On the Edge of Daylight: Separating Fact from Fiction
Like many films, novels and fictional works about the RMS Titanic in popular culture, On the Edge of Daylight attempts to weave as much history as possible into its narrative. While it's not the most historically accurate Titanic novel by any means (especially when you introduce the concept of female officers and shipboard love affairs), the dialogue, events, and exchanges that are based on fact include:
(Possible Spoilers Below)
Before setting sail, Murdoch and Lightoller were bumped down in rank.
At the last moment, Captain Smith reshuffled the senior crew's positions to accommodate Henry Tingle Wilde as Chief Officer (as he had been aboard Olympic). This meant that Murdoch was bumped down to the position of First Officer, and Charles Herbert Lightoller to Second Officer, while David Blair was left out entirely, the other officers remaining the same.
— The Life and Mystery of First Officer William Murdoch: R.M.S. Titanic: Demotion and maiden voyage
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Murdoch sailed to San Francisco as a teenager.
In 1888 at the age of 15, he served his apprenticeship aboard the Charles Cosworth of Liverpool, a 1079 ton Barque that had San Francisco as its first destination, with Captain James Kitchen. With a voyage that included rounding the infamous Cape Horn it would have been a harsh apprenticeship, but it gave Murdoch the determination he needed to succeed. The Charles Cotesworth sailed to Portland,Oregon (1889/90), Valparaiso (1890/91) and Iquique (1891/92) (13.)
— The Life and Mystery of First Officer William Murdoch: Seafaring Life
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Titanic nearly collided with the SS New York when she left port.
At noon, when Titanic was scheduled to depart Southampton on her maiden voyage, tugboats towed the massive liner into the River Test. When Captain Smith ordered the acceleration of Titanic's engines, putting the larger ship under her own power, the suction created by the propellers at the stern of the ship caused the steel hawsers securing New York to snap, loosing her from her moorings with a sound likened to gunshots and causing her to drift toward Titanic's stern.
"As we were leaving Southampton & passing the Oceanic & New York which were moored alongside each other, they ranged so much that the New York broke adrift & it was only very narrowly that we escaped doing both she and ourselves serious damage, however we did not touch her & I don't think either New York or Oceanic has any damage at all." (William Murdoch)
— Murdoch of the Titanic, Richard Edkins
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Murdoch refused to allow a French commander board Titanic in Cherbourg.
Commander Leloup, French Navy military, wanted to take the Nomadic to paid a visit on the Titanic. Having missed the departure, he embarked aboard the Traffic and wanted to cross the gangplank. Murdock refused, and Leloupe asked: "Is the Captain of the Traffic on board?" We sent for Gaillard who introduced himself: "At your orders, sir!" Leloup: " I want to know why a French naval officer is denied boarding of a foreign merchant ship in the harbor of Cherbourg?" Indeed, Lieutenant Murdock disobeyed a major maritime regulation by prohibiting a French officer access to the ship. Captain Smith was called and came himself to fetch Commander Leloup at the gangplank.
— The Life and Mystery of First Officer William Murdoch
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Moody did not want to sail aboard Titanic.
In March 1912 he received word that he was to be assigned to RMS Titanic as her Sixth Officer. Moody was somewhat reluctant to accept the assignment as he had hoped to spend a summer on the Atlantic aboard the Oceanic, after having endured a harsh winter, and was also hoping to take leave. His request for leave was denied.
— Titanic Valour: The Life of Fifth Officer Harold Lowe, Inger Sheil
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Wilde felt uneasy about Titanic.
“Written aboard the ship, just days before it sank, Mr Wilde posted a letter to his sister at Queenstown telling her he did not like the Titanic. "I still don't like this ship... I have a queer feeling about it," he wrote.”
— The Telegraph
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At the time of collision, Murdoch likely ordered the engines full stop instead of full astern .
According to Fourth Officer Boxhall he also sets the engine telegraphs to “Stop engines”, then to “Full astern together” however this testimony was contradicted by Greaser Frederick Scott and Leading stoker Frederick Barrett who stated that the stoking indicators went only from “Full” to “Stop”.
— The Life and Mystery of First Officer William Murdoch
Many historians now argue that he did not order "full astern" at all, but rather "full stop". One source of this claim stems from lead stoker Frederick Barrett, who explained in the inquiries that the signal he had followed that led to his order to "shut the dampers" came from a red light in the boiler room that signalled "stop". Having been at a better vantage point than Officer Boxhall (who testified the signals were set to full astern) at the time, it's quite possible that the order was indeed full stop. However, there will never be a definitive answer to the exact order given.
— Titanic Wiki
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The conversation between Lightoller and Captain Smith on the bridge before the collision.
‘At five minutes to nine, when the commander came on the bridge, he remarked that it was cold,’ testified Lightoller:
‘As far as I remember, I said, ‘Yes, it is very cold, Sir. In fact it is only one degree above freezing.’ We then commenced to speak about the weather, He said ‘There is not much wind.’ I said ‘No, it is a flat calm as a matter of fact.’ He repeated it; he said: ‘A flat calm.’ I said ‘Yes, quite flat, there is no wind.’ I said something about it was rather a pity the breeze had not kept up whilst we were going through the ice region. Of course, my reason was obvious; he knew I meant the water ripples breaking on the base of the berg.
— Titanic: Victims and Villains
— See also: Titanic British Wreck Comissioner's Inquiry, Day 11, Testimony of Charles Lightoller
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The conversation between Murdoch and Captain Smith after the collision.
At the last minute, the bow swung a few degrees to the left, and above the waterline the hull scraped by the iceberg, dislodging about two tons of ice that fell onto the Titanic’s forward decks. Far below, Murdoch could hear a grinding sound that lasted about ten seconds. When it ceased, he ordered Quartermaster Alfred Olliver to note the time of the collision and told Moody to enter it in the ship’s log. Captain Smith, who had been in his cabin adjacent to the bridge, immediately appeared and asked, ‘What have we struck?’
‘An iceberg, sir,’ Murdoch replied. ‘I hard-a starboarded and reversed the engines, and I was going to hard-a-port around it, but she was too close. I could not do anymore.’
— Titanic 100th Anniversary Edition: A Night Remembered
The Captain then "asked him what we had struck….The First Officer said, “An iceberg, Sir. I hard-a-starboarded and reversed the engines, and I was going to hard-a-port round it but she was too close. I could not do any more. I have closed the watertight doors.” The Commander asked him if he had rung the warning bell, and he said “Yes.”
To the U.S. Senate inquiry, Fourth Officer Boxhall said he heard First Officer Murdoch tell Captain Smith, “I put her hard astarboard and ran the engines full astern, but it was too close; she hit it before I could do any more. I intended to port around it.”
— Titanic's Officers: Fourth Officer Joseph Boxhall - Collision
Captain Smith: Are the watertight doors closed?
Murdoch: The watertight doors are closed, sir.
— The Life and Mystery of First Officer William Murdoch
Senator Smith. What did the captain say?
Mr. Boxhall. He said, “Go down and find the carpenter and get him to sound the ship.”
— U.S. Inquiry of the Titanic Disaster
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Thomas Andrews informing the captain Titanic will sink.
After the impact, Captain Edward Smith summoned Thomas Andrews, the lead shipbuilder, to assess the damage. Around 12:10am, Andrews told the Captain that since five compartments had been breached, the ship must certainly sink in “an hour, or an hour and a half at most.” They also discussed the fact that there were only lifeboats for 1200 of the 2200 souls aboard.
— 1912: A Saved Titanic (Collaborative Foresight)
Like Captain Smith, Thomas Andrews, the designer of the Titanic, went down with his ship. It was he who delivered the shocking news to the captain that it was a mathematical certainty that the Titanic would sink, once he had found out that the ship was holed in five of its watertight compartments.
— Titanic: The designer, owner, officer and lookout, BBC
This line was iconic to A Night to Remember by Walter Lord: "It was a mathematical certainty, pure and simple. There was no way out." It would later become an infamous line in both A Night to Remember (1958) and Titanic (1997).
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The exchange between Lightoller and Murdoch when they traded shifts the night of the collision.
Before turning the watch over to Murdoch, Lightoller reported that they were steering a course of north seventy-one degrees west. ‘It’s pretty cold,’ Murdoch remarked. He was wearing an overcoat for protection against the cold air. ‘Yes, it is freezing,’ Lightoller replied. The temperature of the air was thirty-one degrees Fahrenheit. While Murdoch’s eyes grew accustomed to the darkness, the two spoke of the calm, clear weather and how far they could see. The stars could be seen setting on the horizon. ‘We will be up around the ice somewhere about eleven o’clock, I suppose,’ Lightoller remarked matter-of-factly. He described Smith’s earlier visit to the bridge and the captain’s desire to be notified if there was any doubt about the situation.
— Titanic: An Illustrated History, Don Lynch
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Officer Lowe carried his own revolver with him during the sinking.
Lowe's first action was to retrieve his firearm: "I first of all went and got my revolver...you never know when you will need it. "(US Inquiry, Day 5). Although it seems more likely he retrieved it slightly later when he was loading the lifeboats. Next he saw the Captain: "I saw the captain... just after I got out of bed. (US Inquiry, Day 5).
— Titanic's Officers: Fifth Officer Harold Lowe - Evacuation
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Officer Lowe lost his temper at Chairman Bruce Ismay during the evacuation.
“[Ismay] hung on the davit from which No. 5 was suspended, and he shouted excitedly, “Lower away! Lower away! Lower away!” It was too much for Fifth Officer Harold Lowe, who was down on the deck, trying to work the ropes. Lowe shouted as Ismay, “You want me to lower away quickly? You’ll have me drown the whole lot of them! If you will get the hell out of the way, I’ll be able to do something!”
— The Titanic Story
"in the heat of the moment... Because he was, in a way, interfering with my duties, and also, of course, he only did this because he was anxious to get the people away and also to help me...told him, "If you will get to hell out of that I shall be able to do something…He did not make any reply. I said, "Do you want me to lower away quickly?" I said, "You will have me drown the whole lot of them." I was on the floor myself lowering away."..He was at the ship's side, like this [indicating]. This is the ship - he was hanging on the davit like this [indicating]. He said, "Lower away, lower away, lower away," and I was slacking away just here at his feet [indicating]…He walked away; and then he went to No. 3 boat.(US Inquiry, Day 5)
— Titanic's Officers: Fifth Officer Harold Lowe - Evacuation
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Officer Moody willingly chose not to board a lifeboat.
Moody was responsible for the loading of Lifeboats 12, 14 and 16. While loading Lifeboat 14, Fifth Officer Lowe told Moody he should man the lifeboat. While it would be traditional for Moody to man the lifeboat due to his lower rank, he deferred the task to Lowe.
— 30 James Street
According to Fifth officer Lowe, Moody told him to get into lifeboat 14, despite the fact that Moody was Lowe's junior: "I saw five boats go away without an officer, and I told Mr. Moody on my own that I had seen five boats go away, and an officer ought to go in one of these boats. I asked him who it was to be - him or I - and he told me, “You go; I will get in another boat.” (British Inquiry)
— Titanic's Officers: Sixth Officer James Moody - Evacuation
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A man disguised as a woman was shoved into a boat by Lowe.
“During the length transfer from boat to boat, Harold Godfrey Lowe noticed a ‘woman’ with a shawl over her head, and was immediately suspicious of her agility in stepping across the boats. He tore away her shawl to reveal another young man, and Harold Godfrey Lowe pushed him into the bottom of one of the lifeboats in a manner which left the lad no doubts as to Harold Godfrey Lowe’s opinion of him.”
— Titanic-Titanic
"It was at this time that I found this Italian. He came aft, and he had a shawl over his head and I suppose he had skirts. Anyhow, I pulled this shawl off his face and saw he was a man. He was in a great hurry to get into the other boat, and I caught hold of him and pitched him in….because he was not worthy of being handled better…[into] in the fore part of the lifeboat in which I transferred my passengers…I did not say a word to him."
— US Inquiry, Day 5, Testimony of Harold Lowe
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Lowe almost refused rescuing survivor Fang Lang from the wreckage.
This account, which came from Charlotte Collyer, has been discounted by Titanic historians as impossible, given Collyer was not in the lifeboat that returned to the sinking, and no other survivors from Lifeboat No. 14 corroborated her claims. It is possible her story may have been embellished, either by the newspaper she sold it to, or by Collyer herself. Titanic researcher and historian Inger Sheil also discounts this claim, citing the lack of evidence of Collyer being present in Lifeboat No, 14 and the fact that Lowe "while on a voyage to the Far East, once risked his life in jumping after a man who had gone overboard. This was in spite of the fact that Lowe was on the ship’s sick list, suffering from blood poisoning in his arm. The man he saved was described simply in contemporary accounts as ‘a chinaman’." Read more in Miss Minahan vs. Lowe.
"What's the use?" said Mr Lowe. He's dead, likely, and if he isn't there's others better worth saving than a Jap!"
He had actually turned our boat around; but he changed his mind and went back. The Japanese was hauled on board, and one of the women rubbed his chest, while others chafed his hands and feet...One of the sailors near to him was so tired that he could hardly pull his oar. The Japanese bustled over, pushed him from his seat, took the oar and worked like a hero until we were finally picked up. I saw Mr Lowe watching him in open-mouthed surprise.
"By Jove!" muttered the officer. "I'm ashamed of what I said about the little blighter. I'd save the likes o' him six times over, if I got the chance."
— Encyclopedia Titanica
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First-class passenger Daisy Minahan alleged Lowe shouted at her when transferring boats.
After some time he was persuaded to do as he was asked. As I came up to him to be transferred to the other boat he said, "Jump, God damn you, jump." I had showed no hesitancy and was waiting only my turn. He had been so blasphemous during the two hours we were in his boat that the women at my end of the boat all thought he was under the influence of liquor. Then he took all of the men who had rowed No. 14, together with the men from the other boats, and went back to the scene of the wreck. (Senate Inquiry)
— Senate Inquiry / Titanic's Officers, Fifth Officer Harold Lowe - The Return
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Lowe had no choice but to wait for people to succumb to the cold water before returning for survivors.
"It would have been suicide to go back there until the people had thinned out….it would have been useless to try it, because a drowning man clings at anything…I had to wait until I could be of some use. It was no good going back there to be swamped." (British Inquiry)
— British Inquiry, Harold Lowe
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Murdoch allowed men to board the lifeboats in the absence of women/children.
“For various reasons, partly because Murdoch was slightly less strict about the interpretation of the women and children first order and partly because of difficulties caused by the fact that the ship was listing slightly to starboard, the boats on this side [starboard] were generally got away more quickly.”
“In the absence of sufficient numbers of women and children in the vicinity, Murdoch permitted men aboard (approximately 10) while other men gallantly refused.”
— The Life and Mystery of First Officer William Murdoch
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Lifeboat No. 15 was nearly lowered overtop of Lifeboat No. 13.
“Lifeboat 13, with 54 of her 64 occupants women, was lowered at 1.25 am. Less than a minute later, the adjacent boat 15 was lowered. Boat 13 reached the water, but before her falls could be severed, she was washed beneath the descending boat 15. Disaster seemed imminent, but the falls were cut and boat 13 drifted clear just in time.”
— Titanic: Destination Disaster: the Legends and the Reality
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A larger passenger fell into a lifeboat during the evacuation.
Richard Edkins adds that Stengel stumbled and rolled into the boat because “he was rather fat.” Walter Lord described the scene in this way: “Stengel had trouble climbing over the rail, finally getting on top of it and rolled into the boat. Murdoch, an agile terrier of a man, laughed pleasantly, ‘That’s the funniest thing I’ve seen tonight.’ ”
— The Life and Mystery of First Officer William Murdoch/A Night to Remember
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Bruce Ismay boarded a lifeboat in front of Officer Murdoch.
“When no one responds to the call “Anymore women and children?” Ismay steps in as the boat is lowered. Richard Edkins writes that this occurred “in the presence of Murdoch, who stood and said nothing. He then gestured to the seamen and they continued to lower the boat. It is said that Ismay’s act cost him any sympathy and respect that he might have gained from assisting at the lifeboats. Whether Murdoch would have dared pull Ismay back on board is another matter; as Ismay was more than ‘just another passenger,’ Murdoch had little authority over Bruce Ismay.”
— Murdoch on the Titanic
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Officer Lightoller was pinned beneath a fiddley grate and nearly drowned as the ship sank.
“On the boat deck, above our quarters, on the fore part of the forward funnel, was a huge rectangular air shaft and ventilator, with an opening about twenty by fifteen feet...I suddenly found myself drawn, by the sudden rush of the surface water now pouring down this shaft, and held flat and firmly up against this wire netting...The pressure of the water just glued me there whilst the ship sank slowly below the surface...I was drowning, and a matter of another couple of minutes would have seen me through. I was still struggling and fighting when suddenly a terrific blast of hot air came up the shaft, and blew me right away from the air shaft and up to the surface.”
— Charles Lightoller
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Officer Lightoller went over his superior officer's orders during the sinking.
"When the task was done, Lightoller went to Chief Officer Wilde and asked whether he should swing the boats out. “Wait” said Wilde. At that moment, Captain Smith came by. Shouting through cupped hands, Lightoller asked if he should swing the boats out. “Yes, swing them out, “said E.J. As soon as this was done, Lightoller once again asked Wilde if he should begin to load the women and children. Once again Wilde said “Wait” and once again, Lightoller asked the captain, “Shall I get the women and children away, sir?” Captain Smith nodded, and Lightoller began to load the portside boats."
— Encyclopedia Titanica
"I had finished seeing the men distributed round the deck, and the boat covers well under way and everything going smoothly, I then enquired of the Chief Officer whether we should carry on and swing out…I am under the impression that Mr. Wilde said “No,” or “Wait,” something to that effect….After I had swung out No. 4 boat I asked the Chief Officer should we put the women and children in, and he said “No.” I left the men to go ahead with their work and found the Commander.....I found the Commander, or I met him and I asked him should we put the women and children in, and the Commander said “Yes, put the women and children in and lower away.” That was the last order I received on the ship."
— British Inquiry, Testimony of Charles Lightoller
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As the officers tried to cut the falls of Collapsible A, a wave washed the decks.
“Collapsible A was brought down from its storage point on the officers' quarters. Murdoch was seen by Lightoller trying to disentangle or cut the forward falls (ropes, halliards) of lifeboat No. 1's davits, to use them to launch Collapsible A. Jack Thayer claimed that he was trying to cut the aft falls of the lifeboat at this time. The sudden sinking of the forward section made the sea surge and sweep many people from the deck. A.B's. French and McGough later stated that Murdoch, then straightening the forward falls, waved to those about him to get further back up the tilting deck. The sea then engulfed them, and Collapsible A was left floating at the davits until it broke loose.
— Murdoch on the Titanic
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Father Francis Browne took some of the last few photographs of Titanic.
“Father Browne and his camera left a treasure to us all: photographs of the maiden voyage of the Titanic from Southampton to Queenstown. He captured the near accident with the New York, he photographed Robert D. Spedden, T.W. Mc Cawley, Jacques Futrelle, Harold Bride and the last picture ever taken of Captain E.J. Smith.”
— Encyclopedia Titanica
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Wilde and Lightoller may not have been on good terms with one another.
"Lightoller's resentment at this demotion is palpable to anyone reading his memoirs; evidently blaming Wilde, his dislike for the man went straight through the grave and kept on going, and in 1935 was as fresh as the April day when Henry Wilde caused Charles Lightoller to lose rank."
— To The Bitter End, Elizabeth Gibbons
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The exchange between Wilde and Lightoller when they fetched their weapons.
“At one point Chief Officer Wilde interrupted Lightoller’s work to ask where the firearms were stored. These had been Lightoller’s responsibility prior to the reshuffle at Southampton, where had had acted as first officer. Lightoller led Wilde, Murdoch and Smith to the locker in Murdoch’s cabin where the guns were kept. As the second officer turned to leave, Wilde shoved a revolver and some ammunition into his hand, saying ‘Here you are. You may need it.’ Lightoller slipped the gun into a pocket and hurried back to the boats.”
— Illustrated History
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The Atlantic water was so cold, it felt like 'a thousand knives.'
In his memoir, Charles Lightoller said that, “striking the water was like a thousand knives being driven into one’s body.” In 1997, James Cameron would later have Jack Dawson say a similar description: "like a thousand knives stabbing you all over your body."
— History in an Hour
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'Eternal Father, Strong to Save' was sung at Titanic's Sunday service.
The hymn verse some may know by its lyrics ("O hear us when we cry to thee, for those in peril on the sea...") was one of those sung at the hymn service lead by Revd. Ernest Courtenay Carter. However, it should be noted it was sang at the second-class service, not the one in first-class.
— Encyclopedia Titanic
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Chief Officer Wilde lost his wife and twin infant sons within a month of each other.
Wilde’s personal life underwent an upheaval in November and December 1910 after Polly went through what was the evidently the very difficult birth of twin boys, Archie and Richard, in mid November. The boys (possibly premature) suffered from what was identified as a ‘congenital debility,’ and lived only a few weeks, Archie dying on the 1st December and his brother at about the same time. Their father reported their deaths to the registry office.
This loss would have been traumatic enough, but worse was to follow. Polly never recovered from the birth, and, suffering from multiple ailments, she began a painful decline. She died on the 24 December 1910 - Christmas Eve - and her death certificate gives an indication of what she had suffered since the birth of the twins. Pyelitis of pregnancy, phlebitis pulmonary and finally pneumonia. Her husband was at her side when she passed away and, as with his sons, reported the death to the registry office.
— "On Watch" - Nautical-papers.com, 2002 by Jemma Hyder and Inger Sheil
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Chief Officer Wilde had immense grief over the passing of his wife.
It seems from this letter that John Smith himself had earlier heard Wilde say that 'he didn’t care particularly how he went or how soon he joined his wife' sometime between the death of Wilde's wife and Wilde's assignment to the Titanic.
— Titanic's Officers: Chief Officer Wilde - Death
In a letter written on the 15th of January 1911, to his sister-in-law Annie, he wrote: "I am feeling very miserable here in this afternoon… I feel my loss more every day. I don't know how ever I will get over this great blow. I am trying to keep up but I have to give way at times."
On the 30th he writes: "I don't know what I will do when I do come home. I don't seem to have much to look forward to now. Nobody knows the knock I have had. I don't know how I am going to get over my loss. I used to look forward so much to getting home and having a few days with Pollie… I can't understand why I should have this terrible trouble put onto my life. I don't seem to have anything to live for if it was not for the children. I would not care what happened to me."
Only a few days later on the 2nd of February 1911 Wilde wrote once again to Annie. Notably he writes: "I can't think of anything but the cruel fate that took Pollie away from us. I could have put up with anything but this, it is terrible to bear. I am nearly heartbroken at times don't know how I am going to get over it."
— Titanic's Officers: Chief Officer Wilde - Family & Tragedy
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Officer Murdoch was stationed at the stern when Titanic cast off from Southampton.
"The senior officers Wilde, Murdoch and Lightoller- submitted their reports to the Master First Officer Murdoch reported the vessel ready to sail: boatswain's parties were fully manned and standing by the moorings. First Officer Murdoch was at the stern, overseeing the handling by the boatswain's mate and his men of the mooring lines and tugboat hawsers there. Third Officer Pitman, on the docking bridge, passed along instructions to Murdoch in response to the bridge's telegraphed orders."
—Titanic Triumph and Tragedy, John P. Eaton and Charles A. Haas, Patrick Stephens
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Margaret Brown, better known as the "Unsinkable Molly Brown" never went by the nickname 'Molly' in her lifetime.
"The biggest myth is, perhaps, that she was called “Molly”. In her life, Margaret never went by Molly. When she was young she was called Maggie and as she got older, Margaret. Once she was married she was known as Mrs. J.J. Brown. The story of “Molly” began in the 1930s, as described above, with the colorful pen of Denver Post reporter Gene Fowler, who created a folk tale, and sensationalist writer Carolyn Bancroft, who wrote a highly fictional account for a romance magazine. This story enjoyed various radio broadcasts during the 1940s and was the basis for the Broadway play, The Unsinkable Molly Brown which became the MGM movie of the same name, starring Debbie Reynolds."
—Molly Brown House Museum - The Many Myths of Molly Brown
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Second-class passenger Charlotte Coyller fought to try and stay with her husband on Titanic.
Women were very reluctant to be separated from their husbands. According to the story reported by Winston Lord in A Night to Remember, a seaman yanked Mrs. Charlotte Collyer by the arm, another by her waist, and they dragged her from her husband Harvey. As she kicked to get free, she heard him call, “Go, Lottie! For God’s sake, be brave and go. I’ll get a seat in another boat!” She and Marjorie were in Lifeboat 14.
—Friends of Titanic Memorial Park - The Coyller Family
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For more details on Titanic and her officers, these are excellent resources:
Titanic's Officers
The Life and Mystery of First Officer William Murdoch
Titanic Valour: The Life Of Fifth Officer Harold Lowe by Inger Sheil
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(Possible Spoilers Below)
Before setting sail, Murdoch and Lightoller were bumped down in rank.
At the last moment, Captain Smith reshuffled the senior crew's positions to accommodate Henry Tingle Wilde as Chief Officer (as he had been aboard Olympic). This meant that Murdoch was bumped down to the position of First Officer, and Charles Herbert Lightoller to Second Officer, while David Blair was left out entirely, the other officers remaining the same.
— The Life and Mystery of First Officer William Murdoch: R.M.S. Titanic: Demotion and maiden voyage
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Murdoch sailed to San Francisco as a teenager.
In 1888 at the age of 15, he served his apprenticeship aboard the Charles Cosworth of Liverpool, a 1079 ton Barque that had San Francisco as its first destination, with Captain James Kitchen. With a voyage that included rounding the infamous Cape Horn it would have been a harsh apprenticeship, but it gave Murdoch the determination he needed to succeed. The Charles Cotesworth sailed to Portland,Oregon (1889/90), Valparaiso (1890/91) and Iquique (1891/92) (13.)
— The Life and Mystery of First Officer William Murdoch: Seafaring Life
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Titanic nearly collided with the SS New York when she left port.
At noon, when Titanic was scheduled to depart Southampton on her maiden voyage, tugboats towed the massive liner into the River Test. When Captain Smith ordered the acceleration of Titanic's engines, putting the larger ship under her own power, the suction created by the propellers at the stern of the ship caused the steel hawsers securing New York to snap, loosing her from her moorings with a sound likened to gunshots and causing her to drift toward Titanic's stern.
"As we were leaving Southampton & passing the Oceanic & New York which were moored alongside each other, they ranged so much that the New York broke adrift & it was only very narrowly that we escaped doing both she and ourselves serious damage, however we did not touch her & I don't think either New York or Oceanic has any damage at all." (William Murdoch)
— Murdoch of the Titanic, Richard Edkins
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Murdoch refused to allow a French commander board Titanic in Cherbourg.
Commander Leloup, French Navy military, wanted to take the Nomadic to paid a visit on the Titanic. Having missed the departure, he embarked aboard the Traffic and wanted to cross the gangplank. Murdock refused, and Leloupe asked: "Is the Captain of the Traffic on board?" We sent for Gaillard who introduced himself: "At your orders, sir!" Leloup: " I want to know why a French naval officer is denied boarding of a foreign merchant ship in the harbor of Cherbourg?" Indeed, Lieutenant Murdock disobeyed a major maritime regulation by prohibiting a French officer access to the ship. Captain Smith was called and came himself to fetch Commander Leloup at the gangplank.
— The Life and Mystery of First Officer William Murdoch
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Moody did not want to sail aboard Titanic.
In March 1912 he received word that he was to be assigned to RMS Titanic as her Sixth Officer. Moody was somewhat reluctant to accept the assignment as he had hoped to spend a summer on the Atlantic aboard the Oceanic, after having endured a harsh winter, and was also hoping to take leave. His request for leave was denied.
— Titanic Valour: The Life of Fifth Officer Harold Lowe, Inger Sheil
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Wilde felt uneasy about Titanic.
“Written aboard the ship, just days before it sank, Mr Wilde posted a letter to his sister at Queenstown telling her he did not like the Titanic. "I still don't like this ship... I have a queer feeling about it," he wrote.”
— The Telegraph
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At the time of collision, Murdoch likely ordered the engines full stop instead of full astern .
According to Fourth Officer Boxhall he also sets the engine telegraphs to “Stop engines”, then to “Full astern together” however this testimony was contradicted by Greaser Frederick Scott and Leading stoker Frederick Barrett who stated that the stoking indicators went only from “Full” to “Stop”.
— The Life and Mystery of First Officer William Murdoch
Many historians now argue that he did not order "full astern" at all, but rather "full stop". One source of this claim stems from lead stoker Frederick Barrett, who explained in the inquiries that the signal he had followed that led to his order to "shut the dampers" came from a red light in the boiler room that signalled "stop". Having been at a better vantage point than Officer Boxhall (who testified the signals were set to full astern) at the time, it's quite possible that the order was indeed full stop. However, there will never be a definitive answer to the exact order given.
— Titanic Wiki
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The conversation between Lightoller and Captain Smith on the bridge before the collision.
‘At five minutes to nine, when the commander came on the bridge, he remarked that it was cold,’ testified Lightoller:
‘As far as I remember, I said, ‘Yes, it is very cold, Sir. In fact it is only one degree above freezing.’ We then commenced to speak about the weather, He said ‘There is not much wind.’ I said ‘No, it is a flat calm as a matter of fact.’ He repeated it; he said: ‘A flat calm.’ I said ‘Yes, quite flat, there is no wind.’ I said something about it was rather a pity the breeze had not kept up whilst we were going through the ice region. Of course, my reason was obvious; he knew I meant the water ripples breaking on the base of the berg.
— Titanic: Victims and Villains
— See also: Titanic British Wreck Comissioner's Inquiry, Day 11, Testimony of Charles Lightoller
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The conversation between Murdoch and Captain Smith after the collision.
At the last minute, the bow swung a few degrees to the left, and above the waterline the hull scraped by the iceberg, dislodging about two tons of ice that fell onto the Titanic’s forward decks. Far below, Murdoch could hear a grinding sound that lasted about ten seconds. When it ceased, he ordered Quartermaster Alfred Olliver to note the time of the collision and told Moody to enter it in the ship’s log. Captain Smith, who had been in his cabin adjacent to the bridge, immediately appeared and asked, ‘What have we struck?’
‘An iceberg, sir,’ Murdoch replied. ‘I hard-a starboarded and reversed the engines, and I was going to hard-a-port around it, but she was too close. I could not do anymore.’
— Titanic 100th Anniversary Edition: A Night Remembered
The Captain then "asked him what we had struck….The First Officer said, “An iceberg, Sir. I hard-a-starboarded and reversed the engines, and I was going to hard-a-port round it but she was too close. I could not do any more. I have closed the watertight doors.” The Commander asked him if he had rung the warning bell, and he said “Yes.”
To the U.S. Senate inquiry, Fourth Officer Boxhall said he heard First Officer Murdoch tell Captain Smith, “I put her hard astarboard and ran the engines full astern, but it was too close; she hit it before I could do any more. I intended to port around it.”
— Titanic's Officers: Fourth Officer Joseph Boxhall - Collision
Captain Smith: Are the watertight doors closed?
Murdoch: The watertight doors are closed, sir.
— The Life and Mystery of First Officer William Murdoch
Senator Smith. What did the captain say?
Mr. Boxhall. He said, “Go down and find the carpenter and get him to sound the ship.”
— U.S. Inquiry of the Titanic Disaster
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Thomas Andrews informing the captain Titanic will sink.
After the impact, Captain Edward Smith summoned Thomas Andrews, the lead shipbuilder, to assess the damage. Around 12:10am, Andrews told the Captain that since five compartments had been breached, the ship must certainly sink in “an hour, or an hour and a half at most.” They also discussed the fact that there were only lifeboats for 1200 of the 2200 souls aboard.
— 1912: A Saved Titanic (Collaborative Foresight)
Like Captain Smith, Thomas Andrews, the designer of the Titanic, went down with his ship. It was he who delivered the shocking news to the captain that it was a mathematical certainty that the Titanic would sink, once he had found out that the ship was holed in five of its watertight compartments.
— Titanic: The designer, owner, officer and lookout, BBC
This line was iconic to A Night to Remember by Walter Lord: "It was a mathematical certainty, pure and simple. There was no way out." It would later become an infamous line in both A Night to Remember (1958) and Titanic (1997).
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The exchange between Lightoller and Murdoch when they traded shifts the night of the collision.
Before turning the watch over to Murdoch, Lightoller reported that they were steering a course of north seventy-one degrees west. ‘It’s pretty cold,’ Murdoch remarked. He was wearing an overcoat for protection against the cold air. ‘Yes, it is freezing,’ Lightoller replied. The temperature of the air was thirty-one degrees Fahrenheit. While Murdoch’s eyes grew accustomed to the darkness, the two spoke of the calm, clear weather and how far they could see. The stars could be seen setting on the horizon. ‘We will be up around the ice somewhere about eleven o’clock, I suppose,’ Lightoller remarked matter-of-factly. He described Smith’s earlier visit to the bridge and the captain’s desire to be notified if there was any doubt about the situation.
— Titanic: An Illustrated History, Don Lynch
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Officer Lowe carried his own revolver with him during the sinking.
Lowe's first action was to retrieve his firearm: "I first of all went and got my revolver...you never know when you will need it. "(US Inquiry, Day 5). Although it seems more likely he retrieved it slightly later when he was loading the lifeboats. Next he saw the Captain: "I saw the captain... just after I got out of bed. (US Inquiry, Day 5).
— Titanic's Officers: Fifth Officer Harold Lowe - Evacuation
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Officer Lowe lost his temper at Chairman Bruce Ismay during the evacuation.
“[Ismay] hung on the davit from which No. 5 was suspended, and he shouted excitedly, “Lower away! Lower away! Lower away!” It was too much for Fifth Officer Harold Lowe, who was down on the deck, trying to work the ropes. Lowe shouted as Ismay, “You want me to lower away quickly? You’ll have me drown the whole lot of them! If you will get the hell out of the way, I’ll be able to do something!”
— The Titanic Story
"in the heat of the moment... Because he was, in a way, interfering with my duties, and also, of course, he only did this because he was anxious to get the people away and also to help me...told him, "If you will get to hell out of that I shall be able to do something…He did not make any reply. I said, "Do you want me to lower away quickly?" I said, "You will have me drown the whole lot of them." I was on the floor myself lowering away."..He was at the ship's side, like this [indicating]. This is the ship - he was hanging on the davit like this [indicating]. He said, "Lower away, lower away, lower away," and I was slacking away just here at his feet [indicating]…He walked away; and then he went to No. 3 boat.(US Inquiry, Day 5)
— Titanic's Officers: Fifth Officer Harold Lowe - Evacuation
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Officer Moody willingly chose not to board a lifeboat.
Moody was responsible for the loading of Lifeboats 12, 14 and 16. While loading Lifeboat 14, Fifth Officer Lowe told Moody he should man the lifeboat. While it would be traditional for Moody to man the lifeboat due to his lower rank, he deferred the task to Lowe.
— 30 James Street
According to Fifth officer Lowe, Moody told him to get into lifeboat 14, despite the fact that Moody was Lowe's junior: "I saw five boats go away without an officer, and I told Mr. Moody on my own that I had seen five boats go away, and an officer ought to go in one of these boats. I asked him who it was to be - him or I - and he told me, “You go; I will get in another boat.” (British Inquiry)
— Titanic's Officers: Sixth Officer James Moody - Evacuation
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A man disguised as a woman was shoved into a boat by Lowe.
“During the length transfer from boat to boat, Harold Godfrey Lowe noticed a ‘woman’ with a shawl over her head, and was immediately suspicious of her agility in stepping across the boats. He tore away her shawl to reveal another young man, and Harold Godfrey Lowe pushed him into the bottom of one of the lifeboats in a manner which left the lad no doubts as to Harold Godfrey Lowe’s opinion of him.”
— Titanic-Titanic
"It was at this time that I found this Italian. He came aft, and he had a shawl over his head and I suppose he had skirts. Anyhow, I pulled this shawl off his face and saw he was a man. He was in a great hurry to get into the other boat, and I caught hold of him and pitched him in….because he was not worthy of being handled better…[into] in the fore part of the lifeboat in which I transferred my passengers…I did not say a word to him."
— US Inquiry, Day 5, Testimony of Harold Lowe
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This account, which came from Charlotte Collyer, has been discounted by Titanic historians as impossible, given Collyer was not in the lifeboat that returned to the sinking, and no other survivors from Lifeboat No. 14 corroborated her claims. It is possible her story may have been embellished, either by the newspaper she sold it to, or by Collyer herself. Titanic researcher and historian Inger Sheil also discounts this claim, citing the lack of evidence of Collyer being present in Lifeboat No, 14 and the fact that Lowe "while on a voyage to the Far East, once risked his life in jumping after a man who had gone overboard. This was in spite of the fact that Lowe was on the ship’s sick list, suffering from blood poisoning in his arm. The man he saved was described simply in contemporary accounts as ‘a chinaman’." Read more in Miss Minahan vs. Lowe.
He had actually turned our boat around; but he changed his mind and went back. The Japanese was hauled on board, and one of the women rubbed his chest, while others chafed his hands and feet...One of the sailors near to him was so tired that he could hardly pull his oar. The Japanese bustled over, pushed him from his seat, took the oar and worked like a hero until we were finally picked up. I saw Mr Lowe watching him in open-mouthed surprise.
"By Jove!" muttered the officer. "I'm ashamed of what I said about the little blighter. I'd save the likes o' him six times over, if I got the chance."
— Encyclopedia Titanica
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First-class passenger Daisy Minahan alleged Lowe shouted at her when transferring boats.
After some time he was persuaded to do as he was asked. As I came up to him to be transferred to the other boat he said, "Jump, God damn you, jump." I had showed no hesitancy and was waiting only my turn. He had been so blasphemous during the two hours we were in his boat that the women at my end of the boat all thought he was under the influence of liquor. Then he took all of the men who had rowed No. 14, together with the men from the other boats, and went back to the scene of the wreck. (Senate Inquiry)
— Senate Inquiry / Titanic's Officers, Fifth Officer Harold Lowe - The Return
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Lowe had no choice but to wait for people to succumb to the cold water before returning for survivors.
"It would have been suicide to go back there until the people had thinned out….it would have been useless to try it, because a drowning man clings at anything…I had to wait until I could be of some use. It was no good going back there to be swamped." (British Inquiry)
— British Inquiry, Harold Lowe
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Murdoch allowed men to board the lifeboats in the absence of women/children.
“For various reasons, partly because Murdoch was slightly less strict about the interpretation of the women and children first order and partly because of difficulties caused by the fact that the ship was listing slightly to starboard, the boats on this side [starboard] were generally got away more quickly.”
“In the absence of sufficient numbers of women and children in the vicinity, Murdoch permitted men aboard (approximately 10) while other men gallantly refused.”
— The Life and Mystery of First Officer William Murdoch
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Lifeboat No. 15 was nearly lowered overtop of Lifeboat No. 13.
“Lifeboat 13, with 54 of her 64 occupants women, was lowered at 1.25 am. Less than a minute later, the adjacent boat 15 was lowered. Boat 13 reached the water, but before her falls could be severed, she was washed beneath the descending boat 15. Disaster seemed imminent, but the falls were cut and boat 13 drifted clear just in time.”
— Titanic: Destination Disaster: the Legends and the Reality
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A larger passenger fell into a lifeboat during the evacuation.
Richard Edkins adds that Stengel stumbled and rolled into the boat because “he was rather fat.” Walter Lord described the scene in this way: “Stengel had trouble climbing over the rail, finally getting on top of it and rolled into the boat. Murdoch, an agile terrier of a man, laughed pleasantly, ‘That’s the funniest thing I’ve seen tonight.’ ”
— The Life and Mystery of First Officer William Murdoch/A Night to Remember
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Bruce Ismay boarded a lifeboat in front of Officer Murdoch.
“When no one responds to the call “Anymore women and children?” Ismay steps in as the boat is lowered. Richard Edkins writes that this occurred “in the presence of Murdoch, who stood and said nothing. He then gestured to the seamen and they continued to lower the boat. It is said that Ismay’s act cost him any sympathy and respect that he might have gained from assisting at the lifeboats. Whether Murdoch would have dared pull Ismay back on board is another matter; as Ismay was more than ‘just another passenger,’ Murdoch had little authority over Bruce Ismay.”
— Murdoch on the Titanic
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Officer Lightoller was pinned beneath a fiddley grate and nearly drowned as the ship sank.
“On the boat deck, above our quarters, on the fore part of the forward funnel, was a huge rectangular air shaft and ventilator, with an opening about twenty by fifteen feet...I suddenly found myself drawn, by the sudden rush of the surface water now pouring down this shaft, and held flat and firmly up against this wire netting...The pressure of the water just glued me there whilst the ship sank slowly below the surface...I was drowning, and a matter of another couple of minutes would have seen me through. I was still struggling and fighting when suddenly a terrific blast of hot air came up the shaft, and blew me right away from the air shaft and up to the surface.”
— Charles Lightoller
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Officer Lightoller went over his superior officer's orders during the sinking.
"When the task was done, Lightoller went to Chief Officer Wilde and asked whether he should swing the boats out. “Wait” said Wilde. At that moment, Captain Smith came by. Shouting through cupped hands, Lightoller asked if he should swing the boats out. “Yes, swing them out, “said E.J. As soon as this was done, Lightoller once again asked Wilde if he should begin to load the women and children. Once again Wilde said “Wait” and once again, Lightoller asked the captain, “Shall I get the women and children away, sir?” Captain Smith nodded, and Lightoller began to load the portside boats."
— Encyclopedia Titanica
"I had finished seeing the men distributed round the deck, and the boat covers well under way and everything going smoothly, I then enquired of the Chief Officer whether we should carry on and swing out…I am under the impression that Mr. Wilde said “No,” or “Wait,” something to that effect….After I had swung out No. 4 boat I asked the Chief Officer should we put the women and children in, and he said “No.” I left the men to go ahead with their work and found the Commander.....I found the Commander, or I met him and I asked him should we put the women and children in, and the Commander said “Yes, put the women and children in and lower away.” That was the last order I received on the ship."
— British Inquiry, Testimony of Charles Lightoller
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As the officers tried to cut the falls of Collapsible A, a wave washed the decks.
“Collapsible A was brought down from its storage point on the officers' quarters. Murdoch was seen by Lightoller trying to disentangle or cut the forward falls (ropes, halliards) of lifeboat No. 1's davits, to use them to launch Collapsible A. Jack Thayer claimed that he was trying to cut the aft falls of the lifeboat at this time. The sudden sinking of the forward section made the sea surge and sweep many people from the deck. A.B's. French and McGough later stated that Murdoch, then straightening the forward falls, waved to those about him to get further back up the tilting deck. The sea then engulfed them, and Collapsible A was left floating at the davits until it broke loose.
— Murdoch on the Titanic
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Father Francis Browne took some of the last few photographs of Titanic.
“Father Browne and his camera left a treasure to us all: photographs of the maiden voyage of the Titanic from Southampton to Queenstown. He captured the near accident with the New York, he photographed Robert D. Spedden, T.W. Mc Cawley, Jacques Futrelle, Harold Bride and the last picture ever taken of Captain E.J. Smith.”
— Encyclopedia Titanica
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Wilde and Lightoller may not have been on good terms with one another.
"Lightoller's resentment at this demotion is palpable to anyone reading his memoirs; evidently blaming Wilde, his dislike for the man went straight through the grave and kept on going, and in 1935 was as fresh as the April day when Henry Wilde caused Charles Lightoller to lose rank."
— To The Bitter End, Elizabeth Gibbons
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The exchange between Wilde and Lightoller when they fetched their weapons.
“At one point Chief Officer Wilde interrupted Lightoller’s work to ask where the firearms were stored. These had been Lightoller’s responsibility prior to the reshuffle at Southampton, where had had acted as first officer. Lightoller led Wilde, Murdoch and Smith to the locker in Murdoch’s cabin where the guns were kept. As the second officer turned to leave, Wilde shoved a revolver and some ammunition into his hand, saying ‘Here you are. You may need it.’ Lightoller slipped the gun into a pocket and hurried back to the boats.”
— Illustrated History
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The Atlantic water was so cold, it felt like 'a thousand knives.'
In his memoir, Charles Lightoller said that, “striking the water was like a thousand knives being driven into one’s body.” In 1997, James Cameron would later have Jack Dawson say a similar description: "like a thousand knives stabbing you all over your body."
— History in an Hour
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'Eternal Father, Strong to Save' was sung at Titanic's Sunday service.
The hymn verse some may know by its lyrics ("O hear us when we cry to thee, for those in peril on the sea...") was one of those sung at the hymn service lead by Revd. Ernest Courtenay Carter. However, it should be noted it was sang at the second-class service, not the one in first-class.
— Encyclopedia Titanic
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Chief Officer Wilde lost his wife and twin infant sons within a month of each other.
Wilde’s personal life underwent an upheaval in November and December 1910 after Polly went through what was the evidently the very difficult birth of twin boys, Archie and Richard, in mid November. The boys (possibly premature) suffered from what was identified as a ‘congenital debility,’ and lived only a few weeks, Archie dying on the 1st December and his brother at about the same time. Their father reported their deaths to the registry office.
This loss would have been traumatic enough, but worse was to follow. Polly never recovered from the birth, and, suffering from multiple ailments, she began a painful decline. She died on the 24 December 1910 - Christmas Eve - and her death certificate gives an indication of what she had suffered since the birth of the twins. Pyelitis of pregnancy, phlebitis pulmonary and finally pneumonia. Her husband was at her side when she passed away and, as with his sons, reported the death to the registry office.
— "On Watch" - Nautical-papers.com, 2002 by Jemma Hyder and Inger Sheil
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Chief Officer Wilde had immense grief over the passing of his wife.
It seems from this letter that John Smith himself had earlier heard Wilde say that 'he didn’t care particularly how he went or how soon he joined his wife' sometime between the death of Wilde's wife and Wilde's assignment to the Titanic.
— Titanic's Officers: Chief Officer Wilde - Death
In a letter written on the 15th of January 1911, to his sister-in-law Annie, he wrote: "I am feeling very miserable here in this afternoon… I feel my loss more every day. I don't know how ever I will get over this great blow. I am trying to keep up but I have to give way at times."
On the 30th he writes: "I don't know what I will do when I do come home. I don't seem to have much to look forward to now. Nobody knows the knock I have had. I don't know how I am going to get over my loss. I used to look forward so much to getting home and having a few days with Pollie… I can't understand why I should have this terrible trouble put onto my life. I don't seem to have anything to live for if it was not for the children. I would not care what happened to me."
Only a few days later on the 2nd of February 1911 Wilde wrote once again to Annie. Notably he writes: "I can't think of anything but the cruel fate that took Pollie away from us. I could have put up with anything but this, it is terrible to bear. I am nearly heartbroken at times don't know how I am going to get over it."
— Titanic's Officers: Chief Officer Wilde - Family & Tragedy
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Officer Murdoch was stationed at the stern when Titanic cast off from Southampton.
"The senior officers Wilde, Murdoch and Lightoller- submitted their reports to the Master First Officer Murdoch reported the vessel ready to sail: boatswain's parties were fully manned and standing by the moorings. First Officer Murdoch was at the stern, overseeing the handling by the boatswain's mate and his men of the mooring lines and tugboat hawsers there. Third Officer Pitman, on the docking bridge, passed along instructions to Murdoch in response to the bridge's telegraphed orders."
—Titanic Triumph and Tragedy, John P. Eaton and Charles A. Haas, Patrick Stephens
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Margaret Brown, better known as the "Unsinkable Molly Brown" never went by the nickname 'Molly' in her lifetime.
"The biggest myth is, perhaps, that she was called “Molly”. In her life, Margaret never went by Molly. When she was young she was called Maggie and as she got older, Margaret. Once she was married she was known as Mrs. J.J. Brown. The story of “Molly” began in the 1930s, as described above, with the colorful pen of Denver Post reporter Gene Fowler, who created a folk tale, and sensationalist writer Carolyn Bancroft, who wrote a highly fictional account for a romance magazine. This story enjoyed various radio broadcasts during the 1940s and was the basis for the Broadway play, The Unsinkable Molly Brown which became the MGM movie of the same name, starring Debbie Reynolds."
—Molly Brown House Museum - The Many Myths of Molly Brown
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Second-class passenger Charlotte Coyller fought to try and stay with her husband on Titanic.
Women were very reluctant to be separated from their husbands. According to the story reported by Winston Lord in A Night to Remember, a seaman yanked Mrs. Charlotte Collyer by the arm, another by her waist, and they dragged her from her husband Harvey. As she kicked to get free, she heard him call, “Go, Lottie! For God’s sake, be brave and go. I’ll get a seat in another boat!” She and Marjorie were in Lifeboat 14.
—Friends of Titanic Memorial Park - The Coyller Family
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For more details on Titanic and her officers, these are excellent resources:
Titanic's Officers
The Life and Mystery of First Officer William Murdoch
Titanic Valour: The Life Of Fifth Officer Harold Lowe by Inger Sheil
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