Titanic

Chief Officer Wilde - RMS Titanic

On March the 27th, 1912, all of Titanic's officers had assembled aboard the newly constructed Titanic in Belfast in preparation for her sea trials. Onboard the Olympic, Henry Wilde wrote a letter to his eldest daugher Jennie, then aged about 11, dated the 30th of March 1912: "I am not sailing in this ship on Wednesday but going to join the Titanic. All arrangements are upset now owing to the coal strikes." (Sincerely Harry, Michael Beatty (63.)) So it seems that as early as the 30th of March 1912 Wilde was aware of his assignment to Titanic.

Disappointment: Captain of Cymric

Being assigned to Titanic was seemingly a disappointment for Wilde. There has long been speculation that Wilde was to be promoted to captain of a White Star vessel- possibly the Cymric.

In Lightoller's article from the Christian Science Sentinel (December 1912) this is referenced when he writes: "Wilde, who was formerly chief of the Olympic… was to have been given command of another of the White Star steamers, which, owing to the coal strike and other reasons was laid up, was sent for the time being to the Titanic as chief," Christian Science Sentinel (December 1912)

Additionally a letter from David Blair, originally assigned as Titanic's Second officer, dated 4th of April 1912 mentions "I shall have to step out to make room for [the] Chief officer of the Olympic who was going in command but so many ships laid up he will have to wait..." (On a Sea of Glass, p.58 (54.)). However the letter makes it unclear whether Blair was referring to Wilde being captain of the Olympic or whether it was another ship, which is more likely.

The Cymric, on which Wilde served as an officer - and was due to be captain. (Image Credit Jeff Newman, www.greatships.net)

A Mr Smith, a manager of a New York club for mercantile mariners, wrote in April 1912 saying that Wilde "would have been Captain of the Cymric two trips ago, only the coal strike and the tying up of some of the ships altered the company's plans." ("Portbrush letter" by Senan Molony (8.))

Elizabeth Gibbons also has evidence of possible captaincy: "In the 1950s surviving friends of Wilde told Geoffrey Marcus, author of "The Maiden Voyage", that Wilde was only talked into accepting the last minute assignment by their insistence that this was a brilliant opportunity not to be declined. Wilde was evidently preparing for his own captaincy, but there was something much more serious than pique in his disquiet. Why Henry Wilde did not wish to serve as Chief Officer on the Titanic is not known. White Star would later insist that Smith wanted Wilde because of the latter's experience with the giant liners, an explanation which explains nothing because it does not address the question of why Smith felt two experienced senior officers (Wilde and Murdoch) were obligatory for Titanic, when Haddock had just taken Olympic to sea with no experienced officer available except her Second Officer. The explanation has been proffered that Smith was going to take Titanic on the shorter northern route, the intention being to bring her into New York in the shortest time possible for a maiden voyage record, and preferred to have his two trusted officers from Olympic taking the night watches, when the risk was greatest." (To the Bitter End, (55.))

But Wilde's captaincy of the Cymric is actually confirmed by a letter Wilde himself wrote on the 31st of March 1912 to his sister-in-law Annie: "I am awfully disappointed to find that all arrangements for my taking command of the "Cymric" this time are altered, due to this coal strike and having to cancel so many of the ships and sailings… I am now going to join the "Titanic" for a time until some other ship turns up for me. How long that will be I cannot tell." There is a slight reference to his state of mind a year after his triple tragedy when he writes in his letter to Annie that it is "all work down here. I am just about tired of it, altho it keeps me busy and no time to think." He also mentions the high cost of the coal: "We are paying £2 a ton for coal for this ship and the "Titanic" a big price when we burn 900 tons a day." (Sincerely Harry, Michael Beatty (63.))

Southampton and the Reshuffle

By April 7th he was onboard Titanic but he is still not sure if he was indeed sailing aboard her. He writes to his sister Ada's daughters Norah and Edie on April 7th 1912 - "I am on the "Titanic" but I am not sure I am sailing on her yet... If I go on this ship we sail on Wednesday and will be back in 17 days." He had been working hard to get Titanic ready for sailing day "I have been kept very busy on board all day on Good Friday and again today Sunday with the crew getting the ship ready. She is very far behind to sail on Wednesday. Working on her night and day."

This crew document shows the officer reshuffle.

He is very positive about the ship: "She is an improvement on the Olympic in many respects and is a wonderful ship the latest thing in shipbuilding. I would like you all to see her." He later repeats the phrase "she is an improvement on the Olympic in two other letters - written on the 11th of April including his daughter Jennie, in which he adds the phrase "she is a very fine ship."

Wilde finds out at 2pm on the 9th of April 1912 that he is indeed chief officer aboard Titanic. He wrote to his children's nurse in a letter dated 9 April 1912; "Just a few lines to let you know that I am sailing on the Titanic tomorrow for a few voyages. I have only just heard that I am really going, had a telegram from Liverpool at 2pm this afternoon so I have to go." In another letter he clarifies it was actually "2.30pm on Tuesday"

There is some indication of stress - writing "I have to go" and also "I have been so busy and unsettled"

Much to their disappointment, Murdoch and Lightoller had to step down from their respective roles as Chief Officer and First Officer to make way for Wilde to take up the role as Chief Officer as he had been on the Olympic.

Wilde's letter to his nieces dated 7th April,
1912. (Click to enlarge)

Murdoch wrote in a letter dated April 8th, 1912 (the day before Wilde receives his telegram from Liverpool) : "I am still Chief Offr [Officer] until sailing day & then it looks as though I will have to step back, [to First Officer] so I am hoping that it will not be for long. The head Marine Supt. [Superintendent] from L'pool [Liverpool] seemed to be very favourably impressed & satisfied that everything went on A.1 [OK] & as much as promised that when Wilde goes I am to go up again."

In his autobiographical book "Titanic and Other Ships" Lightoller describes how this happened:

"Unfortunately whilst in Southampton, we had a reshuffle amongst the Senior Officers. Owing to the Olympic being laid up, the ruling lights of the White Star Line thought it would be a good plan to send the Chief Officer of the Olympic, just for the one voyage, as Chief Officer of the Titanic, to help, with his experience of her sister ship. This doubtful policy threw both Murdoch and me out of our stride; and, apart from the disappointment of having to step back in our rank, caused quite a little confusion. Murdoch from Chief, took over my duties as First. I stepped back on Blair's toes, as Second, and picked up the many threads of his job, whilst he - luckily for him as it turned out - was left behind. The other officers remained the same. However, a couple of days in Southampton saw each of us settled in our new positions and familiar with our duties." (47.)

Titanic's Crew Agreement document, with the signature of Chief Officer Wilde, aged 38, courtesy of National Archives, UK.

Captain Smith's Request?

There is no evidence that the
officer reshuffle was Smith's
decision.

It is a popular story that Captain Smith made the appointment of Wilde to Chief Officer. But as seen above, Wilde knew he was going aboard Titanic as early as the 30th of March, 1912 while he was still aboard the Olympic. Additionally, he receives a telegram from Liverpool headquarters at 2.30pm on the 9th of April. It is no wonder then that Lightoller confirms that "the ruling lights of the White Star Line thought it would be a good plan." So while Captain Smith may well have been involved in the decision making process, the evidence is that it ultimately came from the White Star Line management in Liverpool.

The last minute reshuffle seems to have meant that Lightoller (and also most likely Murdoch) did not have time to change their uniform rank insignia before the voyage, as seen in a photograph taken at a gangway door on 11 April which reveals that Lightoller is apparently still wearing his first officer's stripes (two stripes), causing later confusion among crew and passengers alike as to who the Chief Officer was.

As for the reasons behind the last minute reshuffle, there is perhaps some logic. Firstly, Wilde had been Chief Officer for six years - since May 1906 when he was promoted to Chief Officer of the RMS Medic on the Liverpool to Australia run. Similarly, Murdoch had been First Officer for six years - promoted to First Officer of the Oceanic also in 1906. Having two experienced officers in roles they were familiar with on the maiden voyage could well have made sense, especially if there was concern over the ageing Captain Smith. Additionally:

It is interesting to note that, for the maiden voyage of the Olympic, it had been decided to transfer Captain Smith, Chief Officer Evans and First Officer Murdoch of the Adriatic, her three senior officers, for the first voyage. Evans only completed the maiden voyage on the Olympic before his transferral to the Oceanic. Perhaps a similar arrangement for the maiden voyage of the Titanic was decided upon - three senior officers who had served together were to do one last voyage on the new sister ship. There was apparently a method to the Line’s allocation of crew - where the Olympic had drawn crew primarily from the Adriatic for her maiden voyage, the Titanic would draw heavily on the Oceanic’s crew in all three departments. Murdoch’s correspondence indicates that the Line had intimated to him that the demotion was only temporary: ‘I am still Chief Officer until sailing day & then it looks as though I will have to step back, but I am hoping that it will not be for long. The head Marine Supt. from L'pool seems favourably impressed & satisfied that everything went A1 & as much as promised that when Wilde goes that I am to go up again.’ ("On Watch" - Nautical-papers.com,2002 by Jemma Hyder and Inger Sheil)

Departure and Missing Glasses

In one of the most famous shots of Titanic departing Southampton, the tugs pulling her away from berth 44, we see the last and most poignant photograph of Chief Officer Wilde, standing on the prow of the ship, his hands seemingly clasped behind his back as he watches men working the lines. He is a tall, dark imposing figure on the world's largest ship embarking on its maiden voyage, working alongside Second Officer Lightoller on the forecastle.

Titanic departing Southampton docks, with Chief Officer Wilde standing on the prow. See below for close up.
(Click image to enlarge)

A close up of the above photograph reveals the striking silhouette of Chief Officer Wilde, observing the men working the lines on Titanic's prow.

Just as aboard Olympic, Wilde also witnessed the powerful effect of these new, large luxury liners. As the Titanic steamed along the River Test, the water displacement caused all six mooring ropes on the New York to break and her stern to swing toward Titanic.  Disaster was narrowly averted, but it must have caused Wilde some concern. However, unlike First Officer Murdoch who wrote a letter to his parents on April 11th that "only very narrowly that we escaped doing both she and ourselves serious damage," there is no record of Wilde writing about it. He does not mention it in his letters also written on the 11th to his family.

Lookout George Symons, asked Second Officer
Lightoller for binoculars, who in turn asked Wilde.

After leaving Southampton and 'clearing the Nab Lightship' (east of the Isle of Wight) George Symons, a lookout, asked Second Officer Lightoller for binoculars.  Lightoller himself remembers the conversation with Symons and testified at the British Inquiry that he raised it with Chief Officer Wilde:

"I was in my room, and I heard a voice in the quarters speaking. I recognised it as Symons, the look-out man, so I stepped out of my door, saw him, and said, “What is it, Symons?” He said, “We have no look-out glasses in the crow’s-nest.” I said, “All right.” I went into the Chief’s room, and I repeated it to him. I said, “There are no look-out glasses for the crow’s-nest.” His actual reply I do not remember, but it was to the effect that he knew of it and had the matter in hand. He said that there were no glasses then for the look-out man, so I told Symons “There are no glasses for you.” With that he left." (British Inquiry)

April 11th: Final Letters

At 8:10 p.m Titanic departed Cherboug bound for Queenstown, arriving at 11.30 am on Thursday 11 April at Cork Harbour on the south coast of Ireland. The docking facilities were not sufficient for a ship the size of Titanic and tenders were used to bring 113 third class and seven second class passengers came aboard, while seven passengers departed.

Also other boats pulled alongside the Titanic and sold souvenirs to First class passengers. According to Carpathia officer James Bisset's autobiography, the chief officer was given a kickback, or subsidy to limit the number of vendors allowed on board.

The Father Browne collection includes a photograph of a licensed seller of Irish Lace displaying her wares onboard an unnamed liner. Chief Officer Wilde, allegedly received a kickback to limit the number of vendors aboard Titanic in Queenstown.

Wilde wrote several letters that were posted while Titanic docked in Queenstown, Ireland, three days before the sinking:

To view higher resolution images of some of these letters click on the images below:

30th March Letter.
(Click to enlarge)

9th April Letter.
(Click to enlarge)

11th April Letter.
(Click to enlarge)

It is important to note that throughout these final letters Wilde is still positive about Titanic. He writes that "she is an improvement on the Olympic in many respects and is a wonderful ship the latest thing in shipbuilding." and then repeats the phrase "she is an improvement on the Olympic in two other letters - written on the 11th of April including his daughter Jennie, in which he adds the phrase "she is a very fine ship." Which does not connect with his final letter which has become Titanic legend, allegedly written to his sister Ada when Titanic made its final port of call in Queenstown, Ireland: "I still don't like this ship... I have a queer feeling about it."

The quote has never been given context as the letter this is allegedly taken from has never come to light, despite dozens of Wilde's letters being discovered. The origin seems to comes from author Geoffrey Marcus and his book 'The Maiden Voyage':

"When historian Geoffrey Marcus was researching his excellent book on the disaster, ‘The Maiden Voyage,’ he was able to trace surviving members of Wilde’s family who apparently had considerable material connected with the officer, including at least one letter written after he joined the White Star Line’s Titanic…. Geoffrey Marcus, interviewing the friends and families of the Titanic’s officers, discovered that Wilde had been reluctant to accept the appointment to the new ship. He hesitated until ‘a number of his friends declared he would mad to refuse this chance’, and so with misgivings he accepted it. Although the context of his remarks are lost, a passage from Wilde’s personal correspondence cited by Marcus still resonates eerily: ‘I still don’t like this ship... I have a queer feeling about it.’ ("On Watch" - Nautical-papers.com, 2002 by Jemma Hyder and Inger Sheil)

Senior Watches and Duties

Senior Officers’ Watches:

This schedule also allowed time for eating, as explained by Lightoller during the British Inquiry: "Lunch is at half-past 12. I relieve the First Officer, who has his lunch at half-past 12, and he comes on deck again about 1 o’clock or five minutes past; then I have mine."

According to steward John Hart, Chief Officer
Wilde was seen on a bulkhead inspection
with Thomas Andrews.

Wilde was also in charge of the 'chief officer's log book'. According to Third Officer Pitman at the United States Senate Inquiry: "The scrap log is kept on the bridge; the fifth and sixth look after that. The chief officer’s log is copied from that… The fifth and sixth keep the scrap log, as everything happens on the bridge, alterations of courses, deviations, and that sort of thing, and it is copied from there into the chief officer's log, which is really the official log." (US Inquiry)

According to Steward John Edward Hart, one of the other duties carried out by Chief Officer Wilde was a bulkhead inspection which took place on the 11th of April, the day after sailing: "I saw them [the bulkhead doors] closed at bulkhead door inspection on the day after we left Southampton... the Chief Officer came round with Mr. Andrews, the man representing Harland and Wolff’s." Hart was told to close the door himself, to check "in case anything should go wrong with the machinery leading from the bridge in closing those doors." (British Inquiry)

Third Officer Pitman confirmed that such a check took place daily at 11am:

15272. Is it not the duty of the officer, either the Chief Officer or First Officer, to go round at 11 o’clock each day and see the bulkhead doors closed? - The Commander does, yes. 15273. Was it done on the “Titanic”? - That I cannot say. (British Inquiry)

April 12th: Ice warning

Chief Officer Wilde discussed a message from the La Touraine with
Captain Smith and Fourth Officer Boxhall

Ice warnings began arriving on Titanic's bridge from April 12th and one of the earliest messages, according to Fourth Officer Boxhall, from a French ship the La Touraine, was discussed with Chief Officer Wilde.

It was received in the evening and described crossing "thick ice-field lat. 44.58, long. 50.40’ Paris’; saw another ice-field and two icebergs lat. 45.20, long. 45.09 ‘ Paris’; saw a derelict 40.56 long. 68.38, ‘Paris.’" The reference to "Paris" is the longitude of Paris and according to Boxhall "we had some discussion on board the ship - the Captain, Mr. Wilde, and myself. I forget the difference in longitude between Paris and the British meridian, but we allowed for that… I believe it is something like 54 minutes, but I am not sure." (British Inquiry). As the Touraine was north of the Titanic's track: "it was too far north to be of any use to us. They were absolutely out of the way… miles north." (British Inquiry)

April 14th Final watch: Turning the corner

Fourth Officer Boxhall spoke to Chief Officer
Wilde during his Sunday 2pm - 6pm watch
about 'turning the corner' (Boxhall family/
Inger Sheil)

Henry Wilde's final watch took place on Sunday April 14th from 2pm to 6pm. Fourth officer Boxhall, also on duty during this time, remembered discussing with Wilde the turning of the 'corner' -the course correction which turns the ship further south, pointing her towards New York. According to Boxhall at the British Inquiry, there was an order for the course to be altered at 5.50 and "remarked to the Chief Officer between 4 o’clock and 6 o’clock that I considered the course ought to have been altered some considerable time before 5.50 - that is, if it was meant to be altered at the corner, 42 N., 47 W. Whether we spoke to the Captain about it or not I do not know. I just remarked that to the Chief Officer, and the course was altered at 5.50. I consider that the ship was away to the southward and to the westward of that 42 N. 47 W. position when the course was altered. (British Inquiry)

Wilde's final watch finished at 6pm and he was relieved by Second Officer Lightoller, for the 6 - 10pm watch. When the watch changed to First officer William Murdoch at 10pm, Wilde was likely asleep in his cabin, ensuring he got enough sleep for his next watch which began at 2am in the morning. However, he will be woken at least two hours before that time with news that will startle him into action.