Murdoch in 1912.
William McMaster Murdoch (February 28, 1873 - April 15, 1912) was a British sailor. Coming from a family of seamen, he entered the service of the White Star Line in 1900 and quickly became an officer there. In 1903 , his spirit of initiative allows him to avoid a clash with the Arab , of which he is then second officer. After serving on several of the company's prestigious ships, he was appointed in April 1912 as First Officer of the Titanic.
Biography[]
William Murdoch was the fourth son of Samuel Murdoch and Jane "Jeannie" Muirhead. Coming from a family with a long seafaring tradition, he also embarked on this professional path. After initially serving on a few sailing ships, Murdoch joined the White Star Line in 1900, serving on the Medic and Runic, among others, which operated in Australian waters. In 1903 he met teacher Ada Florence Banks from New Zealand on one of his voyages and married her in 1907. By then he had already been transferred to the Atlantic steamers. These included the Arabian, Celtic, Germanic, Oceanic, Cedric, Adriatic, Olympic and finally the Titanic.
At 10:00 p.m. m. By the afternoon of April 14, 1912, Murdoch had taken over the bridge watch from Second Officer Charles Lightoller. So he was on duty when the Titanic was on a collision course with an iceberg at 11:40 p.m. After Sixth Officer James P. Moody received the message "Iceberg ahead!" from the Crow's Nest and immediately passed it to Murdoch, the latter reacting immediately. He turned off the engine telegraph and let the engines run at full power. At the same time, he instructed helmsman Robert Hichens to turn to port with the steering command "hard starboard". Then he pulled the lever towards the Closing of the bulkheads of the watertight compartments of the ship's hold. However, the collision could no longer be avoided. However, it cannot be proven with certainty to what extent this version of the evasive maneuver attempt corresponds to the real facts, since the statements of some people contradict each other in part. In particular, the telegraphs in the engine room and boiler rooms are said to have said "halt" against the supposed "full back" engine order. See also: First Officer Murdoch and the evasive maneuver.
Later, following the captain's instructions, Murdoch supervised the evacuation of the ship on the starboard side. Murdoch did not interpret the "women and children first" order as strictly as, e.g. B. Light roller. With him, therefore, men had less trouble getting into a lifeboat. However, according to Jack Thayer, he shot two passengers who had not followed his instructions. Shortly after, he is said to have shot himself in the head. However, this remains controversial and various sources present it differently. Among other things, there are several testimonies from people, including Charles Lightoller, who claimed that Murdoch was still working on Collapsible Boat A. Having seen it being swept out to sea by rising water. One of the survivors, radio operator Harold Bride, later said that he last saw Murdoch near collapsible boat B floating with its keel up, and that Murdoch died in the water. His body was never found.