Edward Smith

Infobox Person
name = Captain Edward John Smith

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image_size =
caption = Photo of Captain Edward Smith from 1912 book, "Wreck and Sinking of the Titanic" by Marshall Everett
birth_date = birth date|1850|1|27|df=y
birth_place = Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, United Kingdom
death_date = death date and age|1912|4|15|1850|1|27|df=y
death_place = Atlantic Ocean
occupation = Ship captain
spouse = Sarah Eleanor Pennington
parents = Edward Smith
Catherine Hancock
children = Helen Melville SmithCaptain Edward John Smith, RD, RNR (27 January 1850 – 15 April 1912) [http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Search/igi/individual_record.asp?recid=100061391160 birth/death dates and parents] at the International Genealogical Index] was the captain of the RMS "Titanic" when it sank in 1912. There is a statue to his legacy in Lichfield, England. [ [http://www.titanic-titanic.com/titanic_memorial-edward_john_smith.shtml Smith information at Titanic-Titanic.com] ]

Biography

Personal life

Edward John Smith was born on 27 January 1850 in the town of Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent. His parents were Edward Smith, a potter, and Catherine Hancock "née" Marsh, who married in 1841 in Wolstanton. His parents later owned a shop. Smith attended the Etruria British School until the age of 13 when he went to Liverpool to begin a seafaring career. He apprenticed with Gibson & Co., Liverpool.

On 12 July 1887, Smith married Sarah Eleanor Pennington. Their daughter, Helen Melville Smith, was born in Waterloo, Lancashire, in 1898. The family lived in an imposing red brick, twin-gabled house, named "Woodhead", on Winn Road, Portswood, Southampton. According to his daughter, Captain Smith loved cigars and the smoke from them. He wouldn't let anyone into his study while he was smoking because he didn't want the ring of smoke to be disturbed.

As a Captain

Smith joined the White Star Line in March 1880 as the Fourth Officer of the "Celtic". He served aboard the company's liners to Australia and to New York, where he quickly rose in stature. In 1887, Smith received his first White Star command, the "SS Republic". In 1888, Smith earned his Extra Master's Certificate and joined the Royal Naval Reserve (thus enabling him to append his name with "RNR"), qualifying as a full Lieutenant. This meant that in a time of war, Smith and his ship could be called upon to serve by the Royal Navy. Because of his position as a Commander in the Royal Naval Reserve, Smith had the distinction of being able to fly the Blue Duster of the R.N.R.; most ships flew the Red Duster of the merchant marine.

Bigger commands

Smith was "Majestic"'s captain for nine years commencing in 1895. When the Boer War started in 1899, Smith and the "Majestic" were called upon to transport troops to Cape Colony. Two trips were made to South Africa, both without incident, and for his service, King Edward VII awarded Smith the Transport Medal, showing the "South Africa" clasp, in 1903. Smith was regarded as a "safe captain".

As he rose in seniority, Smith gained a reputation amongst passengers and crew for quiet flamboyance. Eventually Smith became the commodore of White Star Line, or one to whom all other captains reported. Some passengers would only sail the Atlantic in a ship commanded by him. He became known as the "Millionaires' Captain" due to the fact that England's upper class were usually the ones who requested he be in command of the ships they sailed on. After he became commodore of the White Star fleet in 1904, it became routine for Smith to command the line's newest ships on their maiden voyages. In 1904, he was given command of the largest ships 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". Once again, the maiden voyage went without incident.

During his command of the "Adriatic", Smith received the Royal Naval Reserve's long service decoration, along with a promotion to Commander. He would now sign his name as "Commander Edward John Smith, R.D., R.N.R.", with RD meaning "Reserve Decoration."

Olympic Class command

Smith had built a reputation as one of the world's most experienced sea captains, and so was called upon to take first command of the lead ship in a new class of ocean liners, the "Olympic" — again, the largest vessel in the world at that time. The maiden voyage from Liverpool to New York was successfully concluded on 21 June 1911, but as the ship was docking in New York harbor, it experienced a small incident which would foreshadow future events. Docking at Pier 59 under command of a harbor pilot, the "Olympic" was being assisted by twelve tugs when one got caught in the backwash of the "Olympic"'s starboard propeller. The tug was spun around, collided with the bigger ship, and for a moment was trapped under the "Olympic's" stern, finally managing to work free and limp to the docks.

The "Hawke" incident

On 20 September 1911 "Olympic"'s first major mishap occurred during a collision with a British warship, HMS "Hawke", in which the warship lost her prow. Although the collision left two of "Olympic's" watertight compartments filled and one of her propeller shafts twisted, she was able to limp back to Southampton. At the resultant inquiry, the Royal Navy blamed "Olympic" for the incident, alleging that her massive size generated a suction that pulled HMS "Hawke" into her side. On the bridge during this incident was Captain Smith.

The "Hawke" incident was a financial disaster for White Star, and the out-of-service time for the big liner made matters worse. "Olympic" returned to Belfast and, to speed up the repairs, Harland and Wolff was forced to delay "Titanic's" completion, in order to use one of her propeller shafts for the "Olympic".

Back at sea in February 1912, "Olympic" lost a propeller blade and once again returned to her builder for emergency repairs. To get her back to service immediately, Harland & Wolff yet again had to pull resources from "Titanic", delaying her maiden voyage from 20 March to 10 April.

RMS "Titanic"

Despite the past trouble, Smith was again appointed in command of the greatest steamship when RMS "Titanic" left Southampton for her maiden voyage. Although some sources state that he had decided to retire after completing Titanic's maiden voyage, an article in the Halifax "Morning Chronicle" on 9 April 1912 stated that Smith would remain in charge of the "Titanic" "until the Company (White Star Line) completed a larger and finer steamer."

On 10 April 1912, Smith, wearing a bowler hat and a long overcoat, took a taxi from his home to Southampton docks. He came aboard the Titanic at 7AM to prepare for the board of trade muster at 8.00AM. He immediately went to his cabin to get the sailing report from Chief Officer Henry Wilde.

After departure at 12:00PM, the huge amount of water displaced by Titanic as she passed caused the laid-up "New York" to break from her moorings and swing towards the "Titanic." Quick action from Smith helped to avert a premature end to the maiden voyage.

At 11:40PM, on 14 April the "Titanic" struck an iceberg in the North Atlantic. The ship sank two hours and forty minutes later, killing an estimated 1,500 people. Smith was one of those who died.

Death

It is not known how Smith died on the night of the sinking. In Robert Ballard's book, "The Discovery of the Titanic", he claims that Smith went into the bridge at 2:13AM, ten minutes before the final sinking. This idea is used by the 1997 film. Working near Collapsible B, Junior Marconi Officer Harold Bride reported seeing Smith dive into the sea from the open bridge minutes before the final plunge began. One story states he carried a child to the overturned collapsible B after the sinking and swam off to freeze in the water, but this seems unlikely. The "Titanic" struck the iceberg at around 11:40PM, but did not sink until around 2:20AM the following day. This would make Captain Smith's date of death 15 April 1912.

Portrayals

Smith was first portrayed on film by the German actor Otto Wernicke in the 1943 Nazi propaganda movie "Titanic". He was then portrayed by Brian Aherne in the 1953 film of the same name. Following that, he was played several times, including Laurence Naismith ("A Night to Remember"), Harry Andrews ("S.O.S. Titanic") and by George C. Scott in the 1996 mini-series. His most recent portrayal was in 1997's "Titanic", played by Bernard Hill. In the latter, he refuses the crew's help in leaving the ship and locks himself in the bridge, where he dies when the bridge goes under water, and floods when the windows break due to the pressure.

References

* [http://www.therealtitanic.cwc.net/E.J.Smith.htm Biographical info on Smith] at "The Real Titanic"
* [http://www.euronet.nl/users/keesree/allships.htm Source for Smith's first assignment with White Star]

External links

* [http://www.euronet.nl/users/keesree/captain.htm TITANIC - A Voyage of Discovery (captain)]
* [http://www.titanic-titanic.com/captain_smith.shtml Captain Smith on Titanic-Titanic.com]
* [http://www.titanic-titanic.com/titanic_memorial-edward_john_smith.shtml Captain Smith's Memorial on Titanic-Titanic.com]
* [http://www.stoke.gov.uk/ccm/museums/museum/2006/collections/local-history/information-sheets/potteries-people/captain-smith.en One of Stoke-on-Trent Museums' Local Heroes]