William McMaster Murdoch
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- See also William Murdoch (disambiguation).
Lieutenant William McMaster Murdoch RNR (February 28, 1873 - April 15, 1912) was RMS Titanic's First Officer, and was one of more than 1,500 people who died when the luxury liner sank in the Atlantic in 1912. Murdoch was on duty when he was given the shout: Iceberg right ahead before he famously replied: Stop engines, full astern together, hard a-starboard, and rang the warning bell.
Contents |
[edit] Life and career
Murdoch was born in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, the fourth son of Captain Samuel Murdoch, a master mariner, and Jane Muirhead, six of whose children survived infancy. The Murdochs were a long and notable line of Scottish seafarers who sailed the world's oceans as early as the 19th century; William's father and grandfather were both sea captains as were four of his grandfather's brothers and it is little wonder that he followed in the family tradition.
Murdoch was educated first at the old Dalbeattie Primary School in High Street, and then at the High School in Alpine Street until he gained his diploma in 1887. He was remembered as being an intelligent and hard-working scholar. Finishing schooling, he followed in the family seafaring tradition and was apprenticed for five years to William Joyce & Coy, Liverpool, but after four years (and four voyages) he was so competent that he passed his Second Mate's Certificate on his first attempt.
He served his apprenticeship aboard the Charles Cosworth of Liverpool, trading to the west coast of South America. It would have been a harsh apprenticeship, but it gave Murdoch the determination he needed to succeed. From May 1895 he was First Mate on the Saint Cuthbert, which was to sink in a hurricane off Uruguay in 1897. Murdoch gained his Extra Master's Certificate at Liverpool in 1896, at the age of 23. From 1897 to 1899 he was First Officer aboard the J.Joyce & Co. steel four-masted 2,534-ton barque Lydgate, that traded from New York to Shanghai.
From 1900 to 1912, Murdoch gradually progressed from Second Officer to First Officer, serving on a successive number of White Star Line vessels, Medic (1900 - along with Charles Lightoller, Titanic's second officer), Runic (1901-1903), Arabic (1903), Celtic (1904), Germanic (1904), Oceanic (1905), Cedric (1906), Adriatic (1907-1911) and the Olympic (1911-1912).
During 1903, Murdoch finally reached the stormy and glamorous North Atlantic run as Second Officer of the new liner Arabic. His cool head, quick thinking and professional judgement averted a disaster when a ship was spotted bearing down on the Arabic out of the darkness. He overrided a command from his superior, Officer Fox, to steer hard-a-port, rushing into the wheelhouse, brushing aside the quartermaster and holding the ship on course. The two ships passed within inches of one another. Any alteration in course would have actually caused a collision.
The final stage of Murdoch's career began in May 1911, when he joined the new Olympic, at 45,000 tons. Intended to outclass the Cunard ships in luxury and size Olympic needed the most experienced large-liner crew that the White Star Line could find. Captain Edward J. Smith assembled a crew that included Henry Tingle Wilde as Chief Officer, William Murdoch as First Officer, and Chief Purser Henry W. McElroy. On June 14th, 1911, Olympic made her maiden voyage to New York.
The first indications of what was to come occurred on September 20, when the Olympic had her hull badly damaged in a collision with the Royal navy cruiser HMS Hawke. Since Murdoch was at his docking-station at the stern of the ship during this collision -a highly responsible position- he found himself giving evidence in the inquiry into an incident that turned into a financial disaster for the White Star Line, as the voyage to New York had to be abandoned and the Olympic taken to Belfast for repairs, which took a good six weeks. It was thus not until December 11, 1911, that Murdoch rejoined his ship. During the time that he served aboard Olympic as First Officer (until some time in March, 1912) there were two further -though lesser- incidents, striking a sunken wreck and having to have a broken propeller replaced, and nearly running aground while leaving Belfast.
However, upon reaching Southampton, he learned that he had been appointed as Chief Officer of the new Titanic, sister ship to Olympic and reputedly the largest and most luxurious ship afloat. Lightoller later remarked that "three very contented chaps" headed north to Belfast, for he had been appointed First Officer, and their friend Davy Blair was to be the new second officer. Awaiting them would be an old Adriatic hand, Joseph Groves Boxhall, as Fourth Officer, and others who would be familiar colleagues, including the now aging Edward John Smith, as Captain, and on the verge of retirement.
[edit] RMS Titanic
39 year-old Murdoch, with an "ordinary master's certificate" and a reputation as a "canny and dependable man" (Titanic & Her Sisters Olympic and Britannic) had climbed through the ranks of the White Star Line to become one of its foremost senior officers. It was only natural that he was selected to be Titanic's Chief Officer, with sixteen years of maritime experience now behind him.
Murdoch had originally been assigned as the ship's Chief Officer, though when the Titanic's skipper E.J. Smith brought Henry T. Wilde, his Chief from his previous command, Murdoch was temporarily reduced to First while First Officer Charles Lightoller was in turn reduced to Second. The original Second, David Blair would sit out the voyage altogether while the rest of the ship's compliment of officers remained unchanged.
Murdoch was the officer in charge at the bridge when the Titanic struck the iceberg on April 14, 1912. He gave orders to 'full speed astern' and 'hard a starboard.' Some historians argue that reversing the engines gave a higher chance of hitting the iceberg than reducing the ship's forward motion and slowly turning the ship. Nonetheless, Murdoch was put in charge of the starboard evacuation where he was last seen attempting to launch a collapsible lifeboat.
After Titanic disappeared into the Atlantic Ocean on the morning of April 15, 1912, nothing more was ever seen of First Officer William Murdoch. Presumed drowned his body was never recovered. The effect on the Murdoch family back home was obviously great but work mates and friends also felt his loss.
However, within days of the disaster, several crew members and passengers began to speak of a suicide. Aboard the Carpathia, Titanic survivors, still in shock at what had happened, spoke at length about what they had seen. By the time Carpathia docked in New York, rumours of suicide were beginning to get a foothold in Titanic legend. Several names were mentioned: Captain Smith, Chief Officer Wilde… Before long, however, rumour of suicide had a recurring name: William Murdoch. It seemed ironic that of all the exciting events in Murdoch’s life, it was his death that would be the focus of rumour, speculation, and dramatization.
The unresolved mystery surrounding Murdoch’s last moments have thus been mentioned -many in passing- by various sources, without any definitive conclusion to the matter. Most have drawn on eyewitness accounts. The lack of conclusive evidence is the sole reason why no definitive answer has been put forward. However, in Walter Lord's seminal works on the sinking, "A Night to Remember" and "The Night Lives On" (and found in other accounts, as well), several members of the crew, including one of the ship's trimmers, Hemming, and Second Officer Lightoller, said they saw Murdoch hard at work attempting to free one of the Titanic 's collapsible lifeboats (Boat A) from the upper deck just before the bridge submerged in the final stages of the sinking.
In the 1997 film Titanic, Murdoch was portrayed by Ewan Stewart. The film depicted Murdoch taking — but later rejecting — a bribe from Caledon Hockley and shooting two men dead. After this, Murdoch saluted Chief Officer Henry Wilde and committed suicide. While there is no evidence of bribery, some survivor accounts refer to gun shots and to an officer's suicide. However, the accuracy of these accounts is questionable and the identity of the officer unknown. Since Murdoch's body was not recovered, these accounts are impossible to verify.
In his home town of Dalbeattie, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland there is a memorial to his heroism and a charitable prize has been established in his name.
[edit] References
- William McMaster Murdoch, A Career at Sea. By Susanne Störmer
- Encyclopedia Titanica
