Edward Smith (sea captain)

Edward John "E. J." Smith (27 January 1850 – 15 April 1912) was an English sea captain. He was the captain of the R.M.S Titanic, which sank when it struck an iceberg. Smith was to retire after the maiden voyage of the Titanic, but he died when the ship sank.[1]

Smith on the Olympic, half a year before the Titanic set sail

Smith was born on 27 January 1850 in Hanley, Staffordshire, England.[2] He was married to Sarah Eleanor Pennington from 1887 until his death in 1912. They had one daughter.

When the Titanic struck the iceberg, Smith knew within minutes that the ship was doomed and that people would die. During the evacuation, Captain Smith did all in his power to prevent panic and did his best to assist in the evacuation; Major Arthur Godfrey Peuchen of the Royal Canadian Yacht Club said "He was doing everything in his power to get women in these boats, and to see that they were lowered properly. I thought he was doing his duty in regard to the lowering of the boats".[3] Robert Williams Daniel, a first class passenger also said:

Captain Smith was the biggest hero I ever saw. He stood on the bridge and shouted through a megaphone, trying to make himself heard.':[4]

Just minutes before the ship started its final plunge, Smith was still busy releasing Titanic's crew from their duties; he went to the Marconi operators room and released Junior Marconi Officer Harold Bride and senior wireless operator John "Jack" Phillips from their duties. He then carried out a final tour of the deck, telling crew members: "Now it's every man for himself."[5] Steward Edward Brown saw the captain approach with a megaphone in his hand. He heard him say "Well boys, do your best for the women and children, and look out for yourselves.” He saw the Captain walk onto the bridge alone just seconds before the ship took its final plunge.[6] This was the last reliable sighting of Smith. Just seconds later Trimmer Samuel Hemming found the bridge apparently empty.[7]

Smith died that night along with around 1,500 others, and his body was never recovered.

There are conflicting accounts of his death; Some claimed to have seen Smith in the water swimming towards a lifeboat, or near the capsized collapsible lifeboat "B", others claimed saw shooting himself with a pistol. Other accounts describe him entered the wheelhouse on the bridge and died there when it was engulfed.[8][9][10] The actual fate of captain Smith will probably remain uncertain. His body was never recovered.

Smith has been played by many actors during documentaries, movies, television series, or plays. The most well known actors to play Smith are George C. Scott and Bernard Hill.