![]() According to the 1917 ship's manifest, Haddock had not been back to the United States since 1914. The voyage's manifest shows that Haddock's trip was funded by the Admiralty, and states that his final destination was Newport News, Virginia, where he would be received by the British Navy. From 5 to, Haddock sailed from Liverpool to New York City as a passenger aboard the SS Saint Paul, six months before she was taken over for wartime service. However, the Admiralty refused to release Haddock from his assignment in Belfast and by 1916 Haddock had resigned from the White Star Line. In 1915, Harold Sanderson, head of International Mercantile Marine, tried to reassign Haddock to captain Britannic when she was converted to a hospital ship. ![]() Haddock was redeployed to command a dummy fleet of wooden dreadnoughts and battle cruisers, and was stationed in Belfast. Olympic was subsequently laid up until being converted to a troopship at the outbreak of World War I. With the start of the First World War, in October 1914, Haddock was back in command of Olympic during her attempt to assist the battleship HMS Audacious after she had collided with a German mine off the western coast of Scotland. This refit lasted until mid 1913 and while Olympic was laid up Haddock commanded other White Star ships. ![]() On 9 October 1912 White Star withdrew Olympic from service and returned her to her builders at Belfast to have modifications added to incorporate lessons learned from the Titanic disaster six months prior, and improve safety. The error was attributed to faulty navigation, and Haddock was under strict observation for his next few voyages. Fortunately lookouts spotted waves breaking at the base of the rocks in time and another disaster was averted. Seven weeks after the Titanic disaster, Haddock steaming at night almost ran the Olympic aground on rocks near Land's End. Haddock gave his residence as Southampton, and his employment as a " Master Mariner". In the United States Senate inquiry into the sinking of the Titanic, Haddock was interviewed by William Alden Smith on. Subsequently, the wireless room aboard the Olympic operated as a clearing room for radio messages. He said that he was returning to harbour in New York, and recommended that other ships do the same. About 675 souls saved Titanic foundered about 2.20 am." Rostron requested that the message be forwarded to White Star and Cunard. When 100 nautical miles (190 km 120 mi) from Titanic, at approximately 1600 ET on 15 April, Haddock received a message from Captain Rostron of RMS Carpathia, explaining that continuing on course to Titanic would gain nothing, as "All boats accounted for. He also sent for an engineer to set the ship's engines to full power. After receiving a CQD call from Titanic, Haddock calculated a new course and headed directly to her. Haddock was informed of the disaster by wireless operator Ernest James Moore at 2250 ET on 14 April. Īt the time of Titanic 's sinking Haddock was sailing Olympic easterly from New York to Southampton, approximately 500 nautical miles (930 km 580 mi) west by south of Titanic 's location. ![]() Olympic was given the radio call sign MKC. On 3 April he began Olympic 's tenth Southampton-New York-Southampton roundtrip, arriving in New York on 10 April, the day Titanic left Southampton. Smith at Belfast on 31 March and then returned to Southampton to take command of Smith's previous ship, RMS Olympic. He signed on as her master at Southampton on 25 March 1912, and then travelled to Belfast to oversee the crew that was assembling there for the ship's delivery trip to Southampton. Haddock was also nominally the first commander of RMS Titanic. White Star Line Īfter his Royal naval service, Haddock joined the White Star Line, where he captained a number of liners including the RMS Britannic, SS Germanic, RMS Cedric, and RMS Oceanic. He was later aide de camp to King George V. In 1902, Haddock was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath. He joined the Royal Navy, serving as a lieutenant aboard HMS Edinburgh. Haddock was born to Herbert James Haddock (born 1825) in Rugby, Warwickshire on 27 January 1861. Ī 1911 story in The New York Times described Haddock as the "only skipper in the Atlantic trade who wears the mid-Victorian mutton chop whiskers without a beard or mustache". He was the first person to captain Titanic, overseeing the ship at Belfast while her delivery-trip crew was assembling there from 25 to 31 March 1912. Herbert James Haddock CB (27 January 1861 – 4 October 1946 ) was an English naval reserve officer and ship's captain, and was best known as the captain of the RMS Olympic at the time of the sinking of the Titanic.
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