To What Extent Was Captain Edward Smith To Blame For The Titanic

Titanic

1500 people died on the catastrophic night of April 14th, riding the Titanic. The ship had around 2240 people on it and over half perished. Captain Edward Smith was to drive the ship from England to New York. Smith went to school as a child, but dropped out at age 12 to be a sailor. He had sailed a lot of cargo ships, but not many passenger ships. Smith sailed a vessel similar to the Titanic, called the Olympic, but a British Royal Navy cruiser crashed into the side of it. Captain Edward Smith was responsible for sinking the Titanic because of his experience, the warnings he was given, and the speed he put the ship at.

Captain Edward Smith is responsible for sinking the Titanic partly because of his education and experience. Growing up, he didn’t have much schooling or navy training.“Smith finished school at 12 years old and took to the sea as a teenager... He did work his way up the ranks and earn certifications in handling cargo vessels, but that had nothing to do with the enormous responsibility that goes

They were trying to beat out the speed of other ships coming across the Atlantic to get more customers.“Bruce Ismay, the managing director of the White Star Line, put pressure on Smith to maintain the ship's speed.” (Kasey Butcher Santana, 2022) However, Captain Smith didn’t have to listen to him. A captain is always responsible for its passengers, and if they were in danger he should have done something. “Instead, a captain would have been expected to be responsible for the vessel and its crew.” (Ian Fortey, 2022). The safety of his passengers is more important than trying to make it across the Atlantic the fastest. Captain Smith should have ignored the pressure from the White Star Line, and slowed down for the safety of himself and his passengers. This is why it is Captain Edward Smith’s fault that the Titanic