The 1953 flick isn't exactly renowned for being faithful to the historical record.

 

[Robert T. Paige]

Michael-

The opening "card" in the 1953 "Titanic" states that the movie was based on the 1912 Senate Investigation Hearings but there seems to be little evidence of this in the movie.

There's also that scene just before the collision...it would be rather unlikely for Captain Smith to have any interest in American College Songs....etcetera, etcetera and so forth.

You sometimes wonder if Jean Negulesco might have been smoking some funny cigarettes.

However, this was the first "Titanic" movie that I saw (as I best remember it was on the "big screen" at a downtown San Diego theater...at the time I was stationed on a ship at North Island Naval Air Station )... but it wasn't until the 1997 version that I really got more interested in the subject.

My many thanks cordially to you, too,
Robert T. Paige
Texas Centennial Exposition and Hall of State Curmudgeon

 

[Kristjan Peterson]

HI there, i was wondering if anyone knows the ships smith was on and maby post list of the ships and what officer he was and what ships he was the captain

 

[Paige.Smith]

He was Fourth Officer of the SS Celtic. In 1887, Smith received his first White Star command, the Republic. He was Captain of the Olympic From 1904 on, Smith commanded the line's newest ships on their maiden voyages. In 1904, he was given command of the then-largest ship in the world at the time, White Star's new Baltic. Her maiden voyage from Liverpool to New York, sailing 29 June 1904, went without incident. After three years with the Baltic, Smith was given his second new "big ship," the Adriatic. In 1911 he commanded the Olympic, Titanic's sister ship. Of course he remained with the Olympic until he was posted on Titanic. I hope this will have been of some use to you.

[Moderator's note: This message and the one above it, originally a separate thread, have been moved to this pre-existing thread discussing the same subject. MAB]

 

[Robert T. Paige]

Off topic, but just a question about Captain Smith ?
What was his first ship ?
Best I have been able to find is this on wiki .:
"He served his first apprenticeship on Senator Weber , owned by A. Gibson & Co.of Liverpool."

[Moderator's note: This message was initially in a different thread and moved here. MAB]

 

[Mark Baber]

in the accidents and incidents of "Falling Star" we have Smith grounding the Coptic in December 1890 in Rio.

E. J. Smith, Coptic Aground and Rio---Two out of three ain't bad?