Quote:

Officer Murdoch ordered the ship to turn as far left as she could go, and at the same time he ordered on the engine telegraphs (including the emergency one) to reverse the engines (that is, the two wing propellers, not the steam turbine, which could not be reversed). After the ship started striking the berg, Murdoch apparently ordered ship turned to the right to try to swing the stern in of the ship away from the berg.

Wheather or not the engines were actually reversed is indeed sort of a mystery as Mark stated, I think most, if not all engine room people did not survive. The only ones we have to rely on is people like Fred Barret, who were in the boiler rooms and saw the telegraphs down there saying full astern, then stop, then some said they tried to start up again (it is very very confusing)

Some people have speculated that the Titanic did not reverse her engines before she hit.

Furthermore, some say that the ship did not even answer her helm. That is, Titanic was turned left by the iceberg, not her rudder.

Lookout Fredrick Fleet at the American Inquiry on day 4 stated that the ship started to go to port while he was on the phone to the bridge. Therefore, if he is accurate, then how could the ship answer her helm at the exact second he warns them "iceberg dead ahead! "

If this is true, then the iceberg was much closer than most people tend to think.