Captain John Edward Smith

By: Jason McMillen

Captain Edward John Smith was born on January 27, 1850 in Hanley, Stroke on Trent England. His father was a potter. Later, his family owned a shop. At age thirteen, he set out for Liverpool to start his seafaring career. He worked on many different ships before joining the White Star Line in 1880. In 1887, he gained his first command under the Majestic. He commanded her 9 years before serving in the Royal Navy sailing it in the Boer War. After his service, his seniority rose and he became the commodore of the White Star Fleet.

He sailed the Titanic’s sister ship, the Olympic, on her maiden voyage. On the voyage, she collided with the HMS Hawke. The Royal Navy blamed the Olympic for the damage. The Olympic had a damaged propeller and its repair slowed the construction of the Titanic. Despite all the trouble, he was still commanding the Titanic on her maiden voyage. Many people sailed on the Titanic because Smith sailed it. He was very popular among the rich and famous, and he had even earned the name “The Millionaires’ Captain.”

The voyage went rather smoothly until the mishap of the iceberg collision at 11:40 pm. After investigating the damage to the ship with John Ismay, they decided that it was going to sink. Smith ordered the ship to be evacuated. After that, little is known of what happened. Some say he simply went down with it. Others say that he shot himself before the ship sank. Stories range from just going down like the rest to drinking himself to death.

He was the best paid captain North America which is quite amazing considering how he started. He spent the first years of his seafaring life working on different ships out of Liverpool England. In truth he was a very hard working man who deserved every penny he got. Any man who starts with little and ends up with a lot is an inspiration to those who are like him.

He was remembered as a great captain, loyal to his ship until the end. He had served in protection of his country. He had worked his way up to being the “Commodore of the White Star Fleet” from starting with experience or title to his name. Many people say that the Titanic was to be his last voyage. That may have been why he didn’t slow down on the last night; he wanted people to say that the trip was on time and enjoyable. This is why so many people blame him for the accident. But he will always be remembered as an amazing captain.

Many people wonder why everyone that could didn’t get off. It was a matter of reputation, if a man, crew or passenger was to get off before every woman it was considered horrible. John Ismay survived and was degraded and fired for his decision. Also in the captain’s case it was considered custom to go down with the ship. I believe his death was in a way more poetic than anyone else’s.

He would leave behind his wife Eleanor age 51 and his daughter Helen age 14. A statue of Smith was unveiled by Helen on July 29, 1912. He will probably never be remembered for his skill, his struggle to get such a high rank, or his bravery in defense of his country, no he will be remembered because he captained the biggest seafaring disaster of his time. 

Works Cited

"John Edward Smith." Encyclopedia Titanica. Encyclopedia Titanica. 3 Apr 2008 <http://www.euronet.nl/users/keesree/captain.htm#Death>.

 "John Edward Smith." Wikipedia.org. wikipedia.org. 2 Apr 2008 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Smith>.

"The Captain." euronet.com. euronet.com. 3 Apr 2008 <http://www.euronet.nl/users/keesree/captain.htm>.

Cox, Stephen. The Titanic Story. 1. USA: Open Court, 1999.

Caplan, Bruce. The Sinking of The Titanic. 1. Seattle: Seattle Miracle Inc., 1997.

“Edward John Smith.” Online Image. Healthcity.com 9/04/08 http://www.healthycity.stoke.gov.uk/ccm/cms-service/stream/image/?image_id=1378256

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