Featured Article: Senator Smith and the United States Senate Inquiry Into the Loss of Titanic

Senator William Alden Smith and his son had made a North Atlantic voyage aboard the Baltic under the command of Captain E.J. Smith in 1906. Captain Smith would later be the commander of Titanic in 1912. While aboard the Baltic, the senator had the chance to meet Captain Smith and developed a great respect for the man. After Titanic went down, the senator was determined to find out why the largest and most state-of-the-art ship in the world went down at the command of one of the most experienced and respected captains on the sea?

Senator William Alden Smith (left) and Captain E.J. Smith (right)

He telephoned to Charles Hilles, Secretary to President Taft, to ask what action was to be taken. The reply was that the President intended to do nothing. After hearing this, he began working on a draft of a resolution to investigate the disaster.

Early morning of Thursday, April 18th, word had been received showing that there were no other survivors of the disaster, except for those aboard the Carpathia. The true scope of the disaster was now apparent to all. Shortly after hearing the news of the true reality of the survivors, the Senate met that same morning and the floor was turned over to Senator Smith, who immediately asked for passage of his resolution which authorized the Committee on Commerce to investigate the disaster. 

The resolution called for a hearing with witnesses being subpoenaed who could offer information about the disaster. With very little opposition the resolution was carried, and Smith was appointed by the Commerce Committee chairman, Knute Nelson, as chairman of the subcommittee to look into the Titanic disaster. Neslon and Smith spent the remainder of the day selecting the panel of Senators that would aid him in the inquiry.

J. Bruce Ismay

Later that morning, the Department of the Navy contacted Senator Smith, advising him that they had intercepted several significant messages being sent from the Carpathia by Bruce Ismay, President of the White Star Line. 

Other than announcing the loss of Titanic and requesting personal needs, some of telegrams that were intercepted indicated that Ismay was hoping to go directly back to England, along with the crew, without setting foot on American soil. Some of these messages were signed with the name "Yamsi". It didn't take much to interoperate that Yamsi was Ismay spelled backwards.

At noon, Smith immediately arranged a  meeting at the White House. During the meeting, Smith asked about the legalities of subpoenaing British citizens. President Taft, checking with Attorney-General George Wickersham, said there was no question so long as they were in the United States.

That afternoon, the first meeting of the investigative subcommittee was held, during which the Ismay messages were discussed. Smith asked which of the other Senators would accompany him to New York to serve subpoenas and interrogate witnesses.

That evening at around 9:30pm, Titanic survivors begin to disembark the Carpathia shortly after her arrival.

Ismay had hoped for a quick return to England for himself and the surviving crew members by immediately boarding another White Star ship, most likely the Cedric. However, that hope was quickly diminished with the arrival of Senator Smith and his men, intercepting Ismay and the others before they could disembark the Carpathia. The men carried subpoenas for Ismay, as well as various members of the Titanic crew.

Smith also was accompanied by Senator Francis G. Newlands, US Steamship Inspector General - George Uhler, Sheriff Joe Bayliss (an old ally of Smith's that was deputized as an Assistant Sergeant at Arms of the US Senate specifically to serve subpoenas), and Bill McKinstry (Smith's private secretary).

The inquiry began at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City the following morning on Friday, April 19th. After two days, the inquiry was moved to Washington D.C. All together inquiry lasted 18 days and recorded the testimonies of 86 witnesses.

Timeline Article: Ice Warning Six

RMS Baltic (left) and SS Athinai (right)

Sunday, April 14, 1912

1:54pm

The White Star liner Baltic relays an ice warning to Titanic from the Greek steamer Athinai. This message containing details about large icebergs and ice fields is Titanic's fifth ice warning. The message is given to Captain Smith, but it never appears in the chart room. Later, Smith shows the message to Bruce Ismay in passing. After a brief discussion, Ismay takes the message and puts it in his pocket. 

Timeline Article: J. Bruce Ismay and the "Big Four"

1899 - 1907

After Thomas Henry Ismay's death in 1899, his son J. Bruce Ismay takes over as chairman of the White Star Line. Ismay has an extraordinary vision for White Star leading into the 20th century making many innovative decisions in a short amount of time. 

The order of a sister ship for Oceanic was cancelled. Instead, resources were transferred to White Star’s new project to build the grandest fleet of ships that had ever sailed the seas. This new class of ships consisted of Celtic, Cedric, Baltic and Adriatic.

In 1901, the White Star Line ordered a series of four ships with the Harland & Wolff shipyard. Calling them the "Big Four", These ships were designed to have a tonnage more than 20,000 tons and rather than being built for speed they were designed to be more luxurious than their rivals.

RMS Celtic (1901)

The first of the four vessels was named Celtic. The second liner of her name, the first, was completed in 1872. Celtic and was launched on April 4, 1901. She made her maiden voyage on July 25th. She was shorter than the Oceanic by only 3 feet but 3,600 tons heavier. At 20,904 tons, she was the heaviest and therefore largest ship in the world.

RMS Cedric (1903)

The second ship was named Cedric, which was launched on August 21, 1902. She made her maiden voyage on February 11, 1903. At the time she was launched she took the title away from Celtic as being the largest ship in the world at 21,073 tons.

RMS Baltic (1904)

The third ship was called Baltic. The second liner of her name, the first, was completed in 1871. Baltic was originally supposed to be the same size as her two predecessors, but a sudden decision was made that this ship was to be the largest ever built as far as dimensions and tonnage. This was no easy task because the hull was already built and closely matched the dimensions of her predecessors. The ship’s hull was cut in two and the rear section set back nearly 30 feet to make room for the enlargement. This ultimately increased her tonnage by nearly 3,000 tons. Baltic’s hull was launched on November 21, 1903, and made her maiden voyage on June 29, 1904. At 23,876 tons and with a length off 729 feet, she earned the title as the largest ship ever built until 1905 when she was surpassed by the 24,581-ton German liner Kaiserin Auguste Victoria later known as the Empress of Scotland.

RMS Adriatic (1907)

The fourth ship was called Adriatic. The second liner of her name, the first, was completed in 1872. Adriatic and was the only one of the four which never earned the title as the world's largest ship. She was the same length as Baltic, but slightly heavier at 24,541 tons. Out of the four, she was the largest, the fastest, and the most luxurious. Being the first ocean liner to have an indoor swimming pool and Victorian style Turkish baths. Adriatic was launched on September 20, 1906, and began her maiden voyage on May 8, 1907.

The "Big Four" ships were popular among passengers and all four had generally successful careers in commercial and war time service across three decades. The "Big Four" are arguably considered the most successful class of ships ever produced for the White Star Line.