Is it possible for someone who we initially regard as a hero to later become a villain? We hear stories of common, everyday people going on to overcome extraordinary odds, either intentionally or unintentionally, and potentially being deemed as having acquired a heroic status. We have also heard accounts of cold-hearted villains who reach a turning point in their lives and make the decision to represent good, as opposed to evil. However, is it plausible for such a caring and selfless individual to transform, either consciously or subconsciously, into someone who is greedy and unreservedly irresponsible? Think about it.
Ever since his childhood growing up in Hanley – Staffordshire, England, Edward Smith had always showed an avid love for the sea. When he was just thirteen-years-old, he left school and moved to Liverpool beginning a career and apprenticeship in seafaring. Constantly rising in stature with every endeavor he would undertake, eventually earning his Extra Master's Certificate, he was well on his way to fulfilling his lifelong dream of working on the sea. Also, after having later joined the Royal Naval Reserve, Smith was from then on qualified as a full Lieutenant. In addition to all of his outstanding achievements and sterling credentials, Edward Smith also held the distinguished position of Commander in the Royal Naval Reserve. Other honors that Smith received throughout his career included the Transport Medal, the Royal Naval Reserve's "Long Service Decoration," the privilege of commanding the White Star Line's newest and largest ships on their maiden voyages, and, the all-around recognition of being a "safe captain" who people knew and trusted.
Amidst his continued string of successes, one small mishap which Captain Smith faced was when a vessel under his command, the Olympic, collided with a British Royal Navy cruiser, the H.M.S. Hawke, in September of 1911. Although it was the British warship that crashed into his ship, the Olympic was blamed for the incident because of its sheer massive size and intense suction power that allegedly pulled the Hawke over, causing it to crash into the Olympic. Regardless of this incident and the financial toll that it took on the White Star Line, Captain Smith was still able to move on with his head held high and his dignity still intact.
However, Captain Edward J. Smith is probably most remembered for taking the R.M.S. Titanic on her maiden voyage in April of 1912. With an exceptional reputation and a description by many of his passengers as being very flamboyant, Smith was also very popular amongst them. As a matter of fact, it is believed that a majority of his passengers "€¦would only sail the Atlantic in a ship commanded by him." Obviously adored for his leadership and people skills, Smith was seen as "€¦competent and well-liked" by the masses, very much exemplifying a hero who is both relatable and unafraid to take the bull by the horns. (We can even see Captain Smith's amiability in the 1997 film rendition, "Titanic," for example, through his hospitable nature and choice to sit down to dinner with his passengers).
Regardless of all of his accomplishments and his vast amount of popularity, we cannot overlook the cold, hard facts – we all know how the story of the Titanic ended. Whether you received your knowledge and understanding of the legend of the Titanic from the acclaimed movie or from research and nonfiction accounts of the incident, we can all agree with the possibility that the encounter with the iceberg could have potentially been avoided.
Apparently, throughout the course of the evening leading up to the disaster, Captain Smith had received at least two warnings of icebergs in the path of the Titanic, with accompanying advisories to reduce the ship's speed. However, Smith did not fully heed these notifications because it is believed that he wanted to make it to New York in a record amount of time. Therefore, on numerous occasions throughout the process, he actually ordered more speed for the ship, despite the warnings in his hand. Also, bearing in mind the vessel's title of being "unsinkable," it is believed that Smith made the automatic assumption that "€¦anything big enough to sink the ship, [will be seen in time for them to turn around]." Also, when it came to actually being proactive during the process of saving the passengers after the collision, Smith's "€¦legendary skills of leadership seemed to have left him, he was curiously indecisive and unusually cautious" all of a sudden – the complete opposite of the man everyone had originally known him to be.
In an effort to beat the clock with an overconfident attitude, Captain Smith's actions were those of a competitive nature and sparked by potential greed and selfishness. Caused by his negligence regarding multiple, blatant warnings of potential dangers, Smith put the lives of 2,200 passengers and crew members in danger. Overall, 1,500 people lost their lives. Thus, the question lingers – could all of this have been avoided through the mere heeding of a warning?
Below is a video tribute to Captain Edward J. Smith comprised of various clips from the movie, Titanic, starting with images of Smith in all of his star-studded glory and ending with his noble, (or necessary), decision to go down with the ship.
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