Edward Smith

Also known as Edward John Smith, E.J. Smith, EJ Smith, Edward John Smith, RD RNR

captain of the RMS Titanic (1850–1912)

AI overview

Edward Smith was the captain of the RMS Titanic, the famous ocean liner that sank in 1912 after hitting an iceberg. He remains a historically significant figure because his decisions and actions during the ship's final hours continue to be studied and debated as people try to understand what happened during the disaster.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Wikidata facts

Instance of: human
Part of: crew of the RMS Titanic
Given name: John
Family name: Smith
Gender: male
Citizenship: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
Place of birth: Hanley
Place of death: North Atlantic Ocean
Occupation: ship captain
Employer: White Star Line
Conflict: Second Boer War
Military branch: Royal Naval Reserve
Image: EJ Smith2.jpg

Show 7 more facts

Commons category: Edward Smith
date of birth: 1850-01-27
date of death: 1912-04-15
name in native language: Edward John Smith
member of the crew of: RMS Olympic
cause of death: drowning
manner of death: accidental death

Sources (3)

via Wikidata · CC0

~27 min read

Encyclopedic overview

Commander Edward John Smith RD RNR (27 January 1850 – 15 April 1912) was a British merchant sea captain and naval officer, who became best known as the captain of the ill-fated ocean liner RMS Titanic.

Born in Hanley, Staffordshire, Smith joined the British Merchant Navy at age 17 as an apprentice, beginning a long and distinguished mercantile career. In 1880, he joined the White Star Line as an officer, rising quickly to become a captain in their fleet. He concurrently served in the Royal Naval Reserve, reaching the rank of "Commander" and receiving the Reserve Decoration when he was released in 1905. During the Second Boer War, Smith served as the commander of troop transport ships, transporting British Imperial troops to the Cape Colony and was awarded with the Transport Medal for his services.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Edward Smith” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.