Stephanie Barczewski

I've been to his hometown in Scotland, and people there are quite sensitive about, you know, how Murdoch has been treated.

I've been to his hometown in Scotland, and people there are quite sensitive about, you know, how Murdoch has been treated.

It's an incredibly violent event. The ship starts to tear itself apart as the hull is subjected to these incredible forces, you know, because the bow's full of water, the stern is not. And so the weight of the bow just pushing on the stern and literally breaking the ship apart.

It's an incredibly violent event. The ship starts to tear itself apart as the hull is subjected to these incredible forces, you know, because the bow's full of water, the stern is not. And so the weight of the bow just pushing on the stern and literally breaking the ship apart.

Yeah. I mean, to be somewhat gory about it, his face was utterly, I mean, and this is a famous man, you know, everybody knew what he looked like and his face was utterly unrecognizable. So it was just the fact that because he was a rich person, his clothing was monogrammed, right? So everything was JJA and that's how they were actually able to identify him.

Yeah. I mean, to be somewhat gory about it, his face was utterly, I mean, and this is a famous man, you know, everybody knew what he looked like and his face was utterly unrecognizable. So it was just the fact that because he was a rich person, his clothing was monogrammed, right? So everything was JJA and that's how they were actually able to identify him.

There's this idea that captains are supposed to go down with their ships in this kind of heroic way, you know, help to save all the passengers and then nobly go down with a ship. Because that idea is so strong, there were certainly myths about Captain Smith that were invented later.

There's this idea that captains are supposed to go down with their ships in this kind of heroic way, you know, help to save all the passengers and then nobly go down with a ship. Because that idea is so strong, there were certainly myths about Captain Smith that were invented later.

So there were stories about him that he was seen swimming around in the water with a baby and he sort of swam up to a lifeboat and handed them a baby. And then they were, you know, they tried to convince him to, you know, to get on board the lifeboat. He was like, no, I can't do that and swam away, never to be seen again.

So there were stories about him that he was seen swimming around in the water with a baby and he sort of swam up to a lifeboat and handed them a baby. And then they were, you know, they tried to convince him to, you know, to get on board the lifeboat. He was like, no, I can't do that and swam away, never to be seen again.

You know, it's a great question of what was Captain Smith doing while the sinking was going on. He's a curiously absent figure. I don't really mean that to criticize him, but we don't really know. He certainly wasn't swimming around in the water handing babies off to lifeboats. I think that's safe to say.

You know, it's a great question of what was Captain Smith doing while the sinking was going on. He's a curiously absent figure. I don't really mean that to criticize him, but we don't really know. He certainly wasn't swimming around in the water handing babies off to lifeboats. I think that's safe to say.

Everybody who's still on the ship will have retreated to the stern by that point, right? Because that's the part of the ship that's the most out of the water. But the stern, you know, I think probably, you know, all kinds of things were exploding and blowing up, you know, just as it went under.

Everybody who's still on the ship will have retreated to the stern by that point, right? Because that's the part of the ship that's the most out of the water. But the stern, you know, I think probably, you know, all kinds of things were exploding and blowing up, you know, just as it went under.

The stern is just a mess. It's just a tangled mess of metal and cables, and it's hardly recognizable at all. And you get a sense of the kind of violence of the last moments of the ship from seeing that.

The stern is just a mess. It's just a tangled mess of metal and cables, and it's hardly recognizable at all. And you get a sense of the kind of violence of the last moments of the ship from seeing that.

Some of them go off less than a third full. And part of that's because early on, they can't really convince people to get into the lifeboats. People are like, why would I want to get off this nice warm ship and go out there in the freezing cold ocean? The ship seems a lot safer. But part of it also is because the lifeboats are not being loaded in a very kind of orderly fashion.

Some of them go off less than a third full. And part of that's because early on, they can't really convince people to get into the lifeboats. People are like, why would I want to get off this nice warm ship and go out there in the freezing cold ocean? The ship seems a lot safer. But part of it also is because the lifeboats are not being loaded in a very kind of orderly fashion.

Everybody is in a sort of state of shock. And it's a kind of gradually dawning shock, right? Because it doesn't happen sort of instantaneously. The Titanic disaster, they have two hours and 40 minutes over which the sinking getaway goes from everything's fine to the ship is under the water. And I think people's behavior evolves over that time. I think different people react in different ways.

Everybody is in a sort of state of shock. And it's a kind of gradually dawning shock, right? Because it doesn't happen sort of instantaneously. The Titanic disaster, they have two hours and 40 minutes over which the sinking getaway goes from everything's fine to the ship is under the water. And I think people's behavior evolves over that time. I think different people react in different ways.