TITANIC TIMELINE: Part Four

Promenade Deck

TITANIC Timeline: Voyage to Collision


April 11 to 12: Titanic covers 386 miles in fine, calm, clear weather.


April 12 and 13: Titanic covers 519 miles. Fine weather continues. Various ice warnings received, which is not uncommon for April crossings.


April 13, 10:30 PM: Heavy ice pack warning signaled by passing Rappahannock, which has sustained damage coming through the ice field.

Gymnasium Windows

April 14, Sunday: 9:00 AM: Titanic picks up wireless message from Caronia warning of field ice and icebergs in 42ºN, from 49º to 51ºW.


    10:30 AM: Divine service held in first-class dining saloon.


    11:40 AM: Dutch liner Noordam reports "much ice" in about the same position as the Caronia.


    Noon: As usual, the ship's officers gather on the wing of the navigating bridge to calculate daily position with sextants: "Since noon Saturday, 546 miles."

Grand Staircase Dome

    1:42 PM: Iceberg warning received via the Baltic and "large quantities of field ice" in latitude 41º 51'N, longitude 49º 52' W about 250 miles ahead of Titanic. Message delivered to Captain Smith. Smith later gives it to J. Bruce Ismay, who puts it in his pocket.


    1:45 PM: "Large iceberg" warning received via German liner Amerika (41º 27' N, 50º 8' W). Message not sent to the bridge.


    5:30 to 7:30 PM: Air temperature drops ten degrees to 33ºF.

First Class Dining Saloon

    5:50 PM: Captain Smith alters ship's course slightly south and west of normal course - possibly as a precaution to avoid ice.


    6:00 PM: Second Officer Lightoller relieves Chief Officer Wilde on the bridge.


    7:15 PM: First Officer Murdoch orders forward forecastle hatch closed to stop the glow from inside interfering with crow's nest watch above.


    7:30 PM: Three warning messages concerning large icebergs intercepted from the Californian (42º 3' N, 49º 9' W). Message delivered to bridge. Captain attending dinner party below. Ice now only 50 miles ahead.

Harold Bride, Marconi Wireless Rm

    8:40 PM: Lightoller gives order to look after ship's fresh water supply, as outside seawater is now close to freezing.


    8:55 PM: Captain Smith excuses himself from dinner party, goes directly to bridge, and discusses calm and clear weather conditions with Lightoller, as well as visibility of icebergs at night.


    9:20 PM: Captain Smith retires for the night with the order to rouse him "if it becomes at all doubtful..."


    9:30 PM: Lightoller sends message to crow's nest to watch carefully for icebergs until morning.


    9:40 PM: Heavy ice pack and iceberg warning received from the Mesaba (lat. 42º N to 41º 25' N, long. 49º W to 50º 30' W). Message overlooked. Wireless operators busy with passenger traffic. Altogether the day's six ice warnings show a huge field of ice some 78 miles long directly ahead.


    10:00 PM: Lightoller relieved on bridge by First Officer Murdoch. Lookouts in crow's nest relieved. Warning to watch for icebergs passed between the watches. Temperature is 32º F, sky cloudless, air clear.


    10:30 PM: Sea temperature down to 31º F.


    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.

Iceberg seen near sinking.  Had strip
of red paint near water.  Commonly
believed to be berg which TITANIC
collided with.

    11:40 PM: Titanic moving at 20½ knots. Suddenly, lookouts see iceberg dead ahead about 500 yards away 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 right 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.