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Was moving around the iceberg the best call to action?
Who was William McMaster Murdoch?
Who was William McMaster Murdoch?
William Murdoch was a sailer who served the RMS Titanic as first officer. He gave the order that the Titanic move around the iceberg, which later caused the Titanic to sink.
By: Peter Stanford
Researcher: Calyx Prohias
Revised by: Daniel Rodriguez
Illustration of Murdoch at the bridge
Citation
Citation
Text: Stanford, Peter. “The Truth about the Sinking of the Titanic.” The Telegraph, Telegraph Media Group, 21 Sept. 2010,
Image: ???
Abstract
Abstract
One of the problems aboard the Titanic was that at first, no one knew what was going on so there was a lack of urgency. This is due to no one being told that the boat was slowly sinking. If Murdoch alerted the people of what was about to go down, they might have been able to save more people. The entire process could have been more efficient. The overall idea is that William Murdoch failed to maintain good control over the evacuation.This led to a chain reaction of mistakes that did not help the situation at all. He was not a great leader.
Notable Quotations
Notable Quotations
“As the senior surviving officer, he was asked at both official inquiries into the sinking [by the US Senate and the British Board of Trade] whether he had had any conversation after the collision with the Captain or the First Officer, William Murdoch, who had been in charge at the time. In other words, did he know exactly what had happened? And both times he said no. But he was lying” (Standford, Paragraph 1).
“You steer the way you want to go. It gets more confusing because, even though Titanic was a steam ship, at that time on the North Atlantic they were still using Tiller Orders. Therefore Murdoch gave the command in Tiller Orders but Hitchins, in a panic, reverted to the Rudder Orders he had been trained in. They only had four minutes to change course and by the time Murdoch spotted Hitchins’ mistake and then tried to rectify it, it was too late’” (Standford, Paragraph 1).
By: Dan Parkes
Researcher: Calyx Prohias
Revised by: Daniel Rodriguez
The Titanic at bay
Citation
Citation
Text: Parkes, Dan. “The Life and Mystery of First Officer William Murdoch.” The Man | William, © 2012 www.williammurdoch.net/index.html.
Abstract
Abstract
William McMaster Murdoch was the First Officer of the Titanic and was presently on watch when it collided into that fatal iceberg. He and the Captain rushed people onto the lifeboats to get to safety. Their failure to maintain control and stay efficient with their time lead to many mistakes. They didn’t inform the guest of the crash so the passengers didn’t see the urgency of the situation. They also deployed boats that could fit double the more people in them and that could have helped save more lives than they did. In the end William Murdoch committed suicide and all havoc broke out.
Notable Quotations
Notable Quotations
“As ‘officer-of-the-watch’ Murdoch was directly responsible for Titanic and her safe passage through Atlantic waters during his four-hour shift. He knew the Titanic would reach ice around 11pm. Why didn’t he wake the Captain? Why did he maintain status quo? Is this a sign of negligence?” (Parkes, Paragraph 7).
“While in hindsight Murdoch may have regretted the lack of preparation made for a ship entering an ice field, it is also a possibility that it was against his better judgment. His demotion from Chief Officer to First Officer was perhaps because Smith lacked confidence in Murdoch in that capacity In turn, Murdoch may have hesitated about disturbing the Captain to say they were nearing ice when the conditions were clear and fine and Smith had only earlier judged that no alteration in course or speed was required. Disturbing the Captain may have only heightened a lack of confidence in Murdoch’s abilities” (Parkes, Paragraph 7).
“Containing only a dozen people (capacity 40), this was the least filled of all the lifeboats lowered into the water that night" (The Life and Mystery of First Officer William Murdoch, Paragraph 9).
“However, there is enough evidence to confirm one vital point: First Officer Murdoch’s suicide or that of the other officers cannot be completely ruled out” (Parkes, Paragraph 16).
By: SuperDuperFacts
Researcher: Lily Hoagland
Revised by: Lily Hoagland
will be exploring if this statement is true
Portrait of Murdoch
Citation
Citation
Text: SuperDuperFacts. “William Murdoch - RMS Titanic - Facts and History.” YouTube, YouTube, 9 Feb. 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1dtpTtocmo.
(Must be viewed on nonlausd accounts)
Image: ???
Abstract
Abstract
According to this video, William Murdoch is at fault for the sinking of the titanic because he was “the officer in charge of the Titanic when it hit the iceberg.” He gave the order to try and move around the iceberg, causing damage to the ship and eventually sinking it. He had also served on another sinking ship before serving on the Titanic (the St. Cuthbert). In addition, he served on the maiden voyage of, the Olympic in 1911 one year before the Titanic’s maiden voyage. Coincidentally Captain Smith, who was later captain of the Titanic, was also captain of the Olympic. When the Olympic collided with the HMS Hawke, later in the voyage, both Murdoch and Captain Smith were on duty. So, William Murdoch had a bad track record as a sailor and should not have been appointed an officer on the RMS Titanic.
Notable Quotations
Notable Quotations
"Murdoch was at his docking station at the time of the collision."( Super, 1:45.)
"Murdoch was the officer in charge at the bridge, when at approximately 11:40 pm on 14 April 1912. A large iceberg directly in the Titanic's path was sighted"(Super, 2:08.)
"He launched ten lifeboats, containing almost 75% of the total who survived"(Super, 2:18.)
Murdoch on duty
Abstract
Abstract
What if Captain Smith was not on the ship? Many people ask that, but the truth is nothing would've changed. You see, William told the ship to move the stern causing the iceberg to hit the watertight compartments. Now yes, if they were closed everything would be fine, but that was not the case. Not only was his fault big, but in addition, he also was said to have shot himself and 2 others while it was sinking, some say it was two men who were trying to get on the last lifeboat, which was meant for women and children.
Notable Quotations
Notable Quotations
“First Officer, William Murdoch, ordered a turn back toward the iceberg to move the stern out of harm's way”(Brown, Paragraph 4.)
“The huge black bow of the passenger liner Titanic bears down on the iceberg. Ever so slowly, the ship starts to swing to port, but the turn comes too late. Just as Titanic's bow starts to pull clear, it sideswipes the ice"(Brown, Paragraph1.)
By: Titanic Wikia
Researcher: Jakob Vasquez
Revised by: Daniel Rodriguez
Tablet dedicated to Murdoch
Text: “William McMaster Murdoch.” Titanic Wiki, http://titanic.wikia.com/wiki/William_McMaster_Murdoch.
Image: http://titanic.wikia.com/wiki/William_McMaster_Murdoch
Abstract
Abstract
The article states that in two Titanic films, an officer is depicted shooting passengers, later turning the gun on himself at the last lifeboat on the ship. Eyewitnesses were unsure if this was Murdoch. The article also says that he gave orders to "hard-a-starboard." If he hadn't carried out such orders the Titanic would not have collided with the iceberg.
Notable Quotations
Notable Quotations
"'Full speed astern' and 'hard a-starboard'"(William McMaster Murdoch, Paragraph 1) . "’Well, gentlemen, I suppose it's every man for himself', and shoots himself” (Titanic, Paragraph 17).
"’Canny and dependable man’ had climbed through the ranks of the White Star Line to become one of its foremost senior officers” (Titanic, Paragraph 11).
“Some historians argue that reversing the engines gave a higher chance of hitting the iceberg than reducing the ship's forward motion and slowly turning the ship"(Titanic, Paragraph 13).
By: Dan Parkes
Researcher: Angela Nguyen
Revised by: Lily Hoagland
The moment in question
Text: “Murdoch.” Titanic | William Murdoch, http://www.williammurdoch.net/man-07_decision_in_retrospect.html
Image: https://www.flickr.com/photos/nostri-imago/3279461836
Abstract
Abstract
According to the article, William Murdoch made a logical decision, ordering that the RMS Titanic move around the oncoming iceberg. Doing so was a calculated decision and the only one that would occur to someone who did not already know the fate of the action. He would only recognize the danger of his orders once the damage was already done.
Notable Quotations
Notable Quotations
“Murdoch seems to have been the only officer who took any preventative action before the collision, when he instructed the ship’s lamp trimmer to eliminate the glow from the fore scuttle so as to have 'everything dark before the bridge’”(Parkes, Paragraph 5).
“While the commands he gave are, by general consensus, factors that doomed the ship, they were natural and instinctive decisions. Only in hindsight could one perceive their disastrous consequences” (Parkes, Paragraph 56).
If you have any questions about the occurrences involving William Murdoch during the period he served on the RMS Titanic, contact:
Lily Hoagland, Manager, General Edits, Abstracts, and Research,
lhoagland0002@mymail.lausd.net
Daniel Rodriguez, Spelling, Grammar, and Research,
drodrigue0621@mymail.lausd.net
Angela Nguyen, Graphic Designer and Research,
Devlen Avila, Revisions,
Jules Angus Fleuette, Revisions,
jfleuette0001@mymail.lausd.net
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