1 00:00:04,533 --> 00:00:06,467 and may contain mature subject matter. 2 00:00:06,467 --> 00:00:09,266 Viewer discretion is advised. 3 00:00:09,400 --> 00:00:11,100 [dramatic music] 4 00:00:11,233 --> 00:00:13,000 and may contain m [Narrator] Titanic.. 5 00:00:13,133 --> 00:00:16,367 It's very name evokes a chill. 6 00:00:19,066 --> 00:00:23,033 And the tale of its sinking is legendary. 7 00:00:24,467 --> 00:00:27,100 Captain Smith was the man of the hour. 8 00:00:27,233 --> 00:00:29,500 A hero of the era. 9 00:00:29,633 --> 00:00:31,967 You have crew who were the best 10 00:00:32,100 --> 00:00:34,066 that White Star could offer. 11 00:00:35,633 --> 00:00:37,433 There were stories of heroism; 12 00:00:37,567 --> 00:00:39,600 the way the band played until the end. 13 00:00:39,734 --> 00:00:45,000 [soft music] [people screaming] 14 00:00:47,700 --> 00:00:49,166 [Narrator] But are these stirring tales 15 00:00:49,300 --> 00:00:52,400 of a heroic captain and crew actually true? 16 00:00:53,734 --> 00:00:54,967 Since the tragedy, 17 00:00:55,100 --> 00:00:56,800 Titanic historians have sought to acquire 18 00:00:56,934 --> 00:00:59,600 the personal papers of Lord Mersey. 19 00:01:00,600 --> 00:01:04,000 The man charged in Britain with investigating the disaster. 20 00:01:05,367 --> 00:01:08,800 His private journals may hold the answers. 21 00:01:09,800 --> 00:01:13,567 Now, for the first time since 1912, 22 00:01:13,700 --> 00:01:17,000 these critical documents will be revealed. 23 00:01:19,467 --> 00:01:22,467 A hundred and eight years later, here we go. 24 00:01:23,600 --> 00:01:25,300 [Narrator] Will this information alter 25 00:01:25,433 --> 00:01:29,900 the accepted story of how and why Titanic sank? 26 00:01:30,033 --> 00:01:31,867 They didn't think that they would need to have 27 00:01:32,000 --> 00:01:33,166 lifeboat drills. 28 00:01:33,300 --> 00:01:35,734 Titanic told 'em to shut up and go away. 29 00:01:35,867 --> 00:01:39,467 Nearly the entire response was completely improvised. 30 00:01:40,133 --> 00:01:42,233 Californian could have galloped to the rescue 31 00:01:42,367 --> 00:01:44,300 like the 5th Cavalry. 32 00:01:44,433 --> 00:01:45,900 [bleep] 33 00:01:48,200 --> 00:01:49,166 [Narrator] What new light 34 00:01:49,300 --> 00:01:51,400 can the contents of this box shed 35 00:01:51,533 --> 00:01:55,500 on one of history's most enduring disasters? 36 00:01:55,633 --> 00:02:05,567 [dramatic music] 37 00:02:05,700 --> 00:02:11,200 ♪ ♪ 38 00:02:11,900 --> 00:02:20,433 [ominous music] 39 00:02:20,567 --> 00:02:22,800 [Narrator] April 17, 1912. 40 00:02:25,900 --> 00:02:28,367 Two days since Titanic's demise. 41 00:02:30,367 --> 00:02:34,433 The Mackay-Bennett, a 269 foot cable repair ship 42 00:02:34,567 --> 00:02:36,633 in service since the 1880s 43 00:02:36,767 --> 00:02:41,133 is dispatched from Halifax, Nova Scotia on a grim task: 44 00:02:41,266 --> 00:02:44,033 Sail into an icy hell 45 00:02:44,166 --> 00:02:46,867 and retrieve Titanic's dead. 46 00:02:47,000 --> 00:02:53,100 [dramatic music] 47 00:02:53,233 --> 00:02:54,967 Richard McMichael is a historian at the 48 00:02:55,100 --> 00:02:58,400 Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax. 49 00:02:59,567 --> 00:03:03,200 As you can imagine, this is a nightmarish situation. 50 00:03:03,333 --> 00:03:05,300 The crew's main role is to repair sections 51 00:03:05,433 --> 00:03:08,533 of damaged Transatlantic cable. 52 00:03:08,667 --> 00:03:09,967 There's nothing in the job description 53 00:03:10,100 --> 00:03:12,000 about fishing women and children 54 00:03:12,133 --> 00:03:14,800 out of the icy waters of the North Atlantic. 55 00:03:17,333 --> 00:03:20,600 [Narrator] Mackay-Bennett's journey takes 36 hours. 56 00:03:20,734 --> 00:03:23,500 And, when they enter the death zone, 57 00:03:23,633 --> 00:03:26,266 they find several hundred corpses. 58 00:03:27,100 --> 00:03:28,133 Men, 59 00:03:28,266 --> 00:03:29,100 women, 60 00:03:29,233 --> 00:03:30,533 children. 61 00:03:33,734 --> 00:03:37,633 [ominous music] 62 00:03:37,767 --> 00:03:39,834 [Richard] Fifty-one we have taken on board today. 63 00:03:39,967 --> 00:03:41,600 This is the first day out. 64 00:03:42,467 --> 00:03:44,333 The sea still seems strewn. 65 00:03:44,467 --> 00:03:46,600 With the exception of ourselves and the bosun bird 66 00:03:46,734 --> 00:03:49,200 is the only living creature here. 67 00:03:52,400 --> 00:03:54,867 Put yourself in the position of these men. 68 00:03:55,000 --> 00:04:00,100 One day alone, Mackay-Bennett recovers 128 bodies-- 69 00:04:00,233 --> 00:04:02,767 127 men, one woman. 70 00:04:02,900 --> 00:04:06,066 [solemn music] 71 00:04:06,200 --> 00:04:07,867 [Craig Sopin] There are photographs that exist 72 00:04:08,000 --> 00:04:09,900 of those people being buried at sea. 73 00:04:10,033 --> 00:04:11,900 Very solemn just to look at. 74 00:04:12,033 --> 00:04:15,166 And then they would keep a log in real time. 75 00:04:16,834 --> 00:04:18,100 [Richard] 8:00 p.m. 76 00:04:18,233 --> 00:04:20,834 The tolling of the bell summoned all hands to the folks, 77 00:04:20,967 --> 00:04:23,233 as the weighted body plunges into the sea, 78 00:04:23,367 --> 00:04:26,100 there to sink to a depth of about two miles. 79 00:04:26,233 --> 00:04:27,333 Splash, 80 00:04:27,467 --> 00:04:28,500 splash, 81 00:04:28,633 --> 00:04:29,767 splash. 82 00:04:29,900 --> 00:04:33,533 [dramatic music] 83 00:04:33,667 --> 00:04:35,900 [Narrator] As the gruesome details of Titanic's fate 84 00:04:36,033 --> 00:04:37,934 filters back to both continents, 85 00:04:38,066 --> 00:04:40,667 a horrified public demands answers. 86 00:04:40,800 --> 00:04:43,333 [dramatic music] 87 00:04:43,467 --> 00:04:46,567 Mark Chirnside is a maritime historian, 88 00:04:46,700 --> 00:04:50,300 and author of 10 books on British Royal Mail Ships. 89 00:04:51,066 --> 00:04:53,233 It was such a huge disaster. 90 00:04:53,367 --> 00:04:56,700 The questions were rightly being asked about how the 91 00:04:56,834 --> 00:04:59,600 largest and most luxurious ship in the world 92 00:04:59,734 --> 00:05:03,066 could possibly sink during its maiden voyage, 93 00:05:03,200 --> 00:05:07,100 and with such a catastrophic loss of life. 94 00:05:11,367 --> 00:05:14,500 There was such public interest in what had happened 95 00:05:14,633 --> 00:05:16,567 that the British government determined 96 00:05:16,700 --> 00:05:20,000 that they needed to appoint a wreck commissioner. 97 00:05:21,867 --> 00:05:25,767 [Narrator] Lord John Charles Bigham, First Viscount Mersey, 98 00:05:25,900 --> 00:05:28,000 is a well-connected barrister, 99 00:05:28,133 --> 00:05:30,066 judge and politician. 100 00:05:30,200 --> 00:05:32,834 And he's chosen for a monumental task. 101 00:05:32,967 --> 00:05:35,667 Find out exactly what went wrong 102 00:05:35,800 --> 00:05:37,233 on Titanic. 103 00:05:40,100 --> 00:05:42,667 Charles Haas is an historian, 104 00:05:42,800 --> 00:05:46,600 author and president of the Titanic International Society. 105 00:05:48,033 --> 00:05:50,633 Lord Mersey was bringing to the table 106 00:05:50,767 --> 00:05:52,900 considerable legal knowledge, 107 00:05:53,033 --> 00:05:56,700 hopefully a sense of fairness, a sense of balance. 108 00:05:58,133 --> 00:06:02,233 All of the things that a judge, if you will, needs to have. 109 00:06:03,300 --> 00:06:05,166 The thing that we have to keep in mind, however, 110 00:06:05,300 --> 00:06:09,300 is that the investigation in England 111 00:06:09,433 --> 00:06:13,066 was a Board of Trade investigation, 112 00:06:13,200 --> 00:06:15,467 which means that, essentially, 113 00:06:15,600 --> 00:06:20,667 the very organization that had allowed Titanic to go to sea 114 00:06:20,800 --> 00:06:24,667 is now investigating itself to some degree. 115 00:06:26,834 --> 00:06:29,800 [ominous music] 116 00:06:29,934 --> 00:06:32,667 [Narrator] Across 36 days of testimony 117 00:06:32,800 --> 00:06:35,300 from nearly 100 witnesses, 118 00:06:35,433 --> 00:06:37,967 answering 25,000 questions, 119 00:06:38,100 --> 00:06:41,066 an exhaustive inquiry comes to a close. 120 00:06:41,800 --> 00:06:45,300 While the report's final conclusions do levy criticism, 121 00:06:45,433 --> 00:06:48,834 some observers wonder if the hundreds of pages of notes 122 00:06:48,967 --> 00:06:51,867 Lord Mersey took in his private journal during the trial, 123 00:06:52,000 --> 00:06:54,834 and stored in a leather-bound box 124 00:06:54,967 --> 00:06:57,900 go much further than his public pronouncements. 125 00:06:58,033 --> 00:07:01,467 [dramatic music] 126 00:07:01,600 --> 00:07:09,133 [solemn music] 127 00:07:09,266 --> 00:07:11,266 After a century tucked away 128 00:07:11,400 --> 00:07:13,367 in their private family archives, 129 00:07:13,500 --> 00:07:16,633 Lord Mersey's estate has agreed to share the contents 130 00:07:16,767 --> 00:07:18,700 of the box publicly. 131 00:07:19,600 --> 00:07:21,567 [Craig] Some judges think out loud. 132 00:07:21,700 --> 00:07:24,200 Lord Mersey did not think out loud. 133 00:07:24,333 --> 00:07:26,734 Lord Mersey thought on paper. 134 00:07:26,867 --> 00:07:28,400 And it's only now that we get to see 135 00:07:28,533 --> 00:07:31,066 what some of his private thoughts were. 136 00:07:31,200 --> 00:07:35,600 [birds cawing] 137 00:07:35,734 --> 00:07:39,633 My name is Ned Bigham, and I'm the fifth Viscount Mersey. 138 00:07:40,433 --> 00:07:41,734 My great, great grandfather 139 00:07:41,867 --> 00:07:45,734 was John Charles Bigham, Lord Mersey. 140 00:07:46,734 --> 00:07:49,533 I don't think anyone has actually sat down 141 00:07:49,667 --> 00:07:53,033 and gone through the box or the materials and said, 142 00:07:53,166 --> 00:07:55,033 "What exactly have we got here? 143 00:07:55,166 --> 00:07:57,066 What is its significance?" 144 00:07:57,200 --> 00:08:00,133 It had just sat there for all these years. 145 00:08:00,266 --> 00:08:03,467 [dramatic music] 146 00:08:03,600 --> 00:08:07,333 So, 108 years later, here we go. 147 00:08:07,467 --> 00:08:17,433 [dramatic music] 148 00:08:18,567 --> 00:08:20,300 For the first time in recorded history, 149 00:08:20,433 --> 00:08:22,533 we're gonna open the box. 150 00:08:22,667 --> 00:08:32,633 [solemn music] 151 00:08:33,800 --> 00:08:36,333 [Narrator] Mersey's drawings, observations and ruminations 152 00:08:36,467 --> 00:08:39,800 will be examined by several renowned Titanic experts 153 00:08:39,934 --> 00:08:41,834 who will explain the significance 154 00:08:41,967 --> 00:08:43,967 of this "lost evidence." 155 00:08:45,133 --> 00:08:47,800 And through the lens of this new information, 156 00:08:47,934 --> 00:08:50,600 Titanic's journey will be reconstructed, 157 00:08:50,734 --> 00:08:55,600 beginning with problems that arose before she set sail. 158 00:08:55,734 --> 00:09:02,100 [soft music] 159 00:09:03,066 --> 00:09:04,900 [Charles] The early part of the 20th century, 160 00:09:05,033 --> 00:09:08,533 the United Kingdom was clearly a world power. 161 00:09:08,667 --> 00:09:12,934 Its influence stretched literally around the world. 162 00:09:14,066 --> 00:09:16,734 The shipping industry is front and center 163 00:09:16,867 --> 00:09:18,700 in terms of the importance to the country, 164 00:09:18,834 --> 00:09:21,533 and for that matter, to the world. 165 00:09:23,000 --> 00:09:24,767 [Narrator] One of the most dominant shipping companies 166 00:09:24,900 --> 00:09:28,700 of the day is Britain's White Star Line. 167 00:09:29,367 --> 00:09:33,166 Founded in 1845, White Star made its fortune 168 00:09:33,300 --> 00:09:35,533 delivering the Royal mail 169 00:09:35,667 --> 00:09:38,867 while also providing top-flight passenger service. 170 00:09:40,400 --> 00:09:42,767 [Mark] The extra size of these ships enabled White Star 171 00:09:42,900 --> 00:09:45,834 to increase the number of first class passengers 172 00:09:45,967 --> 00:09:49,033 that were carried, and have even more luxurious 173 00:09:49,166 --> 00:09:50,567 first class accommodations 174 00:09:50,700 --> 00:09:53,133 than the world had previously seen. 175 00:09:53,700 --> 00:09:55,934 [Narrator] And White Star's newest steamer 176 00:09:56,066 --> 00:09:58,433 is the most luxurious. 177 00:09:58,867 --> 00:10:00,367 Titanic. 178 00:10:00,500 --> 00:10:10,467 [dramatic music] 179 00:10:14,200 --> 00:10:18,567 But the massive ship, at more than 882 feet long, 180 00:10:18,700 --> 00:10:21,567 weighing more than 46,000 tons 181 00:10:21,700 --> 00:10:26,033 and costing more than 180 million in today's dollars, 182 00:10:26,166 --> 00:10:29,667 has a major problem few people remember today. 183 00:10:30,567 --> 00:10:33,567 With the departure date in April fast approaching, 184 00:10:33,700 --> 00:10:36,266 half the cabins are empty. 185 00:10:36,734 --> 00:10:39,433 So White Star makes a fateful decision. 186 00:10:40,400 --> 00:10:43,834 It brings famed Captain Edward Smith out of retirement 187 00:10:43,967 --> 00:10:45,834 to shore up ticket sales. 188 00:10:47,533 --> 00:10:50,233 If you wanna hire somebody from central casting 189 00:10:50,367 --> 00:10:52,600 to be captain of a ocean liner 190 00:10:52,734 --> 00:10:55,166 in the early part of the 20th century, 191 00:10:55,300 --> 00:10:56,533 it's E. J. Smith, 192 00:10:56,667 --> 00:10:58,667 whether or not he knew how to run a boat or not. 193 00:10:58,800 --> 00:11:00,567 It doesn't matter, you know. 194 00:11:00,700 --> 00:11:02,233 He just looks the part. 195 00:11:03,767 --> 00:11:05,467 Edward Smith was one of the captains who 196 00:11:05,600 --> 00:11:08,100 played up that sort of ship's captain thing. 197 00:11:08,233 --> 00:11:10,500 He invited the rich and the famous to the captain's table, 198 00:11:10,633 --> 00:11:13,033 hence his nickname, the Millionaire's Captain. 199 00:11:13,900 --> 00:11:16,233 [Narrator] When April arrives, Titanic, 200 00:11:16,367 --> 00:11:19,500 with Smith at the helm, is ready to sail. 201 00:11:20,100 --> 00:11:22,767 But the Millionaire's Captain also brings plenty of baggage 202 00:11:22,900 --> 00:11:25,166 with him onto the spit-shine deck 203 00:11:25,300 --> 00:11:26,467 of the Titanic. 204 00:11:26,600 --> 00:11:32,767 [dramatic music] 205 00:11:33,033 --> 00:11:36,066 Inside Lord Mersey's box is a red leather journal 206 00:11:36,200 --> 00:11:39,166 that he kept by his side throughout the inquiry. 207 00:11:40,266 --> 00:11:43,433 He used it to write down his notes and discoveries. 208 00:11:46,066 --> 00:11:49,500 On page 114, there's a notation referencing 209 00:11:49,633 --> 00:11:53,500 that most of Titanic's crew had been on the Olympic. 210 00:11:55,233 --> 00:11:58,667 Why did Mersey think this detail was important? 211 00:11:59,533 --> 00:12:03,533 In 1911, Captain Smith and his fellow officers 212 00:12:03,667 --> 00:12:06,734 who later served on the Titanic's doomed voyage 213 00:12:06,867 --> 00:12:10,367 crewed Titanic's sister ship, the Olympic, 214 00:12:10,500 --> 00:12:12,734 on her maiden voyage. 215 00:12:12,867 --> 00:12:14,400 While docking in New York, 216 00:12:14,533 --> 00:12:17,233 the Olympic collided with a tugboat. 217 00:12:17,367 --> 00:12:19,867 Then, three months later, 218 00:12:20,000 --> 00:12:23,400 Smith's Olympic did something far worse. 219 00:12:25,533 --> 00:12:28,967 [Charles] In 1911, the Olympic was leaving Southampton, 220 00:12:29,100 --> 00:12:33,400 and the British Naval cruiser, Hawke, 221 00:12:33,533 --> 00:12:34,800 was in the vicinity. 222 00:12:34,934 --> 00:12:36,066 [ship horn blows] 223 00:12:36,200 --> 00:12:39,567 Somehow, the Hawke managed to collide with the 224 00:12:39,700 --> 00:12:41,900 Olympic in the stern. 225 00:12:42,033 --> 00:12:46,533 [dramatic music] 226 00:12:46,667 --> 00:12:50,967 Olympic was severely damaged and she experienced flooding. 227 00:12:51,967 --> 00:12:53,567 Smith is on the bridge 228 00:12:53,700 --> 00:12:56,066 and therefore in charge of the vessel. 229 00:12:56,200 --> 00:12:59,000 [dramatic music] 230 00:12:59,133 --> 00:13:00,266 [Narrator] Coming up. 231 00:13:00,400 --> 00:13:01,967 They didn't think that they would need to have 232 00:13:02,100 --> 00:13:03,567 lifeboat drills. 233 00:13:04,033 --> 00:13:07,033 He could have detailed one of the lower ranking officers 234 00:13:07,166 --> 00:13:09,033 to walk from boat to boat, 235 00:13:09,166 --> 00:13:11,200 but he didn't even do that. 236 00:13:11,333 --> 00:13:13,266 And Lord Mersey wrote in his journal 237 00:13:13,400 --> 00:13:15,033 that he found that to be unusual. 238 00:13:15,166 --> 00:13:16,400 Indeed it was. 239 00:13:17,033 --> 00:13:20,300 Titanic did receive a series of ice warnings. 240 00:13:20,433 --> 00:13:22,533 We know the Titanic received these messages. 241 00:13:22,667 --> 00:13:24,467 It should have been taken seriously. 242 00:13:26,066 --> 00:13:28,266 Lord Mersey was asking the question, 243 00:13:28,400 --> 00:13:29,734 "Why didn't they slow down?" 244 00:13:29,867 --> 00:13:32,900 [dramatic music] 245 00:13:33,033 --> 00:13:36,133 The fact is that lifeboats went into the water 246 00:13:36,266 --> 00:13:38,900 with less than a full capacity. 247 00:13:39,333 --> 00:13:41,400 Those crewmen should have been pulling people 248 00:13:41,533 --> 00:13:44,967 by their collars to put them into the life boat. 249 00:13:45,567 --> 00:13:51,567 [dramatic music] 250 00:14:00,700 --> 00:14:07,433 [birds cawing] 251 00:14:10,066 --> 00:14:11,533 [ship horn blows] 252 00:14:13,200 --> 00:14:17,066 Titanic left Southampton on the 10th of April, 1912. 253 00:14:17,200 --> 00:14:20,433 It was a bit of a gusty, cold day by all accounts. 254 00:14:20,567 --> 00:14:23,333 [solemn music] 255 00:14:23,467 --> 00:14:25,567 It was a proud moment for White Star. 256 00:14:25,700 --> 00:14:27,900 She came out to the dock, 257 00:14:28,033 --> 00:14:30,100 went round to the left 258 00:14:30,233 --> 00:14:32,767 and then proceeded down the river. 259 00:14:33,934 --> 00:14:37,233 All the indications were that Titanic was set 260 00:14:37,367 --> 00:14:39,500 for a successful maiden voyage. 261 00:14:40,467 --> 00:14:42,867 [ship horn blows] 262 00:14:45,100 --> 00:14:47,567 [Narrator] As hundreds of well-wishers arrived dockside 263 00:14:47,700 --> 00:14:49,734 to cheer Titanic off, 264 00:14:49,867 --> 00:14:52,567 the ship's reputation precedes it. 265 00:14:52,700 --> 00:15:02,734 [dramatic music] 266 00:15:03,166 --> 00:15:05,333 Both the press and White Star espoused 267 00:15:05,467 --> 00:15:08,133 a perception of invincibility. 268 00:15:08,600 --> 00:15:10,300 But who could blame them? 269 00:15:10,433 --> 00:15:13,800 Titanic is spectacular. 270 00:15:13,934 --> 00:15:17,033 [dramatic music] 271 00:15:17,166 --> 00:15:19,400 [ship horn blows] 272 00:15:19,967 --> 00:15:23,033 Sixty-six hundred tons of coal 273 00:15:23,166 --> 00:15:26,467 powers massive 17-foot propellers. 274 00:15:27,800 --> 00:15:30,967 The ship is the length of two and a half football fields 275 00:15:31,100 --> 00:15:36,300 and can ferry 3,547 passengers and crew. 276 00:15:38,500 --> 00:15:42,633 She is the largest manmade moving object 277 00:15:42,767 --> 00:15:44,367 on earth. 278 00:15:44,500 --> 00:15:54,033 [dramatic music, crowd cheering] 279 00:15:54,166 --> 00:15:55,834 For the passengers on board, 280 00:15:55,967 --> 00:15:59,233 the first four days of the journey are euphoric. 281 00:16:03,200 --> 00:16:05,633 That's especially true for the wealthy, 282 00:16:05,767 --> 00:16:09,333 soaking in their world-class accommodations. 283 00:16:10,266 --> 00:16:11,700 [Charles] When Titanic comes out, 284 00:16:11,834 --> 00:16:15,066 it was actually referred to as The Millionaire's Special. 285 00:16:15,200 --> 00:16:17,600 Because it could not be imagined 286 00:16:17,734 --> 00:16:20,734 that someone would be able to spend that much money 287 00:16:20,867 --> 00:16:22,900 on a Transatlantic crossing. 288 00:16:23,500 --> 00:16:26,700 If you look at the best accommodations in the ship, 289 00:16:26,834 --> 00:16:31,467 $4,350 for a crossing. 290 00:16:31,600 --> 00:16:33,900 That's the equivalent of 10-year's salary 291 00:16:34,033 --> 00:16:37,000 to an average American in 1912. 292 00:16:38,100 --> 00:16:40,767 [Narrator] The first class price tag is steep, 293 00:16:40,900 --> 00:16:42,633 but it comes with perks. 294 00:16:42,767 --> 00:16:44,433 [dramatic music] 295 00:16:44,567 --> 00:16:47,800 Among them is access to Titanic's state of the art 296 00:16:47,934 --> 00:16:50,700 Marconi wireless system. 297 00:16:50,834 --> 00:16:52,967 [Sean] The Marconi, this was modern technology 298 00:16:53,100 --> 00:16:54,300 for a modern ship. 299 00:16:54,433 --> 00:16:55,800 Part of the whole idea 300 00:16:55,934 --> 00:16:57,300 was this sort of showman's thing. 301 00:16:57,433 --> 00:16:58,934 You're there, you're rich, you're powerful. 302 00:16:59,066 --> 00:17:00,967 You're right at the edge of modern technology. 303 00:17:01,100 --> 00:17:02,333 And you could send messages 304 00:17:02,467 --> 00:17:04,800 to tell your friends in New York or London or Paris 305 00:17:04,934 --> 00:17:06,266 what you were doing. 306 00:17:06,400 --> 00:17:07,800 These were young men on ships 307 00:17:07,934 --> 00:17:10,367 tapping away on a Morse code player. 308 00:17:10,500 --> 00:17:12,200 They were using lots of slang 309 00:17:12,333 --> 00:17:13,867 and lots of, rather, 310 00:17:14,000 --> 00:17:15,934 sort of relaxed way of talking to each other. 311 00:17:17,000 --> 00:17:18,800 The fellows that worked in the wireless rooms 312 00:17:18,934 --> 00:17:20,433 on board the ship we're not part of the crew. 313 00:17:20,567 --> 00:17:21,700 In most cases, they were employees of the 314 00:17:21,834 --> 00:17:24,200 Marconi Company. 315 00:17:24,333 --> 00:17:26,600 [Narrator] The Marconi operators independence 316 00:17:26,734 --> 00:17:28,600 has a glaring risk. 317 00:17:30,066 --> 00:17:33,667 If people were being employed by Marconi to send messages 318 00:17:33,800 --> 00:17:35,633 on behalf of private passengers, 319 00:17:35,767 --> 00:17:40,100 did they then perhaps omit to look at the safety messages-- 320 00:17:40,667 --> 00:17:42,567 which should have been their priority. 321 00:17:44,233 --> 00:17:47,767 [Narrator] Titanic will end up receiving 21 ice warnings, 322 00:17:47,900 --> 00:17:51,633 via Marconigram, on its four days at sea. 323 00:17:52,667 --> 00:17:56,100 But Captain Smith, like many Transatlantic veterans, 324 00:17:56,233 --> 00:17:59,100 is skeptical of the new technology. 325 00:17:59,433 --> 00:18:01,767 Someone who had sailed back and forth across the Atlantic 326 00:18:01,900 --> 00:18:05,400 for so long, without the aid of any sort of technology, 327 00:18:05,533 --> 00:18:08,600 didn't really take something like wireless very seriously. 328 00:18:08,734 --> 00:18:10,834 [clicking] 329 00:18:10,967 --> 00:18:12,166 [Narrator] Another thing Captain Smith 330 00:18:12,300 --> 00:18:15,066 might not have been prepared for... 331 00:18:15,200 --> 00:18:17,200 the lifeboat situation. 332 00:18:19,400 --> 00:18:22,200 While White Star fitted Titanic with 20 lifeboats, 333 00:18:22,333 --> 00:18:25,200 four more than were required by regulation, 334 00:18:25,333 --> 00:18:28,667 it still isn't enough for a ship this large. 335 00:18:29,200 --> 00:18:31,500 At full capacity, Titanic's lifeboats 336 00:18:31,633 --> 00:18:36,533 could hold just half of the ship's 2,240 passengers. 337 00:18:38,367 --> 00:18:40,600 While that fact is well known, 338 00:18:40,734 --> 00:18:44,000 less known is that, according to the Mersey box, 339 00:18:44,133 --> 00:18:47,233 Smith and crew may not have trained sufficiently 340 00:18:47,367 --> 00:18:49,867 with the lifeboats they did have. 341 00:18:51,834 --> 00:18:54,100 Titanic's lifeboats were raised and lowered 342 00:18:54,233 --> 00:18:58,467 with a new crane system called "Welin davits." 343 00:18:59,367 --> 00:19:01,233 Dave Brown is a Titanic historian 344 00:19:01,367 --> 00:19:03,734 and retired commercial ship captain. 345 00:19:03,867 --> 00:19:07,500 The crew, they were all certified seamen, 346 00:19:07,633 --> 00:19:09,433 but the only thing 347 00:19:09,567 --> 00:19:12,433 that they didn't have a lot of experience with 348 00:19:12,567 --> 00:19:15,834 is Welin davits which were fairly new and coming online. 349 00:19:15,967 --> 00:19:19,300 [dramatic music] 350 00:19:19,433 --> 00:19:21,734 [Narrator] As Sunday, April 14th dawns, 351 00:19:21,867 --> 00:19:24,967 four days into Titanic's maiden voyage, 352 00:19:25,100 --> 00:19:28,400 the crew is scheduled for a routine lifeboat drill. 353 00:19:29,967 --> 00:19:31,500 Though his men are new to Titanic 354 00:19:31,633 --> 00:19:33,467 and her lifeboat apparatus, 355 00:19:33,600 --> 00:19:37,166 Captain Smith cancels the drill. 356 00:19:38,967 --> 00:19:43,600 I cannot say why Captain Smith failed to do that. 357 00:19:43,734 --> 00:19:45,567 At a bare minimum, he could have detailed 358 00:19:45,700 --> 00:19:48,166 one of the lower ranking officers to walk from 359 00:19:48,300 --> 00:19:50,600 boat to boat and check the lines and check, you know, 360 00:19:50,734 --> 00:19:53,400 any pulleys had been greased or whatever was necessary. 361 00:19:53,533 --> 00:19:55,300 But he didn't even do that. 362 00:19:55,433 --> 00:19:58,900 [dramatic music] 363 00:19:59,033 --> 00:20:00,400 [Narrator] During the inquiry, 364 00:20:00,533 --> 00:20:02,400 a Titanic lookout named Archie Jewell 365 00:20:02,533 --> 00:20:05,166 testified that although they tested lifeboats 366 00:20:05,300 --> 00:20:07,433 before leaving Southampton, 367 00:20:07,567 --> 00:20:10,567 there were only two boats lowered away out of 20, 368 00:20:10,700 --> 00:20:13,533 and they were not even put into the water. 369 00:20:16,600 --> 00:20:19,567 In his private journal, Mersey notes: 370 00:20:19,700 --> 00:20:21,000 This unusual. 371 00:20:21,133 --> 00:20:24,333 [dramatic music] 372 00:20:24,467 --> 00:20:26,300 And Lord Mersey wrote in his journal 373 00:20:26,433 --> 00:20:28,133 that he had found that to be unusual, 374 00:20:28,266 --> 00:20:29,300 indeed it was. 375 00:20:29,433 --> 00:20:31,367 You really need to have a lifeboat drill. 376 00:20:32,533 --> 00:20:34,166 [Richard] They didn't think that they would need to have 377 00:20:34,300 --> 00:20:35,633 lifeboat drills. 378 00:20:35,767 --> 00:20:37,300 And this goes back to hubris. 379 00:20:37,433 --> 00:20:38,834 Why bother having lifeboat drills 380 00:20:38,967 --> 00:20:40,834 when the ship simply can't sink? 381 00:20:40,967 --> 00:20:44,166 [dramatic music] 382 00:20:44,300 --> 00:20:48,133 Titanic did receive a series of ice warnings. 383 00:20:48,266 --> 00:20:50,400 [Sean] Almost like some sort of music creeping up in the 384 00:20:50,533 --> 00:20:53,667 background, are these messages from other ships saying, 385 00:20:53,800 --> 00:20:56,000 "Be careful, there's danger ahead." 386 00:20:56,133 --> 00:20:57,934 They were traveling at 21 knots, 387 00:20:58,066 --> 00:21:01,266 which is practically full speed for the Titanic. 388 00:21:02,100 --> 00:21:03,400 This was at night. 389 00:21:03,533 --> 00:21:05,166 This was in an environment where they 390 00:21:05,300 --> 00:21:06,700 knew that there was ice. 391 00:21:06,834 --> 00:21:09,400 [radar beeping] 392 00:21:17,500 --> 00:21:21,400 [dramatic music] 393 00:21:21,533 --> 00:21:26,533 [solemn music] 394 00:21:26,667 --> 00:21:29,533 [Narrator] April 14, 1912, 395 00:21:29,667 --> 00:21:30,800 early evening. 396 00:21:30,934 --> 00:21:34,467 It's moonless and the seas are eerily calm. 397 00:21:34,934 --> 00:21:37,533 Titanic is steaming towards the Grand Banks 398 00:21:37,667 --> 00:21:39,467 in the North Atlantic, 399 00:21:39,600 --> 00:21:42,266 at a brisk 22 knots, 400 00:21:42,400 --> 00:21:44,633 or 25 and a half miles per hour. 401 00:21:44,767 --> 00:21:50,800 [dramatic music] 402 00:21:50,934 --> 00:21:54,767 At 7:30 p.m., Second Officer Charles Lightoller 403 00:21:54,900 --> 00:21:56,533 raises his sextant. 404 00:21:57,533 --> 00:21:59,400 In the era before GPS, 405 00:21:59,533 --> 00:22:02,934 this device is used to plot a ship's position. 406 00:22:03,967 --> 00:22:06,166 According to information in the Mersey box 407 00:22:06,300 --> 00:22:08,133 and other sources, 408 00:22:08,266 --> 00:22:11,767 this moment initiates a series of fatal errors 409 00:22:11,900 --> 00:22:14,033 by Titanic's officers. 410 00:22:16,567 --> 00:22:26,533 [dramatic music] 411 00:22:27,567 --> 00:22:32,100 The sextant was the critical instrument of navigation. 412 00:22:32,233 --> 00:22:34,100 When you look through the telescope, 413 00:22:34,233 --> 00:22:37,767 one side sees the horizon. 414 00:22:37,900 --> 00:22:42,133 The other side here sees the sky. 415 00:22:42,266 --> 00:22:45,000 So if I put it up like this and I adjust it, 416 00:22:45,133 --> 00:22:46,266 what I'm going to do 417 00:22:46,400 --> 00:22:49,300 is I'm gonna bring the celestial body down 418 00:22:49,433 --> 00:22:51,200 till it sits on the horizon. 419 00:22:51,333 --> 00:22:54,166 I call out, "mark." 420 00:22:54,300 --> 00:22:57,133 And then the guy who's got the hack watch 421 00:22:57,266 --> 00:23:00,667 writes down the exact moment of the hack. 422 00:23:01,233 --> 00:23:05,500 When Lightoller took this reading at 7:30, 423 00:23:05,633 --> 00:23:07,867 he either was wrong 424 00:23:08,000 --> 00:23:12,133 or the hack watch was off by a few seconds. 425 00:23:13,166 --> 00:23:15,867 [Narrator] A sextant in conjunction with a hack watch 426 00:23:16,000 --> 00:23:17,700 and a nautical chronometer 427 00:23:17,834 --> 00:23:20,867 can accurately determine a ship's position. 428 00:23:21,667 --> 00:23:24,834 But if the officers taking the readings make a mistake, 429 00:23:24,967 --> 00:23:27,100 the ship can veer off course. 430 00:23:28,667 --> 00:23:32,066 If you're off by a minute of time, 431 00:23:32,200 --> 00:23:34,934 is a mile of latitude. 432 00:23:35,734 --> 00:23:37,333 It can grow very big. 433 00:23:38,300 --> 00:23:42,166 [solemn music] 434 00:23:42,300 --> 00:23:44,033 [Narrator] While historians have long suspected 435 00:23:44,166 --> 00:23:46,900 that Titanic was lost en route, 436 00:23:47,033 --> 00:23:50,667 proof of the navigational errors has been elusive. 437 00:23:51,834 --> 00:23:54,233 That's because Titanic's log book, 438 00:23:54,367 --> 00:23:56,533 the equivalent of a black box, 439 00:23:56,667 --> 00:23:58,700 containing notes on every important decision 440 00:23:58,834 --> 00:24:00,133 of a ship's journey, 441 00:24:00,266 --> 00:24:02,233 has never been found. 442 00:24:04,900 --> 00:24:07,500 Typically, it was put in a waterproof bag, 443 00:24:07,633 --> 00:24:09,800 sealed, and the highest ranking officer 444 00:24:09,934 --> 00:24:11,734 would take it onto the lifeboat. 445 00:24:12,633 --> 00:24:16,800 [Dave] Theoretically, you carry all the records off the ship, 446 00:24:16,934 --> 00:24:19,934 but the captain who knows that it's got some information 447 00:24:20,066 --> 00:24:23,100 that he would rather not disclose, 448 00:24:23,233 --> 00:24:25,834 will probably throw five pounds of rocks in the bag 449 00:24:25,967 --> 00:24:27,533 and throw it overboard. 450 00:24:28,400 --> 00:24:32,900 [dramatic music] 451 00:24:33,033 --> 00:24:34,934 [Narrator] Despite 25,000 questions 452 00:24:35,066 --> 00:24:38,133 across a month of testimony, 453 00:24:38,266 --> 00:24:41,500 Lord Mersey's private box doesn't contain 454 00:24:41,633 --> 00:24:44,533 a single reference to the missing log book. 455 00:24:47,400 --> 00:24:49,300 [Craig] There may be something in there that Captain Smith 456 00:24:49,433 --> 00:24:51,600 didn't want the world to know about. 457 00:24:53,033 --> 00:24:55,900 It could have been something damning to the White Star Line 458 00:24:56,033 --> 00:24:57,400 and the Board of Trade. 459 00:24:59,934 --> 00:25:01,100 We don't know. 460 00:25:02,367 --> 00:25:04,166 [Narrator] Months before the inquiry, 461 00:25:04,300 --> 00:25:06,533 steaming through the North Atlantic, 462 00:25:06,667 --> 00:25:08,900 Titanic is not only lost, 463 00:25:09,033 --> 00:25:11,133 she's heading into danger. 464 00:25:11,800 --> 00:25:14,200 Throughout the day on April 14th, 465 00:25:14,333 --> 00:25:17,867 Titanic's Marconi operators receive disturbing news 466 00:25:18,000 --> 00:25:20,600 from other ships in the area. 467 00:25:21,133 --> 00:25:24,400 Titanic did receive a series of ice warnings 468 00:25:24,533 --> 00:25:27,100 from ships that lay ahead of its path. 469 00:25:27,533 --> 00:25:30,400 These ice warnings were fairly specific 470 00:25:30,533 --> 00:25:32,967 in terms of latitude and longitude. 471 00:25:33,633 --> 00:25:35,533 They were taken to the bridge, 472 00:25:35,667 --> 00:25:39,400 and the position was noted on a Transatlantic chart. 473 00:25:39,533 --> 00:25:45,633 And there, it could be examined by each shift of officers 474 00:25:45,767 --> 00:25:47,367 as they came on duty. 475 00:25:47,500 --> 00:25:50,800 [trans coder beeping] 476 00:25:50,934 --> 00:25:53,066 Almost like some sort of music creeping up 477 00:25:53,200 --> 00:25:55,700 in the background, are these messages from other ships 478 00:25:55,834 --> 00:25:58,033 saying, "Be careful, there's danger ahead." 479 00:25:58,166 --> 00:26:04,934 [ominous music] 480 00:26:05,066 --> 00:26:08,266 [Narrator] Nineteen and a half miles due North from Titanic, 481 00:26:08,400 --> 00:26:11,734 the SS Californian, a freighter bound for Boston 482 00:26:11,867 --> 00:26:15,467 sees an ice field around 7:30 at night. 483 00:26:16,667 --> 00:26:19,200 Her skipper, Captain Stanley Lord, 484 00:26:19,333 --> 00:26:21,600 isn't about to take any chances. 485 00:26:21,734 --> 00:26:29,300 [dramatic music] 486 00:26:29,433 --> 00:26:31,033 The Californian stops in ice. 487 00:26:31,166 --> 00:26:32,734 It realizes it's dangerous. 488 00:26:32,867 --> 00:26:35,700 The wireless operator sent a message to tell people 489 00:26:35,834 --> 00:26:37,700 that ice was around. 490 00:26:37,834 --> 00:26:39,900 Titanic didn't say, "Thank you very much. 491 00:26:40,033 --> 00:26:42,133 I'm very glad you told us about this." 492 00:26:42,266 --> 00:26:44,700 They told them to shut up and go away effectively. 493 00:26:44,834 --> 00:26:46,233 They were busy sending private messages. 494 00:26:46,367 --> 00:26:47,900 They didn't wanna know about it. 495 00:26:50,367 --> 00:26:55,033 [Narrator] While Captain Lord hunkers down in the ice field, 496 00:26:55,166 --> 00:26:59,467 to his south, Captain Smith powers Titanic ahead 497 00:26:59,600 --> 00:27:03,767 with his engines steaming at near capacity. 498 00:27:07,934 --> 00:27:09,266 In his final report, 499 00:27:09,400 --> 00:27:13,033 Lord Mersey does note Titanic's excessive speed. 500 00:27:13,667 --> 00:27:17,633 And in private, he expresses grave concern. 501 00:27:18,734 --> 00:27:22,367 Within Mersey's box, tucked inside his journal, 502 00:27:22,500 --> 00:27:25,934 he writes that there was no reduction of speed. 503 00:27:26,066 --> 00:27:29,433 And then, Mersey points it out again. 504 00:27:29,567 --> 00:27:31,934 [Ned] Okay. So now this is interesting. 505 00:27:32,066 --> 00:27:34,834 Speed, 21 knots 506 00:27:34,967 --> 00:27:38,633 and never reduced up to time of collision. 507 00:27:38,767 --> 00:27:43,533 Notwithstanding, weary that icebergs in vicinity, 508 00:27:43,667 --> 00:27:47,100 and that she would be likely to meet them. 509 00:27:47,233 --> 00:27:51,533 [dramatic music] 510 00:27:51,667 --> 00:27:53,300 [Craig] They were traveling at 21 knots, 511 00:27:53,433 --> 00:27:56,567 which is practically full speed for the Titanic. 512 00:27:57,734 --> 00:27:59,166 This was at night. 513 00:27:59,300 --> 00:28:01,166 This was in an environment where they knew 514 00:28:01,300 --> 00:28:02,900 that there was ice. 515 00:28:03,033 --> 00:28:05,667 [Richard] We don't need to reduce speed. 516 00:28:05,800 --> 00:28:07,667 We're not gonna have any issues with any icebergs 517 00:28:07,800 --> 00:28:09,867 that we come across because we are Titanic. 518 00:28:10,734 --> 00:28:13,400 After all, it is unsinkable, isn't it? 519 00:28:13,533 --> 00:28:18,934 [dramatic music] 520 00:28:21,967 --> 00:28:28,166 [dramatic music] 521 00:28:28,300 --> 00:28:32,333 [Narrator] Sunday evening, April 14, 1912. 522 00:28:33,100 --> 00:28:36,066 Under the command of Captain Edward J. Smith, 523 00:28:36,200 --> 00:28:38,400 Titanic is just past the midpoint 524 00:28:38,533 --> 00:28:41,166 of her journey to New York. 525 00:28:41,300 --> 00:28:43,533 Steaming at nearly full speed, 526 00:28:43,667 --> 00:28:46,200 she's scheduled to arrive on time 527 00:28:46,333 --> 00:28:50,066 Wednesday morning at White Star's pier 59 528 00:28:50,200 --> 00:28:52,667 along Manhattan's West side. 529 00:28:55,133 --> 00:28:58,567 Nine other ships are also traversing the North Atlantic, 530 00:28:58,700 --> 00:29:02,667 heading west and east along the same shipping lanes. 531 00:29:03,700 --> 00:29:06,266 But just south of the Grand Banks, 532 00:29:06,400 --> 00:29:08,700 the ice field looms. 533 00:29:08,834 --> 00:29:12,200 Four miles wide and extending north and south 534 00:29:12,333 --> 00:29:14,867 as far as the eye can see. 535 00:29:15,700 --> 00:29:18,266 As each ship hits the danger zone, 536 00:29:18,400 --> 00:29:20,133 they sound the alarm. 537 00:29:20,266 --> 00:29:25,100 [radar beeping] 538 00:29:25,233 --> 00:29:26,867 Wireless messages were sent by ships 539 00:29:27,000 --> 00:29:28,934 who were traveling in the same waters, 540 00:29:29,066 --> 00:29:32,867 and they were alerting each other to potential risks. 541 00:29:33,000 --> 00:29:34,066 They thought it was dangerous 542 00:29:34,200 --> 00:29:35,834 and they let the other ships know around them. 543 00:29:37,867 --> 00:29:39,900 We know the Titanic received these messages. 544 00:29:40,033 --> 00:29:42,700 We know they acknowledged some of these messages too. 545 00:29:44,734 --> 00:29:46,433 It should have been taken seriously. 546 00:29:46,567 --> 00:29:49,633 [radar beeping] 547 00:29:49,767 --> 00:29:51,967 [Narrator] The Marconi messages not only reveal 548 00:29:52,100 --> 00:29:53,567 where the ice is, 549 00:29:53,700 --> 00:29:55,633 they also contain important details 550 00:29:55,767 --> 00:30:00,166 on how big and dangerous the icebergs are. 551 00:30:01,734 --> 00:30:03,400 Kristin Serumgard is the commander 552 00:30:03,533 --> 00:30:06,000 of the International Ice Patrol. 553 00:30:06,433 --> 00:30:08,767 She's familiar with the types of icebergs 554 00:30:08,900 --> 00:30:10,834 the ships might have reported. 555 00:30:12,367 --> 00:30:16,266 [Kristin] There's floes formed from frozen seawater. 556 00:30:16,400 --> 00:30:20,133 There's a growler, which is about the size of a piano. 557 00:30:21,000 --> 00:30:23,066 And then all the way up to what we call 558 00:30:23,200 --> 00:30:26,500 a very large iceberg is over 200 meters. 559 00:30:29,266 --> 00:30:31,967 [Narrator] In Titanic's day, just like now, 560 00:30:32,100 --> 00:30:33,867 hitting an iceberg could rip a ship apart 561 00:30:34,000 --> 00:30:35,900 and endanger the passengers. 562 00:30:37,066 --> 00:30:40,934 A fact that wasn't lost on Lord Mersey in his black box. 563 00:30:41,066 --> 00:30:47,133 [ominous music] 564 00:30:47,266 --> 00:30:49,467 Inside his journal, Mersey hones in 565 00:30:49,600 --> 00:30:53,367 on two specific ice warnings that reached Titanic: 566 00:30:53,500 --> 00:30:55,467 "Two vessels informed her. 567 00:30:55,600 --> 00:30:56,867 Icebergs, 568 00:30:57,000 --> 00:30:58,300 growlers, 569 00:30:58,433 --> 00:30:59,767 floes." 570 00:30:59,900 --> 00:31:03,333 Lord Mersey drew some images-- 571 00:31:03,467 --> 00:31:07,300 things that the Titanic clearly would've passed 572 00:31:07,433 --> 00:31:10,266 on its way to the big monster iceberg. 573 00:31:10,400 --> 00:31:13,633 That also should have given the Titanic some pause. 574 00:31:13,767 --> 00:31:16,967 It would have warned them that things were getting bad. 575 00:31:17,100 --> 00:31:18,767 [Narrator] Lord Mersey also scribbles down 576 00:31:18,900 --> 00:31:20,533 that the temperatures were falling, 577 00:31:20,667 --> 00:31:24,400 and that this, to indicate ice. 578 00:31:25,266 --> 00:31:28,834 And then, finally, and perhaps most crucially, 579 00:31:28,967 --> 00:31:31,133 he notes and underlines, 580 00:31:31,266 --> 00:31:33,600 no reduction of speed. 581 00:31:35,300 --> 00:31:36,800 [Ned] This was obviously fairly significant for him. 582 00:31:36,934 --> 00:31:41,033 Quite understandably, he was asking the question, 583 00:31:41,166 --> 00:31:42,734 "Why didn't they slow down?" 584 00:31:46,066 --> 00:31:48,600 If we didn't have this journal, 585 00:31:48,734 --> 00:31:52,300 we wouldn't have known that Lord Mersey was taking in 586 00:31:52,433 --> 00:31:56,467 all this information and clearly recognized the problems. 587 00:31:57,300 --> 00:32:00,200 It was getting more and more towards criminal negligence 588 00:32:00,333 --> 00:32:01,500 in this case. 589 00:32:03,000 --> 00:32:05,100 [Narrator] Historians have spent countless hours 590 00:32:05,233 --> 00:32:07,533 deliberating this question. 591 00:32:07,667 --> 00:32:10,767 Why didn't Captain Smith slow down? 592 00:32:12,233 --> 00:32:14,500 One theory centers around the behavior 593 00:32:14,633 --> 00:32:18,000 of one of Titanic's most influential passengers, 594 00:32:18,133 --> 00:32:20,333 J. Bruce Ismay. 595 00:32:22,300 --> 00:32:24,767 Ismay was the chair of the White Star Line. 596 00:32:24,900 --> 00:32:29,533 It was his role to run it and grow it into the 20th century. 597 00:32:31,033 --> 00:32:33,266 [Narrator] On White Star's pride and joy, 598 00:32:33,400 --> 00:32:35,400 Ismay reigned supreme. 599 00:32:35,533 --> 00:32:38,600 Hobnobbing with wealthy passengers and keeping tabs 600 00:32:38,734 --> 00:32:41,367 on Captain Smith and his crew. 601 00:32:42,834 --> 00:32:45,600 Ismay is on deck around 2:00 p.m. 602 00:32:45,734 --> 00:32:49,700 when Titanic receives an ice warning from the Baltic, 603 00:32:49,834 --> 00:32:52,100 another White Star-owned ship, 604 00:32:52,233 --> 00:32:54,967 about 230 miles to the East. 605 00:32:56,233 --> 00:32:57,900 What happens next would give fodder 606 00:32:58,033 --> 00:33:00,667 to a century of conspiracy theorists. 607 00:33:01,300 --> 00:33:05,166 And it's a moment Lord Mersey also focuses on. 608 00:33:07,467 --> 00:33:09,266 There was a paper written Marconigram 609 00:33:09,400 --> 00:33:12,834 delivered to Captain Smith, that he showed to Bruce Ismay, 610 00:33:12,967 --> 00:33:16,233 that Bruce Ismay took, stuck into his pocket. 611 00:33:16,367 --> 00:33:19,567 Why did Captain Smith give Bruce Ismay the telegram? 612 00:33:23,133 --> 00:33:25,633 [Narrator] Mersey references Ismay's own testimony 613 00:33:25,767 --> 00:33:27,266 from the British inquiry. 614 00:33:29,266 --> 00:33:33,166 On page 222, Ismay underlined, 615 00:33:33,300 --> 00:33:36,066 Captain handed me the Baltic message, 616 00:33:36,200 --> 00:33:40,133 which Ismay held on to for a while. 617 00:33:40,266 --> 00:33:43,400 So, this is obviously quite significant for Lord Mersey. 618 00:33:43,533 --> 00:33:47,834 [dramatic music] 619 00:33:47,967 --> 00:33:50,567 [Craig] Why would Ismay have stuck it in his pocket? 620 00:33:50,700 --> 00:33:54,133 Was there something he didn't want the bridge crew to see? 621 00:33:54,266 --> 00:33:56,934 Did he not want them to slow down? 622 00:33:58,934 --> 00:34:00,633 [Sean] He didn't want the Titanic to be late. 623 00:34:00,767 --> 00:34:02,000 The press would be waiting on the docks. 624 00:34:02,133 --> 00:34:04,066 People would be there waiting. 625 00:34:04,200 --> 00:34:06,900 There had been theories that Ismay was keener 626 00:34:07,033 --> 00:34:09,500 to get there on time than to get there safely. 627 00:34:10,100 --> 00:34:13,800 Captain Smith asked Ismay for the ice warning back 628 00:34:13,934 --> 00:34:15,166 that Sunday evening, 629 00:34:15,300 --> 00:34:18,400 so that he could put it in the chart room. 630 00:34:21,667 --> 00:34:23,967 [Narrator] The Baltic message is posted alongside 631 00:34:24,100 --> 00:34:28,266 the six other ice warnings received throughout the day. 632 00:34:30,200 --> 00:34:32,700 Then at 9:20 p.m., 633 00:34:32,834 --> 00:34:36,133 Captain Smith heads to his cabin to go to sleep, 634 00:34:36,266 --> 00:34:39,500 handing command to his senior officers. 635 00:34:42,934 --> 00:34:45,000 [Dave] The North Atlantic was extremely calm 636 00:34:45,133 --> 00:34:48,867 as they went into sundown and into the night. 637 00:34:49,000 --> 00:34:52,233 That made it more difficult to find the iceberg. 638 00:34:52,967 --> 00:34:54,567 You can't see it. 639 00:34:56,433 --> 00:34:58,000 If it's very calm out, 640 00:34:58,133 --> 00:35:01,567 there's no waves breaking on the edges of the iceberg-- 641 00:35:01,700 --> 00:35:04,166 you're not gonna even see that it's there. 642 00:35:05,600 --> 00:35:09,433 [Charles] The lookouts are above the canvas dodger 643 00:35:09,567 --> 00:35:11,100 of the lookout's nest. 644 00:35:11,233 --> 00:35:16,533 Their face is being whipped by a 25-mile an hour cold wind, 645 00:35:16,667 --> 00:35:20,400 which inevitably could cause tearing to take place, 646 00:35:20,533 --> 00:35:23,066 which in turn could hurt their vision. 647 00:35:23,200 --> 00:35:28,734 [dramatic music] 648 00:35:28,867 --> 00:35:31,133 [Narrator] At precisely 11:39 p.m., 649 00:35:31,266 --> 00:35:33,734 crow's nest lookout Frederick Fleet 650 00:35:33,867 --> 00:35:36,834 spots the gigantic, dark mass. 651 00:35:37,734 --> 00:35:40,433 He strikes the lookout bell three times. 652 00:35:40,567 --> 00:35:42,700 [bell dinging] 653 00:35:42,834 --> 00:35:44,633 [dramatic music] 654 00:35:44,767 --> 00:35:47,133 Fleet lunges for the telephone, 655 00:35:47,266 --> 00:35:50,100 reaching Sixth Officer James Moody on the bridge. 656 00:35:50,233 --> 00:35:51,100 Iceberg! 657 00:35:51,233 --> 00:35:52,467 Dead ahead. 658 00:35:55,567 --> 00:35:58,200 When you're traveling at 21 or 22 knots, 659 00:35:58,333 --> 00:36:01,100 and you see iceberg dead ahead, 660 00:36:01,233 --> 00:36:03,233 there wasn't enough time to turn. 661 00:36:03,834 --> 00:36:05,934 It was already too late. 662 00:36:06,400 --> 00:36:08,266 The ship was doomed. 663 00:36:08,400 --> 00:36:13,033 [dramatic music] 664 00:36:16,700 --> 00:36:20,867 [dramatic music] 665 00:36:21,000 --> 00:36:24,300 [ominous music] 666 00:36:24,433 --> 00:36:26,633 [Narrator] April 14, 1912. 667 00:36:26,767 --> 00:36:31,567 RMS Titanic has been at sea for four and a half days. 668 00:36:33,233 --> 00:36:38,633 At 11:39 p.m., 375 miles off the coast of Newfoundland, 669 00:36:38,767 --> 00:36:42,100 Titanic's seven ice warnings received throughout the day 670 00:36:42,233 --> 00:36:44,367 are no longer a warning. 671 00:36:45,033 --> 00:36:47,133 They're a frightening reality. 672 00:36:47,266 --> 00:36:48,900 [bell dinging] 673 00:36:49,367 --> 00:36:50,266 Iceberg! 674 00:36:50,400 --> 00:36:51,633 Dead ahead. 675 00:36:53,533 --> 00:36:57,233 [Narrator] With the iceberg spotted 1,500 feet ahead, 676 00:36:57,367 --> 00:37:01,700 and with Titanic bearing down on it at 26 miles per hour, 677 00:37:03,667 --> 00:37:06,033 First Officer William McMaster Murdoch 678 00:37:06,166 --> 00:37:08,467 has less than 45 seconds to 679 00:37:08,600 --> 00:37:11,467 determine the fate of thousands. 680 00:37:11,600 --> 00:37:15,333 [dramatic music] 681 00:37:15,467 --> 00:37:17,967 He says, "Full to port." 682 00:37:18,100 --> 00:37:20,166 Murdoch signals the engine room. 683 00:37:20,300 --> 00:37:23,033 Ring, ring, ring. 684 00:37:23,400 --> 00:37:24,633 [Narrator] But by the time Murdoch makes 685 00:37:24,767 --> 00:37:26,533 his desperate maneuver, 686 00:37:26,667 --> 00:37:29,633 the iceberg is already on them. 687 00:37:31,567 --> 00:37:34,033 At reportedly 60 feet high, 688 00:37:34,166 --> 00:37:37,934 it's even with Titanic's crow's nest 689 00:37:38,066 --> 00:37:41,367 and it's estimated 400-foot length is greater 690 00:37:41,500 --> 00:37:43,066 than a football field. 691 00:37:44,133 --> 00:37:45,867 Scientists say it could have weighed up to 692 00:37:46,000 --> 00:37:48,033 one and a half million tons, 693 00:37:48,166 --> 00:37:52,467 the equivalent of 15 fully loaded aircraft carriers. 694 00:37:53,600 --> 00:37:57,734 The iceberg packs the punch of a granite mountain. 695 00:38:03,000 --> 00:38:05,367 When you compress carbon under pressure, 696 00:38:05,500 --> 00:38:07,367 you get this very strong diamond, 697 00:38:07,500 --> 00:38:09,734 and that's kind of the similar concept 698 00:38:09,867 --> 00:38:13,533 of compressing the fresh water into a glacier 699 00:38:13,667 --> 00:38:15,166 that forms an iceberg. 700 00:38:15,300 --> 00:38:18,867 Dense, glacial ice has a much higher probability 701 00:38:19,000 --> 00:38:21,767 of causing significant damage to a ship. 702 00:38:23,200 --> 00:38:26,333 [Narrator] At 11:40 p.m., 703 00:38:26,467 --> 00:38:28,767 Titanic makes contact. 704 00:38:28,900 --> 00:38:33,000 [ominous music] 705 00:38:33,133 --> 00:38:35,734 The iceberg scrapes along her starboard side 706 00:38:35,867 --> 00:38:37,867 for eight seconds... 707 00:38:39,633 --> 00:38:42,633 gouging the double-plated steel hull. 708 00:38:43,567 --> 00:38:45,734 The collision takes place, opening its side to the iceberg 709 00:38:45,867 --> 00:38:48,166 so it can cut into it like a tin of sardines. 710 00:38:48,667 --> 00:38:51,433 [Narrator] The forward compartment, three cargo holds 711 00:38:51,567 --> 00:38:54,433 and two engine rooms are blown open. 712 00:38:55,667 --> 00:38:57,967 And the frigid sea pours in. 713 00:39:02,100 --> 00:39:04,767 Meanwhile, some 90 feet above, 714 00:39:04,900 --> 00:39:07,734 those first class passengers still awake 715 00:39:07,867 --> 00:39:10,834 catch an ominous glimpse into their fate. 716 00:39:11,633 --> 00:39:13,800 When the iceberg struck, they felt something, 717 00:39:13,934 --> 00:39:15,467 but they weren't sure what it was. 718 00:39:15,600 --> 00:39:18,400 And they went to the portholes of the ship 719 00:39:18,533 --> 00:39:22,166 and actually saw pieces of ice coming off the iceberg 720 00:39:22,300 --> 00:39:24,934 onto the deck through the portholes. 721 00:39:27,300 --> 00:39:29,100 [Narrator] Moments after impact, 722 00:39:29,233 --> 00:39:33,433 First Officer Murdoch orders full stop, 723 00:39:33,567 --> 00:39:38,066 and he engages Titanic's high-tech watertight doors. 724 00:39:38,200 --> 00:39:40,400 Down in the tank top level, 725 00:39:40,533 --> 00:39:43,667 bells started going off and doors started closing. 726 00:39:44,700 --> 00:39:46,500 It must've been sounded pretty much 727 00:39:46,633 --> 00:39:48,867 like the hammers of hell down there. 728 00:39:50,300 --> 00:39:53,367 Murdoch did not know whether there was damage or not. 729 00:39:53,867 --> 00:39:55,633 He's just got to close the watertight doors 730 00:39:55,767 --> 00:39:57,667 and then find out. 731 00:39:58,266 --> 00:39:59,700 That's all he can do. 732 00:40:00,900 --> 00:40:02,734 [Narrator] Murdoch's decision to seal the doors 733 00:40:02,867 --> 00:40:05,166 is rooted in ship science. 734 00:40:06,066 --> 00:40:08,567 When activated, the watertight doors keep 735 00:40:08,700 --> 00:40:10,333 Titanic from foundering 736 00:40:10,467 --> 00:40:13,066 by walling off the flooded areas 737 00:40:13,200 --> 00:40:14,767 from the rest of the ship. 738 00:40:15,367 --> 00:40:18,133 You wanna close them so the water doesn't escape 739 00:40:18,266 --> 00:40:20,633 and make the ship bow or aft heavy. 740 00:40:20,767 --> 00:40:23,600 You wanna stop the water from coming in and spreading. 741 00:40:24,133 --> 00:40:25,400 [Narrator] The head of the British inquiry 742 00:40:25,533 --> 00:40:27,433 trains his investigative eyes 743 00:40:27,567 --> 00:40:29,633 on those crucial first minutes 744 00:40:29,767 --> 00:40:32,066 after the doors are activated. 745 00:40:34,200 --> 00:40:36,967 Lord Mersey learns that some of the watertight doors 746 00:40:37,100 --> 00:40:39,667 were then manually raised by crew 747 00:40:39,800 --> 00:40:42,567 to move around hoses and pumps. 748 00:40:43,233 --> 00:40:45,433 But he notes and underlines 749 00:40:45,567 --> 00:40:48,934 that the doors were then all left open. 750 00:40:50,567 --> 00:40:52,734 Lord Mersey obviously thought that was important 751 00:40:52,867 --> 00:40:56,533 that no one ever requested the doors to be re-closed. 752 00:40:58,567 --> 00:40:59,900 He certainly recognized the fact 753 00:41:00,100 --> 00:41:01,900 that there were some problems here. 754 00:41:03,433 --> 00:41:05,133 [Narrator] Captain Smith, who had gone to sleep 755 00:41:05,266 --> 00:41:07,533 for the evening at 9:20 p.m., 756 00:41:07,667 --> 00:41:09,633 suddenly snaps to attention. 757 00:41:11,667 --> 00:41:16,433 He felt a ca-thud and heard the ship's engine bells ring. 758 00:41:18,166 --> 00:41:21,100 I can't imagine what that must have done to his heart rate. 759 00:41:25,200 --> 00:41:27,300 [Narrator] Smith rushes to the bridge. 760 00:41:27,433 --> 00:41:30,767 He asks First Officer Murdoch what they struck. 761 00:41:31,500 --> 00:41:34,333 "An iceberg, sir." Murdoch replies. 762 00:41:35,600 --> 00:41:38,734 Smith's first priority upon arrival at the bridge 763 00:41:38,867 --> 00:41:41,667 is to immediately send down people 764 00:41:41,800 --> 00:41:45,000 to determine just what's going on down below. 765 00:41:45,133 --> 00:41:46,500 How bad is it? 766 00:41:47,600 --> 00:41:50,633 [Narrator] In testimony, Fourth Officer Joseph Boxhall 767 00:41:50,767 --> 00:41:53,967 recounts that he did not find any damage. 768 00:41:55,000 --> 00:41:57,500 With Boxhall's assessment in hand, 769 00:41:57,633 --> 00:42:00,567 Captain Smith issues an order to the engine room 770 00:42:00,700 --> 00:42:04,033 that causes Lord Mersey to sit up and take notice. 771 00:42:04,700 --> 00:42:06,767 An order that flies in the face 772 00:42:06,900 --> 00:42:10,233 of what we think we know about Titanic's story. 773 00:42:11,400 --> 00:42:15,567 According to history, Titanic hit the iceberg, 774 00:42:15,700 --> 00:42:19,433 the crew shut the watertight doors 775 00:42:19,567 --> 00:42:22,400 and the ship came to a dead stop. 776 00:42:23,333 --> 00:42:25,734 But is that what really happened? 777 00:42:26,567 --> 00:42:28,700 [Craig] Lord Mersey wrote down during Frederick Scott's 778 00:42:28,834 --> 00:42:31,934 testimony that the ship was ordered half-speed ahead 779 00:42:32,066 --> 00:42:33,600 and then stop and ahead. 780 00:42:33,734 --> 00:42:35,400 What was all this? 781 00:42:35,533 --> 00:42:38,300 Captain Smith may have been trying to speed up 782 00:42:38,433 --> 00:42:41,467 in hopes that things really weren't so bad. 783 00:42:41,600 --> 00:42:44,233 There may have been some talk about moving ahead 784 00:42:44,367 --> 00:42:46,700 to try and calm the passengers, 785 00:42:46,834 --> 00:42:49,367 letting them think that the ship is moving normally. 786 00:42:50,567 --> 00:42:51,867 [Narrator] For 20 minutes, 787 00:42:52,000 --> 00:42:55,233 Smith decides to keep the ship pressing forward 788 00:42:55,367 --> 00:42:59,300 at half speed instead of coming to a full stop. 789 00:43:00,100 --> 00:43:03,533 Moving the boat forward was something that increased 790 00:43:03,667 --> 00:43:06,500 the influx of water and was a very dangerous, 791 00:43:06,633 --> 00:43:08,867 if not disastrous thing to do. 792 00:43:10,233 --> 00:43:11,800 If there were openings in the hull, 793 00:43:11,934 --> 00:43:14,100 you'd push them open more. 794 00:43:14,233 --> 00:43:16,600 Any weaknesses, you would exploit them. 795 00:43:17,166 --> 00:43:19,633 [Charles] If we start moving through the water 796 00:43:19,767 --> 00:43:22,033 and there is damage of some sort 797 00:43:22,166 --> 00:43:24,367 on the starboard side of the ship, 798 00:43:24,500 --> 00:43:29,166 any forward motion is going to increase the water flow 799 00:43:29,300 --> 00:43:30,767 through that crevice, 800 00:43:30,900 --> 00:43:34,767 and might have an effect on how quickly the ship sinks. 801 00:43:38,900 --> 00:43:42,467 [Narrator] With precious minutes ticking by, 802 00:43:42,600 --> 00:43:46,433 Captain Smith summons Titanic's carpenter to sound the ship. 803 00:43:46,567 --> 00:43:50,834 A nautical term for assessing a ship's seaworthiness. 804 00:43:50,967 --> 00:43:52,867 When the report came back to captain Smith, 805 00:43:53,000 --> 00:43:54,900 it wasn't a very good one at all. 806 00:43:56,133 --> 00:43:59,033 Lord Mersey made a note of that fact in his journal. 807 00:44:00,200 --> 00:44:01,700 [Narrator] The carpenter is said to have reported 808 00:44:01,834 --> 00:44:04,900 seven feet of water in a few minutes. 809 00:44:05,033 --> 00:44:07,667 At that point, the damage was already done. 810 00:44:07,800 --> 00:44:09,367 The ship was doomed. 811 00:44:09,867 --> 00:44:12,400 But Lord Mersey may have been taking more note of that fact 812 00:44:12,533 --> 00:44:13,934 than Captain Smith was. 813 00:44:14,700 --> 00:44:17,533 It should have led the captain to other choices. 814 00:44:17,667 --> 00:44:20,934 For instance, immediately lowering those lifeboats. 815 00:44:21,066 --> 00:44:22,367 Putting everybody on those lifeboats 816 00:44:22,500 --> 00:44:24,100 that he possibly could. 817 00:44:24,233 --> 00:44:28,700 [ominous music] 818 00:44:28,834 --> 00:44:30,834 [Narrator] Then, shortly after midnight, 819 00:44:30,967 --> 00:44:33,567 22 minutes after hitting the iceberg, 820 00:44:33,700 --> 00:44:37,000 Thomas Andrews, Titanic's chief designer 821 00:44:37,133 --> 00:44:39,367 arrives grim-faced on the bridge 822 00:44:39,500 --> 00:44:42,233 after surveying the decks below. 823 00:44:42,367 --> 00:44:47,433 Titanic, Andrew says, has only two hours left. 824 00:44:50,000 --> 00:44:53,867 Captain Smith, he seems really overwhelmed by it all. 825 00:44:54,000 --> 00:44:57,834 Almost to the point of a paralysis taking place. 826 00:44:59,333 --> 00:45:01,800 Here's a guy at the end of his career, 827 00:45:01,934 --> 00:45:03,433 retirement is in sight, 828 00:45:03,567 --> 00:45:07,166 and everything that he had achieved in 30-some-odd years 829 00:45:07,300 --> 00:45:10,166 with the White Star Line is now at risk. 830 00:45:10,934 --> 00:45:12,433 And not only that, he is at risk 831 00:45:12,567 --> 00:45:15,734 along with 2,200 other people. 832 00:45:15,867 --> 00:45:21,533 [dramatic music] 833 00:45:29,200 --> 00:45:39,166 [dramatic music] 834 00:45:41,700 --> 00:45:45,266 [crash] 835 00:45:47,166 --> 00:45:48,700 After the collision, 836 00:45:48,834 --> 00:45:54,500 the amount of water flooding into Titanic was fatal. 837 00:45:58,133 --> 00:46:01,066 The flooding was far beyond 838 00:46:01,200 --> 00:46:04,800 the capacity of the pumps to keep up with. 839 00:46:04,934 --> 00:46:08,567 They struggled to even slow it down 840 00:46:08,700 --> 00:46:11,400 and Titanic was simply doomed. 841 00:46:13,767 --> 00:46:17,567 [Narrator] Twenty-five minutes after the collision, 842 00:46:17,700 --> 00:46:19,934 Captain Smith orders his senior officers, 843 00:46:20,066 --> 00:46:23,800 Murdoch and Lightoller, to prepare the lifeboats, 844 00:46:23,934 --> 00:46:26,000 which can only hold half 845 00:46:26,133 --> 00:46:29,900 of the more than 2,200 lives on board. 846 00:46:31,133 --> 00:46:35,967 Worse still, as Lord Mersey noted during the inquiry, 847 00:46:36,100 --> 00:46:38,467 the crew is unfamiliar with the lifeboat 848 00:46:38,600 --> 00:46:40,800 state-of-the-art crane system. 849 00:46:40,934 --> 00:46:44,200 They canceled the drill earlier in the trip. 850 00:46:45,433 --> 00:46:49,433 Regardless, they're now faced with a thankless task. 851 00:46:50,233 --> 00:46:53,100 Having to spread the word. 852 00:46:56,367 --> 00:46:57,767 We can be given a warning. 853 00:46:57,900 --> 00:47:01,533 Somebody can walk up to us and say, "This ship is sinking." 854 00:47:01,667 --> 00:47:03,200 But if we look around and see 855 00:47:03,333 --> 00:47:05,533 it looks like we're floating just fine, 856 00:47:05,667 --> 00:47:09,133 then we question that warning that we've been given, 857 00:47:09,266 --> 00:47:11,667 and we actually need to see that the ship is sinking 858 00:47:11,800 --> 00:47:13,700 to see that something is wrong. 859 00:47:13,834 --> 00:47:16,467 [ominous music] 860 00:47:16,600 --> 00:47:17,567 [Narrator] Though his passengers 861 00:47:17,700 --> 00:47:19,233 may not have believed the warning, 862 00:47:19,367 --> 00:47:22,667 Captain Smith is fully aware of the slow motion catastrophe 863 00:47:22,800 --> 00:47:25,133 unfolding around him. 864 00:47:25,834 --> 00:47:28,867 He makes a beeline for the Marconi wireless room 865 00:47:29,000 --> 00:47:30,467 and its operators, 866 00:47:30,600 --> 00:47:35,367 25-year old Jack Phillips and 22-year old Harold Bride. 867 00:47:35,500 --> 00:47:38,867 [clicking] 868 00:47:39,000 --> 00:47:40,000 Who else can you turn to 869 00:47:40,133 --> 00:47:42,400 other than these two wireless operators 870 00:47:42,533 --> 00:47:45,800 who suddenly are his only source of help. 871 00:47:45,934 --> 00:47:48,900 [trans coder beeping] 872 00:47:49,033 --> 00:47:50,867 This was now their only lifeline 873 00:47:51,000 --> 00:47:53,367 for contacting the outside world. 874 00:47:53,500 --> 00:47:56,166 And Captain Smith must've wondered, 875 00:47:56,300 --> 00:47:59,567 perhaps this was the miracle that would rescue him. 876 00:48:00,767 --> 00:48:02,734 [Narrator] Of course, Smith has no idea 877 00:48:02,867 --> 00:48:05,600 that Lightoller's erroneous sextant reading 878 00:48:05,734 --> 00:48:07,400 from earlier in the evening, 879 00:48:07,533 --> 00:48:10,533 places his ship at a different position 880 00:48:10,667 --> 00:48:13,633 than the coordinates he's sending out for help. 881 00:48:14,100 --> 00:48:19,834 Still the SOS fans out, and some ships respond instantly. 882 00:48:21,734 --> 00:48:23,433 "Putting about and heading for you." 883 00:48:23,567 --> 00:48:26,100 Replies veteran Captain Arthur Rostron 884 00:48:26,233 --> 00:48:29,967 of the SS Carpathia, 58 miles away. 885 00:48:31,567 --> 00:48:34,967 Despite having 740 passengers of his own, 886 00:48:35,100 --> 00:48:36,700 he lights up his coal burners 887 00:48:36,834 --> 00:48:39,800 and sets a course for Titanic's position. 888 00:48:40,500 --> 00:48:47,033 [dramatic music] 889 00:48:47,166 --> 00:48:49,367 Meanwhile, on board the Californian, 890 00:48:49,500 --> 00:48:51,633 about 20 miles north of Titanic, 891 00:48:51,767 --> 00:48:53,433 and the closest ship to her, 892 00:48:53,567 --> 00:48:56,967 Captain Lord has stopped down in the ice field 893 00:48:57,100 --> 00:48:59,867 and the Marconi is switched off. 894 00:49:02,066 --> 00:49:03,633 In those days, the fellows that worked 895 00:49:03,767 --> 00:49:05,700 in the wireless rooms on board ship 896 00:49:05,834 --> 00:49:08,300 clocked off at a certain time. 897 00:49:08,433 --> 00:49:11,266 At that point, the Californian was deaf to the world. 898 00:49:11,400 --> 00:49:12,367 It didn't know. 899 00:49:14,066 --> 00:49:15,533 [Narrator] With the Californian hunkered down 900 00:49:15,667 --> 00:49:18,433 for the night, across the same ice field, 901 00:49:18,567 --> 00:49:22,266 a chaotic scene is unfolding on Titanic. 902 00:49:23,934 --> 00:49:26,000 More than an hour after the collision, 903 00:49:26,133 --> 00:49:28,500 the first of Titanic's lifeboats begins lowering 904 00:49:28,633 --> 00:49:30,000 into the sea. 905 00:49:30,133 --> 00:49:31,967 [dramatic music] 906 00:49:32,100 --> 00:49:35,166 Around 12:45 a.m., Captain Smith gave an order. 907 00:49:35,300 --> 00:49:37,800 And that order was to load the lifeboats 908 00:49:37,934 --> 00:49:40,033 with women and children. 909 00:49:40,600 --> 00:49:42,367 [Narrator] This leads to the next revelation 910 00:49:42,500 --> 00:49:45,300 from inside Lord Mersey's box. 911 00:49:45,767 --> 00:49:47,333 During the British inquiry, 912 00:49:47,467 --> 00:49:49,133 Mersey makes a note in his journal 913 00:49:49,266 --> 00:49:53,200 referencing the testimony of Second Officer Lightoller, 914 00:49:53,333 --> 00:49:56,333 who says that he didn't load the lifeboats to capacity 915 00:49:56,467 --> 00:49:58,667 because he worried the new davits 916 00:49:58,800 --> 00:50:00,467 wouldn't hold the weight. 917 00:50:02,667 --> 00:50:04,667 Obviously, Second Officer Lightoller 918 00:50:04,800 --> 00:50:06,333 had to have some excuse 919 00:50:06,467 --> 00:50:09,200 for not loading the lifeboats to full capacity. 920 00:50:09,333 --> 00:50:10,934 That was his excuse. 921 00:50:11,066 --> 00:50:14,100 I can't believe that Lord Mersey would have bought it. 922 00:50:14,233 --> 00:50:16,667 [Narrator] Ultimately, Mersey did not. 923 00:50:16,800 --> 00:50:18,000 In his final report, 924 00:50:18,133 --> 00:50:20,467 he discovers there are a number of explanations 925 00:50:20,600 --> 00:50:22,800 why the lifeboats weren't full. 926 00:50:22,934 --> 00:50:26,000 Specifically, he writes that Lightoller's worry 927 00:50:26,133 --> 00:50:30,900 about the weight proved to be an unfounded apprehension. 928 00:50:31,667 --> 00:50:34,367 The fact is that lifeboats went into the water 929 00:50:34,500 --> 00:50:37,033 with less than a full capacity. 930 00:50:37,166 --> 00:50:39,433 Those crewman should have been pulling people 931 00:50:39,567 --> 00:50:43,266 by their collars to put them into the lifeboat. 932 00:50:45,633 --> 00:50:47,800 [Narrator] As Officer Murdoch fires the first 933 00:50:47,934 --> 00:50:51,033 of eight distress rockets into the night sky, 934 00:50:51,166 --> 00:50:54,533 the makeshift evacuation continues. 935 00:50:54,667 --> 00:50:57,633 On deck, confusion reigns. 936 00:50:58,900 --> 00:51:03,467 Dr. Samantha Montano studies human response to disasters. 937 00:51:04,867 --> 00:51:08,500 In 1912, there was no formal emergency management 938 00:51:08,633 --> 00:51:10,767 in the way that we have it today. 939 00:51:10,900 --> 00:51:12,767 Because there was that lack of training, 940 00:51:12,900 --> 00:51:15,600 that lack of planning about what to do 941 00:51:15,734 --> 00:51:17,767 in a situation like this, 942 00:51:17,900 --> 00:51:21,633 nearly the entire response was completely improvised. 943 00:51:26,133 --> 00:51:28,400 [Narrator] With Titanic's bow sinking lower, 944 00:51:28,533 --> 00:51:30,266 and the stern slowly rising 945 00:51:30,400 --> 00:51:32,500 against the blackness of the sea, 946 00:51:32,633 --> 00:51:34,266 the panic begins. 947 00:51:35,800 --> 00:51:38,567 The remaining passengers of all stations, 948 00:51:38,700 --> 00:51:41,767 surge toward the few remaining lifeboats. 949 00:51:42,633 --> 00:51:44,667 It's life or death. 950 00:51:45,633 --> 00:51:47,033 We do see more of that panic. 951 00:51:47,166 --> 00:51:51,266 It tends to be when people feel the threat is imminent, 952 00:51:51,400 --> 00:51:53,166 there is still a chance of escape, 953 00:51:53,300 --> 00:51:56,000 but that chance is dwindling. 954 00:51:59,200 --> 00:52:01,900 [Narrator] With the window of escape closing fast, 955 00:52:02,033 --> 00:52:05,100 White Star Lines chairman, Bruce Ismay, 956 00:52:05,233 --> 00:52:06,600 makes his way across the deck 957 00:52:06,734 --> 00:52:10,400 towards one of Titanic's few remaining lifeboats. 958 00:52:11,600 --> 00:52:12,600 One of the crew says, "Mr. Ismay, 959 00:52:12,734 --> 00:52:14,300 there's a space in this boat." 960 00:52:14,433 --> 00:52:17,233 And Ismay's got split second to make a decision. 961 00:52:17,367 --> 00:52:21,166 When the opportunity presents itself, 962 00:52:21,300 --> 00:52:22,934 he gets into the boat. 963 00:52:27,867 --> 00:52:29,734 [Narrator] Ismay is one of many men 964 00:52:29,867 --> 00:52:32,300 who displaces women and children 965 00:52:32,433 --> 00:52:34,934 during those last desperate minutes. 966 00:52:35,066 --> 00:52:39,266 Lifeboat 15 was one of the last lifeboats to be lowered 967 00:52:39,400 --> 00:52:40,967 on the starboard side, 968 00:52:41,100 --> 00:52:44,734 and the vast majority of its occupants were men. 969 00:52:46,533 --> 00:52:49,266 It opens the question as to why there weren't more 970 00:52:49,400 --> 00:52:51,767 women and children in the lifeboat. 971 00:52:51,900 --> 00:52:55,266 [solemn music] 972 00:52:55,400 --> 00:52:58,967 [Narrator] Inside the box, Mersey notes his concern. 973 00:52:59,100 --> 00:53:01,533 Here's another interesting section. 974 00:53:01,667 --> 00:53:05,000 This is May the 10th, 975 00:53:05,133 --> 00:53:08,667 and it's a testimony by Samuel Rule, 976 00:53:08,800 --> 00:53:11,467 who was a steward, talking about the lifeboats, 977 00:53:11,600 --> 00:53:15,133 and in particular talking about lifeboat 15. 978 00:53:15,266 --> 00:53:18,533 Sixty-eight who were saved who went in the lifeboat, 979 00:53:18,667 --> 00:53:21,633 were made up of 61 men, double underlined, 980 00:53:21,767 --> 00:53:23,900 and seven women and children. 981 00:53:25,166 --> 00:53:26,367 [Craig] This was an age in England 982 00:53:26,500 --> 00:53:29,967 where honor and chivalry prevailed. 983 00:53:30,433 --> 00:53:34,900 Now at the end, 61 men are, in a sense, rushing 984 00:53:35,033 --> 00:53:36,133 to get into this lifeboat 985 00:53:36,266 --> 00:53:38,533 with only seven or so women and children 986 00:53:38,667 --> 00:53:40,133 who may have been left. 987 00:53:40,266 --> 00:53:41,700 How could that possibly be? 988 00:53:41,834 --> 00:53:44,233 What happened to the women and children first rule? 989 00:53:44,367 --> 00:53:47,800 Was it a case that men had rushed the boats? 990 00:53:49,667 --> 00:53:58,667 [solemn music] 991 00:53:58,800 --> 00:53:59,834 [Narrator] At 2:00 a.m., 992 00:53:59,967 --> 00:54:03,633 with the ship minutes from sinking, 993 00:54:03,767 --> 00:54:05,467 Titanic's eight-member band 994 00:54:05,600 --> 00:54:07,734 under the direction of Wallace Hartley 995 00:54:07,867 --> 00:54:10,400 segues into a rendition of 996 00:54:10,533 --> 00:54:12,567 "Nearer, My God to Thee." 997 00:54:12,700 --> 00:54:15,800 All while the last of the remaining lifeboats 998 00:54:15,934 --> 00:54:17,400 are launching. 999 00:54:19,433 --> 00:54:22,934 One of the last orders attributed to captain Smith 1000 00:54:23,066 --> 00:54:24,800 was poking his head into the wireless shack 1001 00:54:24,934 --> 00:54:26,633 and basically telling Phillips and Bride, 1002 00:54:26,767 --> 00:54:28,567 "It's every man for himself, boys." 1003 00:54:31,767 --> 00:54:33,967 He knew of the magnitude of the tragedy 1004 00:54:34,100 --> 00:54:36,700 that was going to unfold when the ship sank. 1005 00:54:36,834 --> 00:54:38,233 Some of the firsthand accounts say 1006 00:54:38,367 --> 00:54:40,200 that he goes to the bridge, locks himself in 1007 00:54:40,333 --> 00:54:42,200 and waits for the tide to come in. 1008 00:54:44,533 --> 00:54:46,300 [Narrator] Titanic's bow submerges 1009 00:54:46,433 --> 00:54:50,266 and the stern rises nearly perpendicular to the water. 1010 00:54:50,400 --> 00:54:53,533 It's propellers completely aloft. 1011 00:54:54,233 --> 00:54:58,133 Just then, the once mighty unsinkable Titanic 1012 00:54:58,266 --> 00:55:00,300 splits in two... 1013 00:55:03,467 --> 00:55:06,800 and slides into the icy depths. 1014 00:55:06,934 --> 00:55:13,867 [solemn music] 1015 00:55:27,000 --> 00:55:31,967 At 2:20 a.m., April 15th, 1912, 1016 00:55:32,100 --> 00:55:33,800 just over two and a half hours 1017 00:55:33,934 --> 00:55:39,200 after hitting a one and a half million ton iceberg, 1018 00:55:39,333 --> 00:55:42,300 the seemingly unsinkable Titanic... 1019 00:55:45,700 --> 00:55:47,633 breaks in two. 1020 00:55:48,200 --> 00:55:51,467 For many of the thousand-plus free falling victims, 1021 00:55:51,600 --> 00:55:54,367 the end, while horrific and violent, 1022 00:55:54,500 --> 00:55:56,066 is also swift. 1023 00:55:58,367 --> 00:56:00,633 Some of these people may have been injured, 1024 00:56:00,767 --> 00:56:02,600 hit by falling objects, 1025 00:56:02,734 --> 00:56:04,133 hit by a lifeboat, 1026 00:56:04,266 --> 00:56:06,300 battered by the sinking of the ship. 1027 00:56:06,700 --> 00:56:09,066 If the person gets submerged, 1028 00:56:09,200 --> 00:56:12,700 they're gonna get a lung full of very cold salt water, 1029 00:56:12,834 --> 00:56:14,233 and they're gonna drown almost immediately, 1030 00:56:14,367 --> 00:56:15,633 and they're gonna die. 1031 00:56:18,400 --> 00:56:19,734 [Narrator] Those who survive the smack 1032 00:56:19,867 --> 00:56:21,734 into the subfreezing ocean, 1033 00:56:21,867 --> 00:56:24,667 experience excruciating pain. 1034 00:56:25,533 --> 00:56:28,467 Second Officer Charles Lightoller would equate it 1035 00:56:28,600 --> 00:56:31,567 to a thousand knives driving into the body. 1036 00:56:34,867 --> 00:56:37,767 Shiya Ribowsky is a medical legal investigator 1037 00:56:37,900 --> 00:56:40,166 and forensics consultant. 1038 00:56:40,700 --> 00:56:44,300 That makes sense because extreme cold 1039 00:56:44,433 --> 00:56:46,734 is going to feel like extreme heat. 1040 00:56:46,867 --> 00:56:48,200 At 28 degrees, 1041 00:56:48,333 --> 00:56:51,300 there's a physiologic response that happens 1042 00:56:51,433 --> 00:56:54,133 also known as a cold shock reflux. 1043 00:56:54,266 --> 00:56:56,300 And that's followed by 1044 00:56:56,433 --> 00:56:59,367 repeated, very rapid gasping. 1045 00:57:01,333 --> 00:57:02,266 You know, your brain is saying, 1046 00:57:02,400 --> 00:57:04,500 "Hey, get me out of this water." 1047 00:57:04,633 --> 00:57:07,433 And your arms just laying there at your side, 1048 00:57:07,567 --> 00:57:10,867 because they're no longer under your voluntary control. 1049 00:57:11,000 --> 00:57:16,033 [gurgling water] 1050 00:57:16,166 --> 00:57:18,967 I remember talking to a survivor, Eva Hart, 1051 00:57:19,100 --> 00:57:20,967 and her saying, 1052 00:57:21,100 --> 00:57:25,567 "Charles, it was not the screams that unhinged me. 1053 00:57:28,567 --> 00:57:31,533 It was the silence that came afterwards 1054 00:57:32,433 --> 00:57:34,800 when the cold had done its work." 1055 00:57:34,934 --> 00:57:38,533 [gurgling water] 1056 00:57:38,667 --> 00:57:43,033 It gives you an idea of just how deadly this exposure was. 1057 00:57:43,166 --> 00:57:46,700 Because of the 1,500 or so people that perished, 1058 00:57:46,834 --> 00:57:49,767 we can assume that hundreds perhaps 1059 00:57:49,900 --> 00:57:51,767 could have been rescued. 1060 00:57:51,900 --> 00:57:53,600 Only around 40 or so people 1061 00:57:53,734 --> 00:57:56,934 were pulled out of the water and survived. 1062 00:58:02,066 --> 00:58:04,700 [Narrator] Those 40 are picked up by two lifeboats 1063 00:58:04,834 --> 00:58:06,767 that turned back for them. 1064 00:58:06,900 --> 00:58:11,300 They are the only ones out of 20 lifeboats to do so. 1065 00:58:12,734 --> 00:58:15,066 Another boat, lifeboat number one 1066 00:58:15,200 --> 00:58:17,533 turns away from the victims in the water, 1067 00:58:17,667 --> 00:58:20,266 despite having enough room for them. 1068 00:58:22,700 --> 00:58:24,867 Here's an instance where a lifeboat 1069 00:58:25,000 --> 00:58:28,000 left with only 12 people, instead of 42. 1070 00:58:28,133 --> 00:58:31,100 The boat could have easily gone back and picked up others. 1071 00:58:31,800 --> 00:58:33,867 [Narrator] When a crewman on lifeboat number one 1072 00:58:34,000 --> 00:58:35,767 urges everyone to turn back, 1073 00:58:35,900 --> 00:58:39,266 two first class passengers, Sir Cosmo Duff-Gordon, 1074 00:58:39,400 --> 00:58:42,600 and his wife, Lady Duff-Gordon, refuse. 1075 00:58:44,066 --> 00:58:49,567 Sir Cosmo decides to give the crew five-pound notes. 1076 00:58:49,700 --> 00:58:52,266 It certainly didn't smell too good. 1077 00:58:54,400 --> 00:58:56,900 The Duff-Gordons were called to the British inquiry 1078 00:58:57,033 --> 00:58:59,200 to testify, and of course they simply denied 1079 00:58:59,333 --> 00:59:03,734 they were bribing the crew not to go back and rescue others. 1080 00:59:08,100 --> 00:59:10,266 [Narrator] The Duff-Gordons are the British inquiry's 1081 00:59:10,400 --> 00:59:12,667 only testifying passengers. 1082 00:59:12,800 --> 00:59:21,133 [dramatic music] 1083 00:59:21,266 --> 00:59:23,934 As Titanic sinks to the bottom, 1084 00:59:24,066 --> 00:59:27,600 RMS Carpathia is less than 30 miles away 1085 00:59:27,734 --> 00:59:29,667 and heading to the rescue. 1086 00:59:30,367 --> 00:59:31,934 Captain Rostron, 1087 00:59:32,066 --> 00:59:34,834 he went charging off in the middle of the night, 1088 00:59:34,967 --> 00:59:36,300 into an ice situation 1089 00:59:36,433 --> 00:59:39,400 that had already sunk the world's largest ship. 1090 00:59:43,934 --> 00:59:47,433 Rostron became the hero of the day, you know. 1091 00:59:47,567 --> 00:59:48,500 What'd he do? 1092 00:59:48,633 --> 00:59:51,100 He risked all those people's lives. 1093 00:59:51,233 --> 00:59:59,600 [solemn music] 1094 00:59:59,734 --> 01:00:02,567 The sun was about to come up over the horizon 1095 01:00:02,700 --> 01:00:05,600 when he found the lifeboats. 1096 01:00:06,567 --> 01:00:08,300 [Sean] And so they brought on as many of the survivors 1097 01:00:08,433 --> 01:00:09,867 they could find... 1098 01:00:11,633 --> 01:00:13,133 responding in a human way 1099 01:00:13,266 --> 01:00:15,567 to the suffering of people around them. 1100 01:00:15,700 --> 01:00:19,934 [solemn music] 1101 01:00:20,066 --> 01:00:22,266 One boat to come alongside 1102 01:00:22,400 --> 01:00:25,000 was the boat that carried Lightoller, 1103 01:00:25,133 --> 01:00:29,433 and he was immediately escorted to the bridge. 1104 01:00:29,567 --> 01:00:31,600 And Rostron said to him, 1105 01:00:31,734 --> 01:00:33,600 "Where is the Titanic?" 1106 01:00:33,734 --> 01:00:36,500 And with his voice cracking, Lightoller said, 1107 01:00:36,633 --> 01:00:38,000 "She's gone down, sir." 1108 01:00:38,133 --> 01:00:43,800 [ominous music] 1109 01:00:43,934 --> 01:00:47,100 [Narrator] As the morning sun arcs over the horizon, 1110 01:00:47,233 --> 01:00:48,834 the last of Titanic's lifeboats 1111 01:00:48,967 --> 01:00:51,667 paddles up alongside Carpathia. 1112 01:00:52,967 --> 01:00:55,900 Escorted on board, is White Star president, 1113 01:00:56,033 --> 01:00:57,567 J. Bruce Ismay, 1114 01:00:57,700 --> 01:01:00,734 quaking from the cold. 1115 01:01:00,867 --> 01:01:03,667 [Sean] For the owner of the ship to come home in a lifeboat 1116 01:01:03,800 --> 01:01:05,033 was seen as shameful. 1117 01:01:05,166 --> 01:01:08,200 He was immediately accused of cowardice 1118 01:01:08,333 --> 01:01:10,667 and seen as being someone who failed 1119 01:01:10,800 --> 01:01:12,533 to stand by his captain, 1120 01:01:12,667 --> 01:01:15,400 stand by his ship, stand by his passengers. 1121 01:01:15,533 --> 01:01:17,533 The ship that had made his name 1122 01:01:17,667 --> 01:01:19,900 was now threatening to ruin his name. 1123 01:01:20,867 --> 01:01:25,400 Ismay was in such a delicate frame of mind 1124 01:01:25,533 --> 01:01:29,300 that the surgeon of the Carpathia put him on opiates 1125 01:01:29,433 --> 01:01:31,166 to ease the pain. 1126 01:01:31,300 --> 01:01:35,333 [solemn music] 1127 01:01:37,500 --> 01:01:40,033 [Narrator] Rostron sets sail for New York, 1128 01:01:40,166 --> 01:01:44,133 where Carpathia is expected on the evening of April 18th. 1129 01:01:45,467 --> 01:01:49,633 Meanwhile, Titanic's Marconi operator, Harold Bride, 1130 01:01:49,767 --> 01:01:51,300 is plucked from a lifeboat 1131 01:01:51,433 --> 01:01:53,967 and dispatched to the wireless room. 1132 01:01:54,100 --> 01:01:57,567 An anxious world awaits. 1133 01:01:58,266 --> 01:02:00,967 A ship containing some of the richest, most powerful, 1134 01:02:01,100 --> 01:02:03,200 best known people in the world had sunk. 1135 01:02:03,333 --> 01:02:05,500 Everyone wanted to know what had happened. 1136 01:02:06,934 --> 01:02:08,433 The president of United States wanted to know 1137 01:02:08,567 --> 01:02:10,900 about his friends who were on board the ship. 1138 01:02:11,834 --> 01:02:12,767 What happened to Colonel Astor? 1139 01:02:12,900 --> 01:02:14,533 What happened to Benjamin Guggenheim? 1140 01:02:14,667 --> 01:02:17,133 [dramatic music] 1141 01:02:17,266 --> 01:02:21,033 [Sean] The rest of the world was screaming at the Carpathia 1142 01:02:21,166 --> 01:02:23,266 to let it know what had happened to the Titanic. 1143 01:02:23,400 --> 01:02:25,767 And they chose to rebuff information, 1144 01:02:25,900 --> 01:02:28,133 and they chose not to answer. 1145 01:02:28,266 --> 01:02:31,600 [solemn music] 1146 01:02:31,734 --> 01:02:34,934 [Narrator] But that doesn't stop a now lucid Bruce Ismay 1147 01:02:35,066 --> 01:02:37,867 from sending a cryptic message of his own 1148 01:02:38,000 --> 01:02:40,734 to White Star offices in London. 1149 01:02:42,200 --> 01:02:45,700 Titanic crew aboard Carpathia should be returned home 1150 01:02:45,834 --> 01:02:47,300 earliest moment possible. 1151 01:02:47,433 --> 01:02:50,233 Suggest you hold Cedric Sailing. 1152 01:02:51,400 --> 01:02:53,166 Yamsi. 1153 01:02:55,066 --> 01:02:57,367 I think the use of the reversal of the name 1154 01:02:57,500 --> 01:02:59,900 to say Yamsi rather than Ismay, 1155 01:03:00,100 --> 01:03:02,700 it might now look rather suspicious. 1156 01:03:02,834 --> 01:03:04,400 And you wonder what's going on. 1157 01:03:05,433 --> 01:03:06,667 Ismay sent this message, 1158 01:03:06,800 --> 01:03:09,600 have all the crew taken back to the UK 1159 01:03:09,734 --> 01:03:11,200 so that there could be a debriefing 1160 01:03:11,333 --> 01:03:14,700 and to come up with a unified story. 1161 01:03:15,133 --> 01:03:16,533 So if there was an inquiry, 1162 01:03:16,667 --> 01:03:20,467 everyone would be singing from the same page of the hymnal. 1163 01:03:20,600 --> 01:03:23,000 [dramatic music] 1164 01:03:23,133 --> 01:03:26,934 You've probably got 20 to 25 crew members 1165 01:03:27,066 --> 01:03:30,033 who really have stories to tell. 1166 01:03:30,166 --> 01:03:33,467 You wanna get them back to Blighty. 1167 01:03:33,600 --> 01:03:35,266 You wanna find out what their stories are 1168 01:03:35,400 --> 01:03:38,100 before the Americans could get to 'em. 1169 01:03:45,066 --> 01:03:53,800 [dramatic music] 1170 01:03:53,934 --> 01:03:55,333 [Narrator] After rescuing the last 1171 01:03:55,467 --> 01:04:00,834 of Titanic's 705 traumatized grief stricken survivors, 1172 01:04:00,967 --> 01:04:03,834 Captain Rostron's Carpathia sets a course 1173 01:04:03,967 --> 01:04:05,934 back from where she started... 1174 01:04:06,934 --> 01:04:08,467 New York City. 1175 01:04:12,100 --> 01:04:15,834 But on board, White Star president, J. Bruce Ismay, 1176 01:04:15,967 --> 01:04:18,934 is becoming increasingly panicked. 1177 01:04:20,100 --> 01:04:25,200 It doesn't take an Einstein to figure out 1178 01:04:25,333 --> 01:04:28,567 that if you've just sunk the biggest ship in the world 1179 01:04:28,700 --> 01:04:30,367 with a lot of people dying, 1180 01:04:30,500 --> 01:04:32,800 that there's going to be a reporter or two around 1181 01:04:32,934 --> 01:04:34,467 when you get to the dock. 1182 01:04:34,600 --> 01:04:37,967 [dramatic music] 1183 01:04:38,100 --> 01:04:41,033 There's that editorial cartoon of Ismay 1184 01:04:41,166 --> 01:04:43,133 looking like a maniac in a lifeboat 1185 01:04:43,266 --> 01:04:45,867 filled with nothing but grieving women. 1186 01:04:46,000 --> 01:04:49,133 And of course, the byline is J. Brute Ismay, 1187 01:04:49,266 --> 01:04:50,633 instead of Bruce. 1188 01:04:53,200 --> 01:04:56,000 [Narrator] In Washington, William Alden Smith, 1189 01:04:56,133 --> 01:04:58,400 a hard charging Senator from Michigan 1190 01:04:58,533 --> 01:05:00,800 is gearing up to lead an American inquiry 1191 01:05:00,934 --> 01:05:03,100 into the sinking. 1192 01:05:03,233 --> 01:05:06,266 It's set to begin the day after Carpathia's arrival 1193 01:05:06,400 --> 01:05:08,000 in New York. 1194 01:05:09,166 --> 01:05:13,033 So Ismay is desperate to dash back to London. 1195 01:05:15,000 --> 01:05:16,133 And he thought, "Let's just get out of here. 1196 01:05:16,266 --> 01:05:17,633 Let's get everyone back home. 1197 01:05:17,767 --> 01:05:19,066 We don't wanna get caught up in this 1198 01:05:19,200 --> 01:05:22,200 'cause this isn't gonna look good." 1199 01:05:22,333 --> 01:05:24,900 But unfortunately for him, 1200 01:05:25,033 --> 01:05:28,066 Senator Smith's plans put a stop to that. 1201 01:05:29,567 --> 01:05:31,867 [Narrator] Turns out Senator Smith was tipped off 1202 01:05:32,000 --> 01:05:33,533 by the U.S. Navy, 1203 01:05:33,667 --> 01:05:36,367 which intercepted Ismay's telegram. 1204 01:05:36,500 --> 01:05:39,266 So Smith prepares subpoenas to give to Ismay 1205 01:05:39,400 --> 01:05:41,433 and Titanic's officers 1206 01:05:41,567 --> 01:05:43,200 upon arrival in New York 1207 01:05:43,333 --> 01:05:45,633 on the evening of April 18th. 1208 01:05:47,433 --> 01:05:50,233 Lining the banks of the Hudson River 1209 01:05:50,367 --> 01:05:52,734 were 100,000 people. 1210 01:05:52,867 --> 01:05:54,233 From the battery all the way up 1211 01:05:54,367 --> 01:05:58,633 to the White Star Line pier at West 14th Street. 1212 01:06:00,400 --> 01:06:02,266 All of new York's policemen had been summoned 1213 01:06:02,400 --> 01:06:04,266 to patrol the crowds, 'cause people knew 1214 01:06:04,400 --> 01:06:06,200 this was gonna be mayhem. 1215 01:06:06,800 --> 01:06:10,266 [Narrator] As Carpathia snakes its way up the Hudson, 1216 01:06:10,400 --> 01:06:12,633 a tug boat filled with photographers 1217 01:06:12,767 --> 01:06:15,367 follows the ship to pier 54. 1218 01:06:15,834 --> 01:06:19,767 The flash of cameras lights up the sky. 1219 01:06:22,133 --> 01:06:24,200 Revealing Carpathia's decks 1220 01:06:24,333 --> 01:06:27,300 crammed with terrified passengers. 1221 01:06:31,166 --> 01:06:32,500 For those without knowledge 1222 01:06:32,633 --> 01:06:35,300 of what had become of their loved ones, 1223 01:06:35,433 --> 01:06:36,367 the hurt, 1224 01:06:36,500 --> 01:06:40,033 the pain of Titanic's loss 1225 01:06:40,166 --> 01:06:43,900 was continuing and maybe even deepening. 1226 01:06:45,000 --> 01:06:46,600 What became of my father? 1227 01:06:46,734 --> 01:06:49,033 What became of my husband? 1228 01:06:49,166 --> 01:06:56,266 [ominous music] 1229 01:06:56,400 --> 01:06:58,367 [Narrator] Halfway across the Atlantic Ocean, 1230 01:06:58,500 --> 01:07:00,266 the terrible fate of all those men, 1231 01:07:00,400 --> 01:07:03,700 women and children is all too evident. 1232 01:07:04,667 --> 01:07:07,500 The crew of the cable repair ship, Mackay-Bennett, 1233 01:07:07,633 --> 01:07:11,433 joined by the SS Minia, have completed the grim task 1234 01:07:11,567 --> 01:07:14,433 of recovering over 300 bodies, 1235 01:07:15,200 --> 01:07:19,600 One hundred and sixteen of which were buried at sea. 1236 01:07:20,533 --> 01:07:23,367 On April 26th, the Mackay-Bennett 1237 01:07:23,500 --> 01:07:26,300 steams back toward Halifax. 1238 01:07:27,967 --> 01:07:30,934 For the living, the voyage is surreal. 1239 01:07:32,533 --> 01:07:33,734 The wind and motion of the ship 1240 01:07:33,867 --> 01:07:36,934 causes the tarpaulins to rise and fall 1241 01:07:37,066 --> 01:07:40,800 producing the illusion that the bodies have come to life. 1242 01:07:43,800 --> 01:07:46,834 Must've been absolutely horrific for the crew 1243 01:07:46,967 --> 01:07:48,867 because you're walking around doing your daily duties, 1244 01:07:49,000 --> 01:07:50,166 and of course you turn your back, 1245 01:07:50,300 --> 01:07:51,367 and the next thing you turn around, 1246 01:07:51,500 --> 01:07:53,333 the canvas is blowing out over slightly 1247 01:07:53,467 --> 01:07:54,700 and you could see an arm exposed 1248 01:07:54,834 --> 01:07:57,166 and then you sorta tucked that arm back in. 1249 01:07:58,500 --> 01:08:01,000 How more nightmarish can this get? 1250 01:08:03,100 --> 01:08:08,834 [solemn music] 1251 01:08:09,633 --> 01:08:14,166 The arrival of Mackay-Bennett in Halifax on April the 30th 1252 01:08:14,300 --> 01:08:15,433 was a huge deal. 1253 01:08:17,400 --> 01:08:20,600 All the church bells in Halifax ring a death knell 1254 01:08:20,734 --> 01:08:22,266 for the Titanic victims. 1255 01:08:22,400 --> 01:08:25,066 [bell ringing] 1256 01:08:25,200 --> 01:08:27,800 There's a fleet of horse-drawn hearses 1257 01:08:27,934 --> 01:08:32,000 waiting at the dock 1258 01:08:32,133 --> 01:08:34,667 to take the bodies off to the Mayflower Curling Club 1259 01:08:34,800 --> 01:08:37,166 to be processed, to be identified. 1260 01:08:38,100 --> 01:08:40,433 And that's just one more surreal touch 1261 01:08:40,567 --> 01:08:42,533 to add to the whole thing. 1262 01:08:43,433 --> 01:08:46,834 [Narrator] With nearly 200 distended corpses 1263 01:08:46,967 --> 01:08:51,300 laid out on the curling rink ice, 1264 01:08:51,433 --> 01:08:54,333 each body is tagged, 1265 01:08:54,467 --> 01:08:55,967 numbered, 1266 01:08:56,100 --> 01:08:57,500 noted. 1267 01:08:57,633 --> 01:09:05,900 [gentle music] 1268 01:09:06,033 --> 01:09:08,667 [Richard] This is Fairview Lawn Cemetery here in Halifax, 1269 01:09:08,800 --> 01:09:12,667 and for 121 of Titanic's passengers, 1270 01:09:12,800 --> 01:09:15,300 this is where the maiden voyage ends. 1271 01:09:17,300 --> 01:09:20,066 This whole series here of headstones 1272 01:09:20,200 --> 01:09:22,467 have one thing in common: no names. 1273 01:09:22,600 --> 01:09:25,567 Just, died April 15th, 1912. 1274 01:09:26,934 --> 01:09:30,200 For every identified body in Fairview Lawn Cemetery, 1275 01:09:30,333 --> 01:09:33,133 there's two that are not. 1276 01:09:34,033 --> 01:09:37,567 This is all classes, walks of life represented. 1277 01:09:37,967 --> 01:09:42,800 And that speaks volumes as to the tragedy of Titanic. 1278 01:09:44,633 --> 01:09:49,300 [dramatic music] 1279 01:09:49,433 --> 01:09:51,867 [Narrator] While the dead are being brought to Halifax, 1280 01:09:52,000 --> 01:09:54,166 600 miles away in New York City, 1281 01:09:54,300 --> 01:09:57,133 the next phase of the spectacle is beginning. 1282 01:09:58,266 --> 01:10:01,066 In a packed ballroom in the Waldorf Astoria, 1283 01:10:01,200 --> 01:10:03,533 a day after the Carpathia arrived, 1284 01:10:03,667 --> 01:10:07,967 Senator Smith gavels in the United States inquiry. 1285 01:10:08,333 --> 01:10:11,800 A moment not lost on his counterpart in Britain. 1286 01:10:13,166 --> 01:10:15,500 Inside Lord Mersey's personal papers 1287 01:10:15,633 --> 01:10:19,500 are two copies of the official United States Senate inquiry 1288 01:10:19,633 --> 01:10:23,367 into the sinking of RMS Titanic. 1289 01:10:23,500 --> 01:10:27,166 The hearings start on April 19th, 1912, 1290 01:10:27,300 --> 01:10:30,567 two weeks before the British inquiry. 1291 01:10:31,133 --> 01:10:33,200 The American inquiry is like a three-ring circus. 1292 01:10:33,333 --> 01:10:35,700 And you have Senator Smith from Michigan, 1293 01:10:35,834 --> 01:10:38,000 who is doing his utmost to make Bruce Ismay 1294 01:10:38,133 --> 01:10:41,367 look like the worst villain since Pontius Pilate 1295 01:10:41,500 --> 01:10:43,467 turned Jesus over to the Romans. 1296 01:10:44,600 --> 01:10:46,533 [Narrator] Ismay is the first witness called, 1297 01:10:46,667 --> 01:10:49,133 and his testimony is damning. 1298 01:10:50,367 --> 01:10:53,900 He claims that he was just a voluntary passenger, 1299 01:10:54,033 --> 01:10:56,867 and that no one else was on deck 1300 01:10:57,000 --> 01:10:59,500 when he decided to save himself. 1301 01:10:59,633 --> 01:11:03,600 Senator Smith roasted Ismay left and right, 1302 01:11:03,734 --> 01:11:05,266 and condemned him 1303 01:11:05,400 --> 01:11:08,533 in the speech that he gave before Congress. 1304 01:11:10,900 --> 01:11:13,200 [Narrator] The vitriolic American attack on Ismay, 1305 01:11:13,333 --> 01:11:15,033 a leader in the shipping industry, 1306 01:11:15,166 --> 01:11:16,734 crosses the line. 1307 01:11:18,533 --> 01:11:21,600 The United States inquiry is seen as an affront to honor 1308 01:11:21,734 --> 01:11:24,667 and a threat to Britain's national interests. 1309 01:11:26,567 --> 01:11:28,300 This wasn't just a ship-- 1310 01:11:28,433 --> 01:11:31,567 the Titanic was the pride of Britain. 1311 01:11:34,433 --> 01:11:36,700 It was very important for the British government 1312 01:11:36,834 --> 01:11:40,867 that Britain's maritime interests weren't threatened 1313 01:11:41,000 --> 01:11:43,834 as a result of Titanic disaster. 1314 01:11:52,033 --> 01:12:02,066 [dramatic music] 1315 01:12:05,100 --> 01:12:06,967 [Narrator] When Lord Mersey is selected to lead 1316 01:12:07,100 --> 01:12:09,500 the British inquiry into the Titanic disaster 1317 01:12:09,633 --> 01:12:13,133 on April 22nd, 1912, 1318 01:12:13,266 --> 01:12:16,166 he's celebrated as a man of integrity. 1319 01:12:16,300 --> 01:12:22,967 [dramatic music] 1320 01:12:23,100 --> 01:12:27,834 We have a copy of the Daily Mail, 1321 01:12:27,967 --> 01:12:32,800 which is Wednesday, April the 24, 1912. 1322 01:12:32,934 --> 01:12:34,633 And it's got a little piece on him. 1323 01:12:34,767 --> 01:12:38,734 A man who fears nobody, Lord Mersey. 1324 01:12:40,333 --> 01:12:43,700 As a barrister, he earned the nickname, 1325 01:12:43,834 --> 01:12:46,033 the Little Terrier of Toxteth, 1326 01:12:46,166 --> 01:12:48,433 for his sort of dogged determination 1327 01:12:48,567 --> 01:12:52,767 to extract the truth from those he was cross questioning. 1328 01:12:53,433 --> 01:12:56,600 I think for him, the Titanic must've been an opportunity 1329 01:12:56,734 --> 01:13:01,266 to really get to the bottom of this appalling tragedy. 1330 01:13:03,166 --> 01:13:05,700 [Narrator] As the fallout from the hard hitting U.S. inquiry 1331 01:13:05,834 --> 01:13:09,567 continues to rain down on Great Britain, 1332 01:13:09,700 --> 01:13:12,667 the eyes of the world are on Mersey. 1333 01:13:13,200 --> 01:13:15,567 He awaits his turn 1334 01:13:15,700 --> 01:13:17,333 on the dais. 1335 01:13:17,967 --> 01:13:20,200 He knew what his position was. 1336 01:13:20,333 --> 01:13:22,266 He knew what he had to do. 1337 01:13:22,400 --> 01:13:25,700 He knew what his charge from the crown was 1338 01:13:25,834 --> 01:13:28,600 in terms of getting to the bottom of the disaster. 1339 01:13:30,400 --> 01:13:34,567 [Narrator] The British inquiry begins on May 2nd, 1912. 1340 01:13:34,700 --> 01:13:36,066 During its first week, 1341 01:13:36,200 --> 01:13:40,000 many of Titanic's surviving crew members testify. 1342 01:13:40,467 --> 01:13:44,633 Soon though, the focus turns to another ship entirely: 1343 01:13:46,133 --> 01:13:47,433 The Californian. 1344 01:13:47,567 --> 01:13:50,834 The ship that didn't hear Titanic's distress calls 1345 01:13:50,967 --> 01:13:53,934 because they'd turned off their wireless 1346 01:13:54,066 --> 01:13:55,333 and gone to bed. 1347 01:13:55,467 --> 01:13:59,867 [dramatic music] 1348 01:14:00,066 --> 01:14:01,834 Inside his personal box, 1349 01:14:01,967 --> 01:14:03,834 Mersey's copy of the American inquiry 1350 01:14:03,967 --> 01:14:07,233 contains the bruising examination of its captain, 1351 01:14:07,367 --> 01:14:08,700 Stanley Lord. 1352 01:14:10,100 --> 01:14:11,834 Stanley Lord has really posed 1353 01:14:11,967 --> 01:14:14,500 these difficult, difficult questions. 1354 01:14:15,133 --> 01:14:19,266 Captain Lord's testimony in the American inquiry 1355 01:14:19,400 --> 01:14:23,000 would probably serve as a kind of a pointing tool 1356 01:14:23,133 --> 01:14:26,233 as to where Mersey might go further. 1357 01:14:28,867 --> 01:14:30,633 [Mark] Lord Mersey wanted to investigate 1358 01:14:30,767 --> 01:14:33,934 how far Californian was from Titanic. 1359 01:14:36,400 --> 01:14:39,400 And what action could Californian have taken 1360 01:14:39,533 --> 01:14:44,400 in order to try and rescue Titanic's passengers and crew 1361 01:14:44,533 --> 01:14:47,033 and come to Titanic's assistance. 1362 01:14:48,367 --> 01:14:49,667 [Narrator] Earlier, the Californian 1363 01:14:49,800 --> 01:14:53,433 was 19 and a half miles north of Titanic's position 1364 01:14:53,567 --> 01:14:57,333 when it saw the ice field and telegraphed the warnings. 1365 01:14:57,467 --> 01:15:00,367 [tapping] 1366 01:15:00,500 --> 01:15:02,533 The wireless operation on board the Californian 1367 01:15:02,667 --> 01:15:04,200 sent a message. 1368 01:15:04,333 --> 01:15:06,533 "We're here, we're stopping, it's dangerous." 1369 01:15:06,667 --> 01:15:10,600 And it was received by the Titanic as almost like an aside. 1370 01:15:11,433 --> 01:15:12,900 They were told to shut up. 1371 01:15:14,300 --> 01:15:16,800 The wireless operation on board the Californian 1372 01:15:16,934 --> 01:15:19,233 then went to bed at the end of his day. 1373 01:15:19,367 --> 01:15:21,667 And at that point, the Californian then was cut off 1374 01:15:21,800 --> 01:15:23,166 from the outside world. 1375 01:15:23,300 --> 01:15:31,867 [solemn music] 1376 01:15:32,000 --> 01:15:33,867 Captain Lord was now finding himself 1377 01:15:34,000 --> 01:15:38,033 amongst all these powdered wigs in central London, 1378 01:15:38,166 --> 01:15:40,200 far from the sea as you can get, 1379 01:15:40,333 --> 01:15:43,000 and he's being grilled mercilessly. 1380 01:15:43,133 --> 01:15:46,867 [dramatic music] 1381 01:15:47,000 --> 01:15:48,400 [Narrator] Captain Lord asserts 1382 01:15:48,533 --> 01:15:52,133 that his ship was 30 miles from Titanic when she sank. 1383 01:15:52,800 --> 01:15:54,233 But separately, 1384 01:15:54,367 --> 01:15:57,667 Californians crewmen testify that they were close enough 1385 01:15:57,800 --> 01:16:00,433 to spot ship lights and flares 1386 01:16:00,567 --> 01:16:03,367 that could have been Titanic's. 1387 01:16:03,500 --> 01:16:06,900 [dramatic music] 1388 01:16:07,033 --> 01:16:10,700 These witnesses made the inquiry think 1389 01:16:10,834 --> 01:16:12,600 that they were in sight of the Titanic 1390 01:16:12,734 --> 01:16:13,900 and failed to act. 1391 01:16:14,033 --> 01:16:15,700 There's a very serious accusation. 1392 01:16:18,000 --> 01:16:19,467 [Narrator] Among a stash of saved letters 1393 01:16:19,600 --> 01:16:21,266 in Lord Mersey's box, 1394 01:16:21,400 --> 01:16:25,567 is one from Rear Admiral Arthur Gough-Calthorpe, 1395 01:16:25,700 --> 01:16:28,400 a Naval assessor and senior legal advisor 1396 01:16:28,533 --> 01:16:30,467 to Mersey during the inquiry. 1397 01:16:34,200 --> 01:16:37,767 Rear Admiral Calthorpe is really throwing doubts 1398 01:16:37,900 --> 01:16:40,033 on the whereabouts of the Californian. 1399 01:16:40,166 --> 01:16:42,734 Obviously, this was a very hot topic for the inquiry 1400 01:16:42,867 --> 01:16:46,300 and the guilt or innocence of Captain Lord 1401 01:16:46,433 --> 01:16:48,300 depended very much on it. 1402 01:16:48,433 --> 01:16:50,533 [Narrator] Gough-Calthorpe writes Mersey 1403 01:16:50,667 --> 01:16:54,233 a passionate letter, refuting Captain Lord's sworn testimony 1404 01:16:54,367 --> 01:16:57,734 that he was too far away to mount a rescue. 1405 01:16:58,867 --> 01:17:00,533 There is a strong presumption 1406 01:17:00,667 --> 01:17:04,633 that Californian was not where she says she was. 1407 01:17:04,767 --> 01:17:06,200 So he's casting doubt 1408 01:17:06,333 --> 01:17:09,200 on the assertion made by Captain Lord, 1409 01:17:09,333 --> 01:17:12,467 who clearly stated that the Californian 1410 01:17:12,600 --> 01:17:15,066 was well out of range of the Titanic. 1411 01:17:16,600 --> 01:17:18,133 What does this do? 1412 01:17:18,266 --> 01:17:21,033 This now tells Lord Mersey 1413 01:17:21,166 --> 01:17:23,266 that what he heard may not be accurate, 1414 01:17:23,400 --> 01:17:26,900 even if he found Stanley Lord to be credible. 1415 01:17:29,900 --> 01:17:32,100 [Narrator] When Lord Mersey issues his final judgment 1416 01:17:32,233 --> 01:17:34,867 on July 30th, 1912, 1417 01:17:35,000 --> 01:17:38,100 he blames the collision on excessive speed, 1418 01:17:38,233 --> 01:17:42,433 with the disaster compounded by a lack of lifeboats. 1419 01:17:45,767 --> 01:17:47,767 Despite concluding that Titanic's captain, 1420 01:17:47,900 --> 01:17:50,934 Edward Smith, made a very grievous mistake, 1421 01:17:51,066 --> 01:17:54,767 Lord Mersey states that, "It is in my opinion impossible 1422 01:17:54,900 --> 01:17:57,200 to fix Captain Smith with blame." 1423 01:17:57,333 --> 01:18:02,834 [solemn music] 1424 01:18:02,967 --> 01:18:05,367 However, Mersey's final report 1425 01:18:05,500 --> 01:18:08,667 did take aim at the Californian. 1426 01:18:10,367 --> 01:18:12,867 Concluding that Captain Lord could have come 1427 01:18:13,000 --> 01:18:15,700 to the assistance of the Titanic. 1428 01:18:15,834 --> 01:18:18,834 Had she done so, she might have saved many, 1429 01:18:18,967 --> 01:18:21,600 if not all of the lives that were lost. 1430 01:18:25,400 --> 01:18:30,133 Captain Lord, he was blamed for not doing enough. 1431 01:18:30,867 --> 01:18:34,667 The personal impact on him was probably stronger 1432 01:18:34,800 --> 01:18:38,800 than the financial impact of it. 1433 01:18:39,734 --> 01:18:42,000 He tried to clear himself, 1434 01:18:42,133 --> 01:18:44,100 but time ran out on him. 1435 01:18:45,467 --> 01:18:47,500 Californian could have galloped to the rescue 1436 01:18:47,633 --> 01:18:49,266 like the 5th Cavalry. 1437 01:18:50,867 --> 01:18:52,266 [bleep] 1438 01:18:58,333 --> 01:19:03,166 matic music] 1439 01:19:03,300 --> 01:19:07,300 [ominous music] 1440 01:19:07,433 --> 01:19:11,000 [Narrator] Since Titanic's demise in 1912, 1441 01:19:11,133 --> 01:19:14,233 a century worth of historians have sought access 1442 01:19:14,367 --> 01:19:16,834 to Lord Mersey's innermost thoughts. 1443 01:19:18,200 --> 01:19:20,066 Wondering whether they differ 1444 01:19:20,200 --> 01:19:22,100 from his public pronouncements. 1445 01:19:22,233 --> 01:19:26,467 [ominous music] 1446 01:19:26,600 --> 01:19:29,467 The notes in his journal were kept private 1447 01:19:29,600 --> 01:19:31,633 throughout the years until now. 1448 01:19:31,767 --> 01:19:34,166 If we didn't have these notes, 1449 01:19:34,300 --> 01:19:35,600 we wouldn't have known 1450 01:19:35,734 --> 01:19:38,834 that Lord Mersey was taking in all this information 1451 01:19:38,967 --> 01:19:41,867 and clearly recognized the problems. 1452 01:19:43,867 --> 01:19:45,467 [Narrator] After a careful review, 1453 01:19:45,600 --> 01:19:47,066 it's clear. 1454 01:19:47,200 --> 01:19:50,066 His final public judgment largely matches 1455 01:19:50,200 --> 01:19:52,767 what is in his private box. 1456 01:19:54,300 --> 01:19:56,800 There exists no evidence to prove 1457 01:19:56,934 --> 01:20:00,100 Lord Mersey was compromised in any way. 1458 01:20:01,133 --> 01:20:02,934 In the view of many historians, 1459 01:20:03,066 --> 01:20:05,633 Lord Mersey's inquest was fair, 1460 01:20:05,767 --> 01:20:09,066 his judicial responsibility uncompromised. 1461 01:20:11,767 --> 01:20:14,834 The British inquiry was not a criminal trial. 1462 01:20:16,200 --> 01:20:17,633 No one ever went to jail, 1463 01:20:17,767 --> 01:20:19,500 and there were very few lawsuits filed 1464 01:20:19,633 --> 01:20:22,433 against White Star or the Board of Trade. 1465 01:20:24,633 --> 01:20:29,000 And so, with Captain Smith going down with his ship 1466 01:20:29,133 --> 01:20:31,734 and his crew largely absolved, 1467 01:20:31,867 --> 01:20:33,300 popular perception of the disaster 1468 01:20:33,433 --> 01:20:35,834 has been open to interpretation. 1469 01:20:37,233 --> 01:20:39,567 Many who have retold Titanic's story 1470 01:20:39,700 --> 01:20:41,734 have latched on to the narrative of a 1471 01:20:41,867 --> 01:20:44,166 tragic act of God, 1472 01:20:44,300 --> 01:20:46,734 but Mersey knew better. 1473 01:20:47,033 --> 01:20:48,266 Mistakes were made 1474 01:20:48,400 --> 01:20:51,900 and more than 1,500 men, women, and children 1475 01:20:52,033 --> 01:20:53,734 lost their lives. 1476 01:20:58,767 --> 01:21:02,166 [soft music] 1477 01:21:02,300 --> 01:21:05,133 While the story of Titanic never faded, 1478 01:21:05,266 --> 01:21:08,266 the ship itself disappeared from view. 1479 01:21:09,667 --> 01:21:11,800 And then, 1480 01:21:11,934 --> 01:21:14,567 seven decades later, 1481 01:21:14,700 --> 01:21:19,000 a final piece of lost evidence emerges. 1482 01:21:19,133 --> 01:21:24,700 [solemn music] 1483 01:21:24,834 --> 01:21:29,166 In 1985, oceanographic explorer, Robert Ballard, 1484 01:21:29,300 --> 01:21:31,166 made the discovery of a lifetime. 1485 01:21:31,300 --> 01:21:33,066 [dramatic music] 1486 01:21:38,266 --> 01:21:41,333 [Narrator] Ballard spots Titanic's boilers. 1487 01:21:42,500 --> 01:21:45,033 Its telltale bow, 1488 01:21:45,166 --> 01:21:47,900 and confirm something equally significant. 1489 01:21:49,266 --> 01:21:51,300 When Titanic was finally found, 1490 01:21:51,433 --> 01:21:54,233 its position was about 13 miles 1491 01:21:54,367 --> 01:21:56,467 from where it was reported to be. 1492 01:21:56,600 --> 01:22:04,800 [dramatic music] 1493 01:22:05,500 --> 01:22:07,433 [Narrator] The discovery of Titanic's position 1494 01:22:07,567 --> 01:22:12,367 on the ocean floor, may speak to one last mystery. 1495 01:22:12,767 --> 01:22:15,400 Could its passengers have been saved 1496 01:22:15,533 --> 01:22:19,700 if only SS Californian had heard her distress call 1497 01:22:19,834 --> 01:22:21,400 and come to the rescue? 1498 01:22:22,000 --> 01:22:23,400 Maybe not. 1499 01:22:24,533 --> 01:22:26,400 When Titanic hit the iceberg, 1500 01:22:26,533 --> 01:22:29,600 her Marconi operators sent out an SOS, 1501 01:22:29,734 --> 01:22:31,767 but they gave the wrong location 1502 01:22:31,900 --> 01:22:35,767 because Titanic officers had taken a bad sextant reading 1503 01:22:35,900 --> 01:22:37,467 earlier that evening. 1504 01:22:39,033 --> 01:22:42,200 Carpathia was only able to find survivors 1505 01:22:42,333 --> 01:22:44,600 because her crew had seen a flair 1506 01:22:44,734 --> 01:22:47,700 fired from one of the lifeboats. 1507 01:22:47,834 --> 01:22:49,934 The absolute miracle that night, 1508 01:22:50,066 --> 01:22:53,633 was that in going towards the distress position, 1509 01:22:53,767 --> 01:22:56,600 which we now know is not accurate at all, 1510 01:22:56,734 --> 01:22:59,400 that the Carpathia stumbled into the place 1511 01:22:59,533 --> 01:23:01,266 where the lifeboats were. 1512 01:23:04,567 --> 01:23:06,600 [Narrator] Does this exonerate Captain Lord 1513 01:23:06,734 --> 01:23:08,367 of the Californian? 1514 01:23:08,500 --> 01:23:12,166 Had he steamed immediately to the location of the SOS, 1515 01:23:12,300 --> 01:23:14,100 he would have found nothing. 1516 01:23:17,600 --> 01:23:21,300 Years later, the British government reassessed the role 1517 01:23:21,433 --> 01:23:23,934 of Californian in the disaster. 1518 01:23:26,600 --> 01:23:28,934 In 1992, there was a subsequent inquiry 1519 01:23:29,066 --> 01:23:31,367 that exonerated the captain. 1520 01:23:31,500 --> 01:23:35,300 [solemn music] 1521 01:23:35,433 --> 01:23:40,266 Even if the Californian had left immediately on receipt 1522 01:23:40,400 --> 01:23:42,533 of the first distress message, 1523 01:23:42,667 --> 01:23:46,467 it could not have arrived in time to make any difference. 1524 01:23:51,233 --> 01:23:58,867 [solemn music] 1525 01:23:59,000 --> 01:24:00,600 [Narrator] Today, the Titanic lies 1526 01:24:00,734 --> 01:24:03,867 in an eerie state of decomposition. 1527 01:24:06,066 --> 01:24:09,100 Rusting on the bottom of the Atlantic, 1528 01:24:09,233 --> 01:24:13,934 but it's still as mesmerizing and captivating to the public 1529 01:24:14,066 --> 01:24:18,033 as it was 108 years ago. 1530 01:24:18,166 --> 01:24:28,066 [soft music] 1531 01:24:28,200 --> 01:24:37,900 ♪ ♪ 1532 01:24:38,033 --> 01:24:40,266 We're fascinated by the Titanic 1533 01:24:40,400 --> 01:24:41,934 because it is like a myth; 1534 01:24:42,066 --> 01:24:44,834 it's like something from a Biblical story. 1535 01:24:44,967 --> 01:24:47,266 [dramatic music] 1536 01:24:47,400 --> 01:24:49,400 It contains greed, 1537 01:24:49,533 --> 01:24:51,166 human ambition, 1538 01:24:51,300 --> 01:24:52,600 vanity. 1539 01:24:52,734 --> 01:24:55,200 This vast, modern and beautiful ship, 1540 01:24:55,333 --> 01:24:58,333 full of hope and ambition collided with fate 1541 01:24:58,467 --> 01:25:00,333 and in a spectacular way. 1542 01:25:01,567 --> 01:25:02,767 Although this was an accident, 1543 01:25:02,900 --> 01:25:05,667 it was clearly an avoidable one. 1544 01:25:07,467 --> 01:25:10,567 The crew didn't steer away from the iceberg. 1545 01:25:10,700 --> 01:25:12,400 They didn't reduce the speed. 1546 01:25:12,533 --> 01:25:15,400 They didn't load the lifeboats like they should have. 1547 01:25:16,467 --> 01:25:18,333 Many more lives could have been saved. 1548 01:25:22,633 --> 01:25:24,734 [Richard] The Titanic is the one event 1549 01:25:24,867 --> 01:25:28,000 that the last century will always be remembered for. 1550 01:25:29,033 --> 01:25:32,633 It's the combination of pride, hubris, 1551 01:25:32,767 --> 01:25:36,166 playing fast and loose with the regulations of the time, 1552 01:25:36,300 --> 01:25:39,133 and it's an incredibly tragic event 1553 01:25:39,266 --> 01:25:41,400 the world will never forget. 1554 01:25:42,967 --> 01:25:46,667 [ship horn blows] 1555 01:25:48,533 --> 01:25:49,900 [Narrator] Lord Mersey's British inquiry 1556 01:25:50,033 --> 01:25:52,433 led to crucial shipping industry changes 1557 01:25:52,567 --> 01:25:53,900 across the globe. 1558 01:25:54,734 --> 01:25:58,066 Adding more lifeboats to passenger ships, 1559 01:25:58,200 --> 01:26:01,800 24-hour radio communications, 1560 01:26:01,934 --> 01:26:04,834 and the formation of the International Ice Patrol, 1561 01:26:04,967 --> 01:26:06,300 to name a few. 1562 01:26:08,333 --> 01:26:11,200 One hundred and six years after it was created, 1563 01:26:11,333 --> 01:26:14,200 no ship heeding the warnings of the Ice Patrol 1564 01:26:14,333 --> 01:26:16,800 has struck an iceberg. 1565 01:26:17,667 --> 01:26:21,767 Titanic's legacy lives on.