Possible Captain Smith Suicide

>>Seems to me poor old EJ couldn't win, whatever he did.

Very true, but no one on this thread got him into that predicament. That situation came up back in mid-April 1912.

As I said, research is driven by speculation. But speculation should never be allowed to order, or worse, overrule research. Being able to turn on a dime when building an information database is a useful quality.

Roy
 
After doing some research on a site that i know will be right, I find that the possiblility of Captain E.J Smith commited suicide is highly unlikely. Now, he did make a few mistakes, but then again he was only human. If you think about it many lives could have been saved had they put more lifeboats on the ship as suggested. sorry, i don't remember who it was that suggested putting more on, but I do know he ended up quiting his job over it. I would like to know who it was though. but anyways, Suicide doesn't seem logical, but I still think it's intresting; what can I say, it's something that turns heads.lol
 
I am currently away from home, so have no materials at hand to look this up, but I think it was Alexander Carlisle, Thos. Andrews' predecessor, that designed the ship to carry more lifeboats.
Someone correct me if I am wrong.
 
>>After doing some research on a site that i know will be right<<

Care to name it? Historians name their sources so they can be fact checked for reliability by others. As a point of order, even the very best websites make mistakes.

>>i don't remember who it was that suggested putting more on,<<

The designer of the Olympic class was the Right Honourable Alexander Carlisle. The Olympic class was designed so that they had sufficient space and margins of weight available for additional lifeboats.

>> but I do know he ended up quiting his job over it.<<

He did? Says who? I've heard that one claimed, but my understanding is that the man simply retired. (Of course, in the real world, "Retired" can be semantic DoubleSpeak for either quit or fired.)
 
>>(Of course, in the real world, "Retired" can be semantic DoubleSpeak for either quit or fired.)

Ain't that the truth! "To pursue other goals," or "to spend more time with his/her family." We eventually get the straight skinny through the grapevine anyway.

Roy
 
Ummm...is it still irrelevant that Captain Smith wasn't even on the bridge when the collision occurred. He had no way of knowing that there was an iceberg looming in the shipping lane. Although he did not listen to ice warnings how was this "suicide?"

from the teacher who cannot spell...Thank heavens for spell checker...
 
>>He had no way of knowing that there was an iceberg looming in the shipping lane.<<

In fairness, he Captain Smith was well aware of the fact that they were heading to a region where ice had been reported and it was enough of a concern that the lookouts were briefed to keep an eye out for ice. In short, he listened, as did his officers and they acted on the information that they had in a manner consistant with the practices of the day.

Unfortunately, it wasn't enough.
 
Ahhh...historychannel.com, where one finds statements like this:
quote:

Violet Jessup lost his life at sea when the Britannic was sunk four years later
Click to expand...
Even though history is supposedly their business, it might be a good idea to double-check anything you find there, Matthew. It may not be as reliable as you think.​
 
>>i've been to historychannel.com. that's where i do a lot of my research.<<

Then you might try primary sources such at the Titanic Inquiry Project at http://www.titanicinquiry.org/ Here, you'll find the complete transcripts and minutes of evidence as well as the final reports of both the U.S. Senate and the British Wreck Commission into the disaster itself.

The History Channel is interesting, but as MAB said, it's a good idea to fact check every claim they make. They don't always get it right even with the best productions, and some are so inaccurate that they have serious historians tearing their hair.
 
>>>In fairness, he Captain Smith was well aware of the fact that they were heading to a region where ice had been reported and it was enough of a concern that the lookouts were briefed to keep an eye out for ice. In short, he listened, as did his officers and they acted on the information that they had in a manner consistant with the practices of the day.<<<

True, however, let me rephrase my statement. How did he know that a collision was inevitable and therefore suicide?

I believe, that since Smith wasn't on the bridge at the time and that there was an effort made to avoid a collision, that it could not be ruled suicide in the traditional since.

However, in a more poetic fashion I do agree with the fact that, by not heeding the ice warnings, Smith was dooming himself and so many other passengers. In that way it kind of was suicide.

However, not in the classical sense.
 

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