Does any one think that Capt. Smith is quitly of negliance? YOu know, not doing everything he could of done to save the ship? I mean he speeded up when the ship was in the middle of ice, he didn't make sure that the life boats, amongst other things.
What does everyone think of how he handled the situation..

To be honest with you I don't remember speeding up in an ice patch being a criminal offense. Correct me if I'm wrong.Quote:

Yeah, I think criminal is the nice way to say it! He knew there wasn't enough lifeboats, the lookouts left the binoculas on shore, he didn't slow down when the message of the icebergs came in. I think criminal is an understatement.

Capt smith was not a criminal. His error was that he did't put enough lifeboats aboard.

An accident similar to TITANIC's has nad never occured before. Yes, smaller ships had struck ice before. However until the Titanic tragedy happened, it had never happened that a ship was involved in a glancing blow with an iceberg which compromised more than 1quarter of a ships's length. I don't believe something simmilar has even occured since Titanic. Indeed Titanic's wounds were unique. Not all onboard even felt the collition. Thus no one imagined such a scenario. No one (in 1912) comprehended an intermitent gash 300ft long in the side of a ship. Only a hand full of ships that size even existed at the time. (Titanic was the largest) and indeed man was only begining to learn the effects these ships were creating in open water. Effects like: displacement, speed, rate of turn, were all new and large as well. Not even the board of trade could keep up with the sudden leap in size and scale. Which explais why the Titanic was allowed to leave port with less lifeboats that were practically needed. Judging the Captain of Titanic will be unfair.

I agree. The Titanic originally had enough lifeboats to save almost everyone on board but apparently they thought it "didn't look good enough".Quote:

It was not so much to look good, but to give the 1st class passengers more deck space. Also because they thought she and her sister's where unsinkable, there seemed to be no reason for them at all.

That's true.Quote:

He was not a criminal for having too few lifeboats. It wasn't up to him to decide how many lifeboats to carry.


The ship conformed to all marittime codes of the day.

He didn't ignore ice warnings, he didn't recieve the key one from the wireless operator.

He was in open ocean, going full speed. He was in the established sea lanes, the lookouts had orders to look out for small ice--this indicates you are entering into an ice field, this was not seen, they collided with an iceberg floating alone.

The conditions of the ocean didn't allow for the iceberg to be spotted in time.

He didn't do anything out of the ordinary for the cruise.
If he was in the wrong, how come other captains of the day were sailing the same route, at the same time of the year, and not sinking?

It was a freak accident, nothing more.

Also, if he was a criminal, then he probably wouldn't have gone down nobly with his ship like some stories indicate.