Countdown to Disaster

The Last Days of the R.M.S. Titanic

Tuesday, April 2, 1912

 Tuesday, April 2nd, 1912 was a calm and mild day, perfect for the trials and the voyage to Southampton that had been scheduled for the 1st, but postponed due to the bad weather.  That morning, the eight senior officers of Titanic had boarded. Commodore Edward John Smith, RNR, old 'EJ', the venerable and beloved 62 year old who had lived old much of his life at sea, was to be the new ship's captain. In all his years at sea he had never been involved in a shipwreck, the closest he'd come to one had been the 1911 incident with Olympic, the Titanic's older sister ship, which had been accidentally struck by the warship H.M.S. Hawke while leaving Southampton. Luckily, no lives were lost, and there were only minor injuries to the few people who were in the sections of the ships that rammed, and so Smith's reputation as a fine captain was undamaged.

 Along with the great Captain Smith, there were seven lesser officers aboard. These men were: the superb Scottish seaman, Chief Officer William McMasters Murdoch, RNR, then the famed First Officer Charles Herbert Lightoller, RNR, Second Officer David Blair, Third Officer Herbert John Pitman, Fourth Officer Joseph Groves Boxhall, Fifth Officer Harold Godfrey Lowe (a Welshman), RNR, and Sixth Officer James Paul Moody. 34 seamen and 79 trimmers, firemen, etc. also boarded the liner that morning. There was also a change of plans in store for Titanic's owners and officers. Captain Smith had brought along the trustworthy Henry Tingle Wilde, Olympic's chief officer in all Smith's voyages on her. Smith intended to have Wilde placed as Chief Officer, and this was done. Murdoch was thus bumped to First Officer and Lightoller to second, but there were no other changes in staff. Poor Davey Blair then had to leave, taking with him the knowledge of where Titanic's pair of binoculars was stored. Also present that day were the two wireless officers from the Marconi firm, Chief Operator Jack Phillips and Assisting Operator Harold Bride.

 Also present that morning on Titanic were some of the men responsible for her. Her owner, the founder of International Mercantile Marine (IMM), millionaire J. Pierpont Morgan, was unable to be present (he had been present at the launch), high-ranking members of White Star and Harland & Wolff (the Belfast-based shipbuilding firm that constructed Titanic and her sisters for White Star) were present, with the exception of the White Star Line's Chairman, and leading IMM officer Joseph Bruce Ismay was not present. Ismay reported his absence as being due to family matters. Lord William James Pirrie was also absent due to a very severe case of pneumonia that left him constantly covered in towels with his feet in a bucket. Both Ismay and Pirrie sent their replacements, Harold Sanderson and Thomas Andrews Jr., respectively. Sanderson was second in command of the White Star, and Andrews was the nephew of his Lordship, as well as the designer of Titanic. Accompanying Andrews was his chief deputy, Edward Wilding.

 Things started very early that morning with an inspection by Board of Trade supervisor Francis T. Carruthers. Captain Smith and other members of the crew and the companies accompanied him. Messrs. C. J. Smith & Co. of London place several members of their firm aboard to adjust the ship's compasses as she entered the open water. At 6:00 o'clock a.m. the trials started. The four tugs began pulling the huge ship along the River Lagan, through the Victoria Channel towards the Belfast Lough. The Herald was at her port bowlines, the Haskinson was at her port lines, the Herculaneum was at her starboard lines, and the Horbury was at her starboard bowlines. They were watched closely by the bo'sun, the Australian Alfred 'Big Neck' Nichols and his crew, and bo'sun's mate Albert Haines and his crew. One by one, deep inside the ship, the 20 immense boilers of Titanic were lit. As the crowds of spectators lined up all along the Channel to watch the ship, Titanic made her way into the Lough for her trials.

 At about noon, the tugs took her to a spot in the Lough about two miles off the tiny town of Carrickfergus. The crowds rushed towards the town to watch the ship. As a flag signaling the fact that the pilot was aboard flapped about in the light morning breeze, the tugs released their hold on the ship and returned to Belfast, as Titanic's three propellers (her 'triple screws') spun round for the first time. As a blue and white 'A' signal flag indicating that Titanic was undergoing sea trials, was run up, Fourth Officer Boxhall thrust the engine room telegraph handle forward and Titanic moved on it's own for the very first time. At this time, three long blasts from the ship's siren were sounded. Buoy tests were now conducted.

 During this time, the officers and officials devoured salmon, roast chicken, and sweetbreads in the grand First Class Dining Room on D-Deck. During the meal they compared notes and asked each other technical questions, finally concluding that the ship was running better than expected. At about 2 o'clock, Titanic started making a series of runs across the Lough towards the Irish Sea and then and back to it's original position. They found that the ship could go past 20 knots, and that she could be brought to a full stop in just over three minutes, a good period of time for a ship of her size. At 6 o'clock p.m. Titanic headed back to the Lough from the Irish Sea at 18 knots so as it could undergo its final inspection before she made her way to Southampton.

 Carruthers boarded Titanic for one last experiment, raising and dropping her giant anchors. After several minutes of this, the BoT inspector was satisfied, and he presented Andrews and Wilding with a certificate reading "Good for one year from today 2.4.12." That night, at 8 o'clock, the engines were once again started up, this time for the voyage to Southampton, where an empty birth was waiting. Aboard, along with the skeleton crew, Carruthers, Andrews, Sanderson, Wilding, Harland & Wolff's nine-strong 'Guarantee Group', and regular 1st Class Passenger Wyckoff van der Hoef enjoyed the ship's first trip. That evening, the wireless operators were tireless sending updates to Morgan and Ismay about the trip towards Southampton. As the darkness fell the regular officer's watches were held, and lookouts were posted. In the darkness, Titanic rounded the Lizard, passed through the Irish Sea, St. George's Channel, and headed past the coast of Cornwall.

Countdown to Diaster has been prepared for ACT I by Titanic Researcher Addison Hart of DeKalb, Illinois.

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