Titanic Captain Edward J. Smith Doll

Description

Edward J. Smith
, in full
Edward John Smith
, (born January 27, 1850, Hanley [now in Stoke-on-Trent],
Staffordshire
, England—died April 15, 1912, at sea, northern Atlantic Ocean), British captain of the passenger liner
Titanic
, which sank in 1912.
Smith began working on boats while he was a teenager. In 1875 he earned a master’s certificate, which was required to serve as captain. In 1880 he became a junior officer with the
White Star Line
, and seven years later he commanded his first ship. Smith subsequently helmed numerous vessels while also enduring a series of mishaps. On several occasions his ships ran aground, and in 1911 he was captain of the
Olympic
when it collided with the British cruiser
Hawke
off the Isle of Wight; both ships suffered extensive damage. However, Smith was well liked by both crew members and passengers—he earned the nickname the “Millionaire’s Captain” for his popularity with wealthy travelers—and he became White Star’s senior captain. In 1912 he left command of the
Olympic
to helm the
Titanic
on its maiden voyage from
Southampton
,
England
, to
New York City
in April.
The
Titanic
.
The Bettmann Archive
Several days into the voyage, the
Titanic
received iceberg warnings, and Smith altered the ship’s course, though he did not decrease speed. On the night of April 14, he was away from the bridge when the ship struck an iceberg. He immediately ordered a report of the damage, and
Thomas Andrews
, the
Titanic
’s designer, determined that the ship would founder. At 2:20
AM
on April 15 the
Titanic
sank, killing some 1,500 people. Smith was last seen on the bridge. A report that he saved a drowning child was largely dismissed. Smith’s body was never found.