The Triumvirate: Captain Edward J. Smith, Bruce Ismay, Thomas Andrews and the Sinking of Titanic

by George Behe

Titanic literature is full of misconceptions about the actions and motives of key individuals involved. When George Behe set out to write a book thoroughly documenting the activities of the Titanic’s Captain Edward J. Smith during his vessel’s maiden voyage, he soon realised that Smith’s activities were intimately intertwined with those of two other “top officials” in the Titanic story – shipbuilder Thomas Andrews and White Star Line chairman Joseph Bruce Ismay. With that being the case, he expanded his coverage to include all three men – men whose post-disaster reputations differ from each other as greatly as night differs from day. This gripping study examines exactly what each of these three pivotal figures in Titanic’s story said and did across Titanic’s doomed maiden voyage, culminating in their vastly differing fates, cross referencing all the various survivor accounts and correcting many false impressions and muddled ideas along the way.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

304 pages, Hardcover

Published April 4, 2024

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not a straightforward biography of the three men the author focuses on within this book, but rather a contemporary record of comments, interviews and letters, as well as eye-witness account of events. For those who are unsure who the men are: Edward J. Smith was the captain of Titanic, sadly near retirement who was given Titanic almost as an award but who ends his life going down with the ship. Thomas Andrews was involved in designing the ship and went on the maiden voyage imagining he would be troubleshooting minor issues, but who ended his life shocked at the ship he constantly told people was unsinkable was, in fact, sinking. Bruce Ismay was the face of the White Star line who, after spending that night helping women and children to board lifeboats, was invited with another passenger to take the place of crewmen in the last lifeboat and help row. Stepping into the lifeboat saw him labelled as a coward, while many blamed him for pushing Captain Smith to try to break the record to reach New York. These men's fates were linked, not just that night, but throughout the aftermath and history, by comparison of their perceived actions.

For anybody interested in Titanic, this is a fascinating account, although it does have issues. Initially, looking at comments about the three men after the sinking, you obviously have people unwilling to say anything critical, especially of the Captain, who had done what was expected - the ultimate heroic sacrifice. Meanwhile, many (especially in the US press) were openly hostile towards Ismay. However, as the book settles down and the author takes us through the initial days of the trip, going on to a detailed look at that night and considering all of the various eye witness accounts and what really happened.

So, what did happen to those three men? Captain Smith did certainly do his utmost to keep calm, to advise women to get into the lifeboats, 'just in case,' to reassure them that help would come for the men before the ship went down, probably to try to save a young girl before refusing to climb into a collapsible life boat. There is one tragic account which suggests he almost steps onto safety, before refusing and turning back to the water. Did he do this because he knew how he would be viewed if he died? As the British investigation concluded, for Ismay to have done this would only have added another victim, when Ismay (who had worked tirelessly that night to help people into the lifeboats) was castigated as a coward simply for taking the offered place in a lifeboat. What would have been served by his not doing so? Meanwhile Thomas Andrews was apparently shocked and distressed at what happened and never attempted to save himself, so his memory was without criticism. Yet, all three men apparently worked with the single aim of helping those on board and of helping as many as possible escape.

This is a good addition to the books about Titanic, with lots of detail and the author gives and explains many points of view. So, for example, when newspaper interviews suggest that one of the men focused on this book did something either heroic or cowardly, then he will say where (as far as possible) that eye-witness was during the sinking and whether they could have - in fact - seen what they did. Overall, very readable and well-researched.

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

George Behe is one of the deans of Titanic history, and he's once again put forth a book that should be on the shelf of anyone with an interest in Titanic, no matter how small.

In this book, Mr. Behe examines something that has often been left to individual interpretation: the roles and actions of three of the most well-known men aboard the ship: Harland & Wolff Managing Director Thomas Andrews, Titanic Captain Edward J. Smith, and IMM President and White Star Line Chairman J. Bruce Ismay. The three have had divergent fates in the court of public opinion, with Mr. Andrews being a lionized hero, Captain Smith being both the heroic prototypical sea captain and the flawed author of the ship's demise, and Mr. Ismay being the villain to some and something of a victim to others. Now, for the first time in one place, we can examine their actions during the ship's voyage and sinking.

Mr. Behe weaves first-person accounts from all corners to tell the story, from seldom-seen accounts of Captain Smith from friends and personal acquaintances to countless survivor interviews and published accounts. In doing this, interspersed with his own expert commentary and analysis, the reader is placed back in 1912 as if observing events as they unfold.

To his credit, Mr. Behe does not discount the sometimes-conflicting accounts just because they conflict. He also includes all sides, positive and negative, for each of the men and their actions on that night. He dispels common myths, such as Mr. Andrews standing alone and unresponsive as he met his fate, while also providing surprising context for stories that have previously been dismissed, but now must be considered anew. Chief among these is the accounts, long felt to be apocryphal, of Captain Smith attempting to save a small child as the ship plunged before declining to save himself. The book sheds new light on many old accounts, and paints a convincing picture in all areas of the three men and their heroic actions as Titanic sank beneath them.

Not to be missed are the Appendixes that are included, especially one that examines the possibilities of Mr. Andrews and/or Captain Smith surviving. In this and the others, readers are invited to form a more complete picture of these men and their motivations.

As is common with his works, Mr. Behe does not claim to know all or to be the final word. As a good historian does, he instead presents all of the evidence germane to his chosen subject and invites the reader to decide for themselves. Nowhere is this more evident than in his discussion Mr. Ismay's actions before, during, and after the sinking.

Again, this is a book that simply must be on your shelf if you have any interest in the Titanic. A book by Mr. Behe is a book that you should own. As with every previous work, this one will leave you eagerly awaiting his next publication.

[David Allen Hines · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author takes a novel approach of using conflicting original source materials--newspaper articles, letters, and diaries, to depict the myriad of accounts of these three primary men in the Titanic sinking. I have read many books on the Titanic, and I had never seen some of the accounts before, which made for some very interesting reading. What will become very clear to most people who read this book is how eyewitness accounts--even those written immediately after the event--vary quite a bit. But truth is usually gleaned from piecing together multiple similar accounts from people who didn't know each other, and, the occasional person of impeccable veracity who may have observed an event others didn't. This book as interesting as it is, kind of just meanders through the accounts without much analysis. It's also clear many people embellished events in their recollections-- there is simply no way so many different people encountered and spoke to Captain Smith in the 160 some minutes between the ship striking the iceberg and sinking.

The author also seems to have an agenda to absolve Captain Smith. While there is no doubt that the captain was not totally frozen by shock after the extent of the damage and impending foundering were known--he focused on keeping passengers calm, calling the band to play, etc., he tried hard to contact the nearby Californian through rockets and blinker signals, he monitored wireless communication, there's just no doubt his speeding through an area known to have multiple icebergs, caused the tragedy. The reality is had the Titanic not struck the one isolated iceberg, she was headed to plow straight into a large icefield nearby--the one the Californian's captain had decided was so bad he stopped his vessel for the night.

The coverage of Bruce Ismay in the book is also curious. All accounts say essentially the same thing-- Ismay quickly grasped the situation and worked hard for some time to load passengers into lifeboats-- but then turned villain, saving himself and then trying to rush the crew back to England before they could be questioned by American investigators. The book provides nothing new here, nor with Thomas Ismay, who essentially did what Ismay did, except that he made no effort to save himself.

A nice thing in this book is the collection of pictures of the people whose accounts are included. Many I had never seen before. This is an interesting book for those who study the Titanic but in the end nothing new.

[Briar · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-written account of the men focused on. It goes into some of the myths and addresses them. Plenty of eyewitness testimonies to back up the claims. My big complaint deals with an officer not focused on. A more minor one would be a bit more of a structured timeline as to how the ship went down. How far in the sinking at different points on top of time stamps.

[Emma Ludlow · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating book that has really changed my perspective of the Titanic disaster. I thought I knew a fair bit, but this has really made me question the information I had previously seen. Easy to read and interesting.