Titanic 2012

10:55 PM: Some 10 to 19 miles north of Titanic, the Californian is stopped in ice field, and sends out warnings to all ships in area. When the Californian's wireless operator calls up Titanic, his ice warning is interrupted by a blunt 'Keep out! Shut up! You're jamming my signal. I'm working Cape Race.' The Californian's sole operator listens in to Titanic's wireless traffic and then at 11:30 turns off his set and retires for the night, as is the custom.

11:30 PM: Lookouts Fleet and Lee in crow's nest note slight haze appearing directly ahead of Titanic. Lee claims hatchway with light again causing visibility problems. Neither man has binoculars and are told all binoculars had been accidentally left on ferry at Cherbourg and not loaded.

11:40 PM: Titanic moving at 20? knots. Suddenly, lookouts see iceberg dead ahead about 500 yards away and towering some 55-60 feet above the water. They immediately sound the warning bell with three sharp rings and telephone down to the bridge: 'Iceberg dead ahead.' Sixth Officer Moody on bridge acknowledges warning, relays message to Murdoch who instinctively calls 'hard-a-starboard' to helmsman and orders engine room to stop engines and then full astern.

Murdoch then activates lever to close watertight doors below the waterline. Helmsman spins wheel as far as it will go. After several seconds Titanic begins to veer to port, but the iceberg strikes starboard bow side and brushes along the side of the ship and passes by into the night. The impact, although jarring to the crew down in the forward area, is not noticed by many of the passengers.

Thirty-seven seconds have elapsed from sighting to collision.

11:50 PM: During first ten minutes after impact, water rises 14 feet above the keel, forward. First five compartments begin to take on water. Boiler room No. 6, five feet above keel, is flooded in eight feet of water.

12:00 AM: Mailroom, 24 feet above keel, begins taking enough water to float mail bags. Captain Smith, now on the bridge, gets reports of water pouring into number 1, 2, and 3 holds, and boiler room No. 6. Following this, he takes his own rapid tour to inspect the damage alongside Titanic’s architect, Thomas Andrews. On seeing the worst of it, Smith asks Andrews for his assessment.

Andrews calculates the ship can only remain afloat from one to two-and-a-half hours. This is based on the mathematical certainty that if more than four holds are flooded, once a compartment fills with water, the water will spill into the next compartment and so on. Titanic's bow begins to sink. The ship is doomed.

Captain Smith orders CQD distress call for assistance sent out over ship's wireless. Titanic's estimated position: 41? 46' N, 50? 14' W. Boilers shut down and relief pipes against funnels blow off huge noisy clouds of steam.

April 15, Monday: 12:05 AM: Squash court, 32 feet above keel is awash. Orders are given to uncover the lifeboats and to get the passengers and crew ready on deck. Only enough room in the lifeboats for 1,178 of the estimated 2,227 on board if every boat is filled to capacity.

12:10 to 1:50 AM: Several crew members on the Californian, some 10 to 19 miles away, see lights of a steamer. A number of attempts to make contact with the ship with Morse lamp fail. Rockets are observed, but as they appear so low over the ship's deck, and make no sound, they do not seem like distress rockets, and no great concern is taken. Distance between ships seems to increase until they are out of sight of each other.

12:15 to 2:17 AM: Numerous ships hear Titanic's distress signals, including her sister ship the Olympic, some 500 miles away. Several ships, including Mount Temple (49 miles away), Frankfort (153 miles), Burma (70 miles), Baltic (253 miles), Virginian (170), and Carpathia (58 miles) prepare at various times to come to assist.

12:15 AM: Band begins to play lively ragtime tunes in first-class lounge on A Deck, later moving up to Boat Deck near port entrance to Grand Staircase.

12:20 to 12:25 AM: Order given to start loading lifeboats with women and children first.

12:25 AM: The Carpathia, southeast some 58 miles, receives distress call and immediately heads full speed to rescue.

12:45 AM: The first lifeboat, starboard No. 7, is safely lowered away. It can carry 65 people, but leaves with 28 aboard. First distress rocket fired. Eight rockets will be fired altogether. Fourth Officer Boxhall observes vessel approaching Titanic but it then disappears, despite attempts to contact her with Morse lamp. Boat No. 4 begins loading between 12:30 and 12:45.

12:55 AM: First port-side boat No. 6 lowered with only 28 aboard, including Molly Brown and Major Peuchen. Starboard No. 5 is lowered. Owner, J. Bruce Ismay is chastised by Fifth Officer Lowe for interfering with his command. (41 aboard - room for another 24.)

1:00 AM: Starboard boat No. 3 is lowered with only 32 aboard including 11 crewmembers.

1:10 AM: Starboard No. 5 is lowered (capacity 40) with only 12 aboard, including Sir Cosmo and Lady Duff Gordon, and seven crewmen. Port-side No. 8 loaded and lowered carrying only 39 people. It is steered in the water by the Countess of Rothes.

1:15 AM: Water reaches Titanic's name on the bow and she now lists to port. The tilt of the deck grows steeper. Boats now begin to be more fully loaded.

1:20 AM: Starboard No. 9 leaves with some 56 people aboard. Titanic has now developed a noticeable list to starboard.

1:25 AM: Port-side boat No. 12 is lowered with 40 women and children on board. Two seamen are put in charge of this boat. After Titanic sinks, this boat is tied together with boats 4, 10, 14 and collapsible D. Later on survivors are moved from boat 14 to the other boats by Fifth Officer Lowe so he can return to pick up swimming passengers. Boat 12 is subsequently overloaded with 70 passengers, many rescued from collapsible D.

1:30 AM: Signs of panic begin to appear among some passengers on the ship. As port-side boat 14 is lowered with 60 people, including Fifth Officer Lowe, railing passengers appear ready to jump into the already full boat. Shouting warnings, Lowe fires shots into the air to fend off panicked men. Titanic's distress calls now near desperation. 'We are sinking fast' and 'Women and children in boats. Cannot last much longer'

1:35 AM: Port-side No. 16 is lowered with over 50 people. Starboard boat No. 13 leaves with 64 people, mostly second and third-class women and children. Starboard boat No. 15 is lowered 30 seconds later with 70 aboard and barely avoids collision with boat 13 as it is lowered on top of No. 13. The latter pulls away in the water in the nick of time.

1:40 AM: Most of the forward boats are now away, and passengers who remain aboard Titanic begin to move to the stern area. Ismay leaves on collapsible C (39 aboard), the last starboard-side boat launched. The forward Well Deck is awash.

As with every time that David read this stark account of how quickly Titanic went down, he was left with questions—questions without answer, as in how could they have truly left port for New York without binoculars for the men in the crow’s nest and the bridge? Suppose someone intentionally opened that hatchway to obscure their view. Why hadn’t Captain Smith, an experienced sea captain with no mishaps on his record, heeded all the warnings? What if Murdoch hadn't attempted veering off but rather allowed Titanic to make a direct hit as experts now believed that a seasoned seaman would prefer damage to the bow to damage to her sides.

And what of that strange report given by Boxall at the inquest that he had seen a ship off in the distance and had sent a distress signal via Morse code using the SOS signal for the first time in maritime history? But then he reports it simply disappeared as if all lights had been shut down on this mystery ship. Had Boxall seen it at all? Or had he sent a message that said clear off, that all was well aboard Titanic? As per Captain’s orders at the time?

David Then read on in Kilborn’s account taken from the records of two inquiries, one made in America via the Senate, one made in London via Parliament. Kilborn’s next entry sent a chill up David’s spine as it read:

1:45 AM: Last words heard from Titanic by the Carpathia on her way to the rescue - '… Engine room full up to boilers… ' Port-side boat No. 3 is lowered and leaves with only 25 people. She can carry 40.

1:55 AM: John Jacob Astor, refused entry to port-side boat No. 4 by Lightoller, sees his wife off safely as boat is lowered with 40 women and children and some crew aboard. In the rush, 20 places in the boat are left empty.