I don't get the owner of titanic...It is like he sunk the ship in purpose!. This is my reanactment of the owners thoughts at that point and time. A man comes and tells me a iceberg warning has just came in. Da...... let's ingore it! Yes sir but what about the iceberg? uh.....what are we talking about again? That is EXACTLY what I think that man was doing. Leave posts and tell me what YOU think about what is on my mind about this situation!



Titanic98

Two thoughts come to mind in response to this.

First, you have to ask yourself, "what was the significance of ice warnings back then via marconigraph"? Some Titanic historians make the point that ships were crossing the Atlantic for hundreds of years without wireless messages regarding navigation, and that ships were not hitting icebergs left and right. So, the officers and White Star officials might give the warnings notice, but at the same time not give them top priority over lets say "maiden voyage speed records". (And furthermore, this could have changed if the bridge recieved that message from the S.S. Mesaba that was never delivered).

Sometimes, I speculate if marconi messages became like some of our emails we get today (You know, the ones warning us about this danger or that danger). Do you honestly give total attention to every one you recieve regarding a credit card scam or say a flesh eating virus found on shopping carts?

Also, I don't have the exact number, but I read somewhere that the period around 1912 hand some of the lowest death numbers from crossing the Atlantic. Remember, when nothing happens, sometimes you let your guard down.

I must say that I do not blame Ismay (the owner). He was a businessman (not a navigator), and he was looking out for the success of his company (regardless if it was reckless of him to persuade Captain Smith to order Full Speed).

In my opinion, he cannot be labled a villian for asking for more speed because in reality he was just a passenger!!! He had no say so in ship navigation what so ever once at sea. Captain Smith ("the closest thing to God on earth" in regards to maritime law) had absolute authority over the handeling of that ship, and furthermore, he was the one who really risked running that ship full at speed in the vicinity of ice. Smith knew how to navigate a ship. Ismay did not. Ismays views mean nothing. The captain always, always, always always has the last word in any decision.

Yes but Ismay, i nmy eyes, was somewhat like a con man. He probably knew that Smith would listen to him if he told him to speed up the ship. Also, Ismay did not concider the lives of others all he wanted was to make headlines. I mean yes he wanted to make his company famous than ever, but he should've thought about the ice warnings because he knew about them. Smith showed Ismay each of the ice warnings that he recieved.

Also, Smith neva even recieved every ice warning. If he would have, he prolly wouldn't have made Titanic go faster. He had plenty of common sense and knew better than to make Titanic go faster with ice ahead.

True, however, again, Ismay had no seniority at sea what so ever.

Captain Smith was the senior captian of the White Star Line and it was up to his own personal judgement to what information he observed and acted upon.

Also, to say that Ismay did not care for the passengers on his ship because he wanted more speed through an icefield does not add up. Titanic was "after all", the largest and safest ship in the world!!!! "Pratically unsinkable". Why would Ismay know anything of the danger? He was a passenger, not a commander.

Its true that Smith did not receive every ice warning that was sent. However, he recieved enough of them to formulate the speculation that on the night of the 14th, that the Titanic might encountered ice.

(Walter Lord said it was odd that when the collision happened Smith's first words to Murdoch was "What was that Mr. Murdoch?", when, Smith must have known that it could only have been ice!)

u make very good points. i don't think i have any more. u obviously kno much about Titanic. but i kno much too. maybe i have no more points right at the moment because 1) i'm distracted by the tv and 2) i was just at gymnastics and i worked my butt off and am very tired. so maybe tomorrow i will have more points, but for now i will get off. good night.

True....but Ismay still has no relevance to Smith's decision to increase. That was his fault. He was a skilled captain....the best in the White Star Line. If he knew of the danger, he could easily have said no. I understand how he felt pressure, but that's no excuse in my mind. We'll never fully know what Smith was thinking that night. Or why Philips brushed off the final and most significant ice warning, or why they didn't think it was important for Smith to show his officers of the 7 ice warnings that had been passed to the bridge. It is interesting though.

no offense, but e already covered these points.

ismay may of said speed up but itwasent till the night in whcih the last 4 bollers were lit which they were planning to do speed trials the nexts day to see how fast the ship would do with the purpelors sping at 89 reserloutions a minute and if she did shje would of beetn her sister ship record of 22.4 knots on her maiden voyage. bruce ismay wasrnt the owner of wsl anymore he was adirector as jp pierport morgon was the owner imm and titanic was only insured for 1 millon less then the actural ship cost to build. so it would of been a total lost to the company.

u kno me♥--I just wanted to show you how Ismay had no importance as a "con man" as you stated. No offense, you were missing the real points.

w/e cuz irdc.