1912 10th April
Titanic Maiden Voyage Departure
Commands Titanic as she leaves Southampton on 10 April 1912 for her maiden voyage to New York.
RMS Titanic · permanent subject timeline
Captain Edward Smith
Master of RMS Titanic on the maiden voyage. This page combines historical context with 12 matching records drawn directly from the World History Database Titanic archive.
Historical context
Captain Edward Smith: overview and significance
What happened?
Edward John Smith commanded Titanic on her maiden voyage after a long White Star Line career. He directed the ship's response after the collision and remained aboard during the sinking.
Why was it important?
As captain, Smith's decisions about navigation, speed, emergency response and evacuation were scrutinised by both inquiries and have remained central to discussion of the disaster.
World History Database records
Captain Edward Smith timeline
The records below are selected from the 241-record RMS Titanic archive and rendered as static HTML in chronological order.
1912
1912 10th April
Titanic Reaches Cherbourg
Commands Titanic during the first scheduled stop of her maiden voyage at Cherbourg.
1912 11th April
Titanic Leaves Queenstown
Commands Titanic as she leaves Queenstown for the open Atlantic and New York.
1912 14th April
Titanic Collision Response
Returns to the bridge and takes charge after Titanic strikes the iceberg.
1912 14th April
Titanic Ice Warnings
Receives information that ice has been reported ahead on Titanic's North Atlantic route.
1912 15th April
Death of Edward Smith
Dies during Titanic's sinking after directing the evacuation and distress response.
1912 15th April
Sinking
Titanic founders at about 2:20 a.m. on 15 April after striking an iceberg; Smith dies with the ship.
1912 15th April
Titanic Distress Order
Orders Titanic's wireless operators to call for assistance after the collision.
1912 17th April
Senate Titanic Investigation Resolution
Leads the move for a Senate investigation immediately after news of Titanic's loss reaches the United States.
1912 19th April
United States Titanic Inquiry Opens
Leads the United States Senate inquiry into the Titanic disaster as hearings begin.
1912 22nd April
Titanic Senate Hearings in Washington
Continues the Senate investigation after hearings move from New York to Washington.
1912 28th May
Titanic Senate Report
Presents the Senate inquiry's findings and safety recommendations after weeks of hearings.
Editorial provenance
Sources and editorial review
Compiled and edited by World History Database.
Historical context is editorial material; the chronology is generated from World History Database Titanic records.
Last reviewed: September 2026.
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