Timeline Article: Bruce Ismay - A Man Completely Wrecked

J. Bruce Ismay

Monday, April 15, 1912

Mid-Day

On board the Carpathia, White Star's president 

J. Bruce Ismay, hands over a message for the New York office to Captain Rostron which reads:

"Deeply regret advise you. Titanic sank this morning after collision iceberg. Resulting in serious loss of life. Full particulars later."

-Bruce Ismay

Ismay sits alone in the doctor's room. Shocked, defeated, and overwhelmed by guilt. At the doctor's request, fellow survivor 17-year-old Jack Thayer, tries to offer some comfort to Ismay.

Jack Thayer

"He was staring straight ahead. Shaking all over like a leaf. Even when I spoke to him, he paid absolutely no attention. I have never seen a man so completely wrecked."

-First Class Passenger

 Jack Thayer

Timeline Article: The Last Crew Member to Know

Monday, April 15, 1912
12:42am

Titanic was so big that it took awhile to inform all of the crew members of the collision. Quartermaster George Rowe was on duty at the stern when Titanic hit the iceberg. He saw the iceberg, but thought it to be the sail of a passing schooner. Then he sees Lifeboat 7 rowing away from the starboard side of the ship. He telephones the bridge and speaks to 4th Officer Boxhall. Rowe asks Boxhall why there is a lifeboat in the water? Boxhall, confused at first, realizes that he's talking to the last crew member to know of the collision. He orders Rowe to get the signal rockets and come forward.

Timeline Article: Andrews Says The Ship Will Sink!

April 14th - 15, 1912
11:53pm - 12:05am

The ship's carpenter John Hall Hutchinson goes down to inspect the damage and soon discovers that Titanic is taking on water fast. The mail hold is already flooding and the postal clerks are hauling up wet mailbags from below, racing the water that creeps up step by step. Hutchinson reports to the captain and goes down again to inspect the damage with Thomas Andrews.

After inspecting the damage, Andrews reports back to the captain what he saw...

  

Video Provided By: James Cameron's Titanic Explorer

See Related Article: The Unsinkable Ship

Timeline Article: People React. Ismay Heads to the Bridge

Sunday, April 14, 1912

11:41pm

Captain Smith gave the order for Titanic to be stopped and for the ship to be examined for damage. To everyone on board feeling the constant heartbeat of the engines beneath their feet and then suddenly nothing, was enough to stir up curiosity among the passengers. People were getting dressed and moving out into the halls and corridors to find out what was going on. Even most of the crew were unsure and gave people their own analysis of why they were stopped. Rumors of an iceberg began to circulate and some people went out on deck to see if the rumors were true. The few that saw the iceberg pass by were certain of what had happened.

"Being young I didn't realize we might be drowned. Nobody worried about it. Some of the people came up playing with the ice on deck, and they wouldn't believe it they said, No. She's unsinkable! They went back to bed. I thought it was wonderful to see this ice like that."

Second Class Passenger

-Edith Brown

In First class, White Star director Bruce Ismay hurries to the bridge to see what is happening.

White Star Line director Bruce Ismay

Timeline Article: Smith Arrives on the Bridge

Sunday, April 14, 1912

11:41pm

Captain Smith was asleep in his cabin when Titanic hit the iceberg. After feeling the vibration and hearing all the commotion, he got dressed and heads to the bridge. First Officer Murdoch and the crew are entering all the information about the recent event into the ship's log. Once on the bridge, Smith asks Murdoch, "What have we struck?" Murdoch replies, 

"An iceberg Sir. 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. I have closed the watertight doors."

Smith and Murdoch briefly step out onto the starboard bridge wing to inspect the damage the side of the ship and to look for the iceberg. Smith  gives the order to signal the engine room to "ALL STOP". Then he gives the order to find the carpenter so that the ship could be inspected. The captain notices broken pieces of ice on the forward well deck, but the iceberg has long vanished into the darkness.

Captain EJ Smith (left)
and 1st Officer William Murdoch (right)

Timeline Article: Titanic Hits an Iceberg

Sunday, April 14, 1912

11:39pm - 11:40pm

Titanic is cruising at 21.5 knots when Lookout Fredrick Fleet spots an iceberg directly in front of the ship. He immediately rings the crow's nest bell three times. Then he telephones the bridge. Sixth Officer Moody answers the phone. Fleet responds, "Iceberg! Right ahead!"

First Officer Murdoch spots the iceberg ahead and runs to the wheelhouse. He yells out an order to Quartermaster Hichens, "HARD-A-STARBOARD!" Hichens immediately turns the wheel to the left to steer the ship away from the iceberg. Then Murdoch telegraphs the engine room with the order "ALL STOP".

As Titanic gradually turns to the left and the situation begins to look hopeful. Then there was a sudden vibration felt throughout the ship. Murdoch watched as the iceberg scraped along Titanic's hull popping the iron rivets and bending the steel plates. Murdoch then closes the watertight doors to seal off the flooding compartments. Quartermaster Olliver steps onto the bridge just in time to see the peak of the iceberg pass by.

Murdoch then yells out another order, "HARD-A-PORT!" By turning the ship in the other direction, he hopes to steer the rest of the length of the ship clear of the berg. The iceberg scrapes along 250 feet of Titanic's starboard side, fully exposing five of the forward watertight compartments and part of the sixth compartment to the sea. Down below, crewmen are desperately trying to find their way up and out of the flooding compartments. 

First class passengers on the promenade deck watch as the berg slowly passes by. Seaman Joseph Scarrott claimed the iceberg closely resembled the shape of the Rock of Gibraltar. The rest of Titanic clears the iceberg and the passengers on deck watch as the mountain of ice disappears into the night behind them.

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