Loss of the Steamship "Titanic"Great Britain. Court to investigate loss of steamship "Titanic"
History
Loss of the Steamship "Titanic"
Great Britain. Court to investigate loss of steamship "Titanic"
Shipwrecks; Titanic (Steamship)
The master told the court that he made her position at that time to be
42° 5´ N., 57° 7´ W. This position is recorded in the log book, which
was written up from the scrap log book by the chief officer. The scrap
log is destroyed. It is a position about 19 miles N. by E. of the
position of the _Titanic_ when she foundered, and is said to have been
fixed by dead reckoning and verified by observations. I am satisfied
that this position is not accurate. The master "twisted her head" to E.
N. E. by the compass and she remained approximately stationary until
5.15 a. m. on the following morning. The ship was slowly swinging around
to starboard during the night.
At about 11 p. m. a steamer's light was seen approaching from the
eastward. The master went to Evans's room and asked what ships he had.
The latter replied: "I think the _Titanic_ is near us. I have got her."
The master said: "You had better advise the _Titanic_ we are stopped and
surrounded with ice." This Evans did, calling up the _Titanic_ and
sending: "We are stopped and surrounded by ice." The _Titanic_ replied:
"Keep out." The _Titanic_ was in communication with Cape Race, which
station was then sending messages to her. The reason why the _Titanic_
answered "keep out" was that her Marconi operator could not hear what
Cape Race was saying, as from her proximity the message from the
_Californian_ was much stronger than any message being taken in by the
_Titanic_ from Cape Race, which was much farther off. Evans heard the
_Titanic_ continuing to communicate with Cape Race up to the time he
turned in at 11.30 p. m.
The master of the _Californian_ states that when observing the
approaching steamer as she got nearer he saw more lights, a few deck
lights, and also her green side light. He considered that at 11 o'clock
she was approximately 6 or 7 miles away, and at some time between 11 and
11.30 he first saw her green light; she was then about 5 miles off. He
noticed that about 11.30 she stopped. In his opinion this steamer was of
about the same size as the _Californian_--a medium-sized steamer,
"something like ourselves."
From the evidence of Mr. Groves, third officer of the _Californian_, who
was the officer of the first watch, it would appear that the master was
not actually on the bridge when the steamer was sighted.
Mr. Groves made out two masthead lights; the steamer was changing her
bearing slowly as she got closer, and as she approached he went to the
chart room and reported this to the master; he added, "She is evidently
a passenger steamer." In fact, Mr. Groves never appears to have had any
doubt on this subject. In answer to a question during his examination,
"Had she much light?" he said, "Yes, a lot of light. There was
absolutely no doubt of her being a passenger steamer, at least in my
mind."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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