William McMaster Murdoch - Wikipedia William McMaster Murdoch For other people named William Murdoch, see William Murdoch ( disambiguation ). This article may be expanded with text translated from the corresponding article in French. ( April 2011 ) Click for important translation instructions. View a machine - translated version of the French article. Google 's machine translation is a useful starting point for translations, but translators must revise errors as necessary and confirm that the translation is accurate, rather than simply copy - pasting machine - translated text into the English Wikipedia. Do not translate text that appears unreliable or low - quality. If possible, verify the text with references provided in the foreign - language article. You must provide copyright attribution in the edit summary by providing an interlanguage link to the source of your translation. A model attribution edit summary ( using German ) : Content in this edit is translated from the existing German Wikipedia article at ( ( : de : Exact name of German article ) ) ; see its history for attribution. You should also add the template ( ( Translated fr William McMaster Murdoch ) ) to the talk page. For more guidance, see Wikipedia : Translation. This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( August 2017 ) Lieutenant William McMaster Murdoch R.N.R. Picture taken before 1912, and published in accounts of the sinking of the Titanic at the end of 1913 ( 1873 - 02 - 28 ) 28 February 1873 Dalbeattie, Scotland 15 April 1912 ( 1912 - 04 - 15 ) ( aged 39 ) RMS Titanic, Atlantic Ocean Cause of death Unconfirmed ; body never recovered ; possibly suicide Education Dalbeattie High School Occupation Ship 's First Officer Spouse ( s ) Ada Florence Murdoch ( née Banks ) ( m. 1907 -- 12 ) Parent ( s ) Samuel Murdoch Jane Muirhead Notes Ranks : Lieutenant -- RNR William McMaster `` Will '' Murdoch ( 28 February 1873 -- 15 April 1912 ) was a Scottish sailor and first officer of the Titanic. Born from a family of sailors, William Murdoch was an officer of the Royal Naval Reserve ; he was employed by the White Star Line in 1900 and quickly rose to the rank of officer. In 1903, his leadership became recognized when he avoided a collision with the Arabic. In April 1912, Murdoch served as First Officer aboard the RMS Titanic. He is notable as the officer in charge on the bridge the night when the Titanic collided with an iceberg in the Atlantic Ocean. He was one of the 1,500 people who died in the disaster. Murdoch became an iconic Scottish hero, a status that is maintained and reflected by the memorial in his hometown of Dalbeattie. However, debate revolves around the adequacy of instructions given to avoid the iceberg. In the aftermath of the sinking, a number of eyewitness testimonies arose of a shooting / suicide by an officer during the launching of the last lifeboat. It is possible that Murdoch was that officer. The reported incident has been portrayed in two films about the Titanic. There has been no evidence yet to prove that Murdoch was not the officer seen committing suicide. Murdoch has become a figure of controversy, with mystery surrounding the circumstances of his death and his actions during the collision with the iceberg. Contents 1 Life and career 2 Titanic 2.1 Titanic 's sinking 3 Cause of death 4 Responsibility for sinking 5 Portrayals 6 References 6.1 Bibliography 7 External links Life and career Murdoch was born in Dalbeattie in Kirkcudbrightshire ( now Dumfries and Galloway ), Scotland, the fourth son of Captain Samuel Murdoch, a master mariner, and Jane Muirhead, six of whose children survived infancy. They were a long and notable line of Scottish seafarers who sailed the world 's oceans as early as the 19th century ; his father and grandfather were both sea captains as were four of his grandfather 's brothers. Murdoch was educated first at the old Primary School in High Street, and then at the Dalbeattie High School in Alpine Street until he gained his diploma in 1887. Finishing schooling, he followed in the family seafaring tradition and was apprenticed for five years to William Joyce & Coy, Liverpool, but after four years ( and four voyages ) he was so competent that he passed his second mate 's Certificate on his first attempt. He served his apprenticeship aboard the Charles Cosworth of Liverpool, trading to the west coast of South America. From May 1895, he was First Mate on the St. Cuthbert, which sank in a hurricane off Uruguay in 1897. Murdoch gained his Extra Master 's Certificate at Liverpool in 1896, at age 23. From 1897 to 1899, he was First Officer aboard the J. Joyce & Co. steel four - masted 2,534 - ton barque Lydgate, that traded from New York to Shanghai. Murdoch in his 30s From left to right : Murdoch, Chief Officer Joseph Evans, Fourth Officer David Alexander and Captain Edward J. Smith, all as seen on the Olympic From 1900 to 1912, Murdoch gradually progressed from Second Officer to First Officer, serving on a successive number of White Star Line vessels, Medic ( 1900, along with Charles Lightoller, Titanic 's second officer ), Runic ( 1901 -- 1903 ), Arabic ( 1903 ), Celtic ( 1904 ), Germanic ( 1904 ), Oceanic ( 1905 ), Cedric ( 1906 ), Adriatic ( 1907 -- 1911 ) and Olympic ( 1911 -- 1912 ). In 1903, Murdoch met a 29 - year - old New Zealand school teacher named Ada Florence Banks en route to England on either the Runic or the Medic. They began to correspond regularly and on 2 September 1907 they were wed in Southampton at St Deny 's Church. During 1903, Murdoch finally reached the stormy and glamorous North Atlantic run as Second Officer of the new liner Arabic. His cool head, quick thinking and professional judgement averted a disaster when a ship was spotted bearing down on the Arabic out of the darkness. He overrode a command from his superior, Officer Fox, to steer hard - a-port, rushing into the wheelhouse, brushing aside the quartermaster and holding the ship on course. The two ships passed within inches of one another. Any alteration in course would have actually caused a collision. The final stage of Murdoch 's career began in May 1911, when he joined the new RMS Olympic, at 45,000 long tons ( 46,000 t ). Intended to outclass the Cunard ships in luxury and size, it needed the most experienced large - liner crew that the White Star Line could find. Captain Edward J. Smith assembled a crew that included Henry Wilde as Chief Officer, Murdoch as First Officer, and Chief Purser Herbert McElroy. On 14 June 1911 Olympic departed on her maiden voyage to New York, arriving there on the 21st. The first indications of what was to come occurred on 20 September when the Olympic had her hull badly damaged in a collision with the Royal Navy cruiser HMS Hawke. Since Murdoch was at his docking - station at the stern during this collision -- a highly responsible position -- he found himself giving evidence in the inquiry into an incident that turned into a financial disaster for the White Star Line, as the voyage to New York had to be abandoned and the ship taken to Belfast for repairs, which took a good six weeks. It was thus not until 11 December 1911 that Murdoch rejoined the ship. During the time that he served aboard as First Officer ( until some time in March, 1912 ) there were two further -- though lesser -- incidents, striking a sunken wreck and having to have a broken propeller replaced, and nearly running aground while leaving Belfast. However, upon reaching Southampton, he learned that he had been appointed as Chief Officer of the new Titanic, the Olympic 's sister ship and reputedly the largest and most luxurious one afloat. Lightoller later remarked that `` three very contented chaps '' headed north to Belfast, for he had been appointed First Officer, and their friend Davy Blair was to be the new second officer. Awaiting them would be an old Adriatic hand, Joseph Groves Boxhall, as Fourth Officer, and others who would be familiar colleagues, including the now aging Edward J. Smith as Captain and on the verge of retirement. Titanic Murdoch, with an `` ordinary master 's certificate '' and a reputation as a `` canny and dependable man '', had climbed through the ranks of the White Star Line to become one of its foremost senior officers. He was selected to be the Titanic 's Chief Officer, with 16 years of maritime experience now behind him. Murdoch had originally been assigned as the ship 's Chief Officer, though when the Titanic 's skipper, Edward J. Smith, brought Henry Wilde, his Chief from his previous command, Murdoch was temporarily reduced to First while First Officer Charles Lightoller was in turn reduced to Second. The original Second, David Blair, would sit out the voyage altogether while the rest of the ship 's complement of officers remained unchanged. Titanic 's sinking Main article : Sinking of the RMS Titanic Murdoch was on the navigation bridge of the Titanic at the time of the collision with the iceberg. Murdoch was the officer in charge at the bridge when at approximately 11.40 pm on 14 April 1912 a large iceberg directly in the Titanic 's path was sighted. Quartermaster Robert Hichens, who was at the helm, and Fourth Officer Joseph Boxhall, who may or may not have been on the bridge during the collision, both stated that Murdoch gave the order `` Hard - a-starboard '', a tiller command which would turn the ship to port ( left ) by moving the tiller to starboard ( right ). At the time steering instructions on British ships generally followed the way tillers on sailing vessels are operated, with turns in the opposite direction from the commands. As Walter Lord noted in The Night Lives On, this did not fully change to the `` steering wheel '' system of commands in the same directions as turns until 1924. It has been alleged that Murdoch 's orders were misinterpreted by the helmsman, resulting in a turn the wrong way. Boxhall also reported that Murdoch set the ship 's telegraph to `` Full Astern '', though his testimony was contradicted by Greaser Frederick Scott and Leading Stoker Frederick Barrett who stated that the stoking indicators went from `` Full '' to `` Stop ''. During or right before the collision he may have also given an order ( as heard by Quartermaster Alfred Olliver when he walked onto the bridge in the middle of the collision ) of `` Hard a'port '' ( moving the tiller all the way to the port ( left ) side turning the ship to starboard ( right ) ) in what may have been an attempt to swing the remainder ( aft section ) away from the berg in a common manoeuvre called a `` port around '' ( this could explain his comment to the captain `` I intended to port around it '' ). The fact that such a manoeuvre was executed was supported by other crew members who testified that the stern of the ship never hit the iceberg. Despite these efforts the ship made its fatal collision at an estimated 37 seconds after the iceberg had been sighted. The starboard side scraped the iceberg, buckling the hull in several places and causing rivets to pop out below the waterline, opening the first five compartments ( the forward peak tank, the three forward holds and Boiler Room 6 ) to the sea. After the collision, Murdoch was put in charge of the starboard evacuation during which he launched ten lifeboats, containing almost 75 % of the total number who survived. He was last seen attempting to launch Collapsible Lifeboat A. He was never seen again after the ship disappeared into the Atlantic Ocean on the morning of 15 April 1912. His body was never recovered. The effect on his family back home was obviously deeply felt, but also work mates and friends felt his loss. He has false stories about him like his alleged dog Rigel. The memorial to William Murdoch in Dalbeattie. In Murdoch 's home town of Dalbeattie, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, there is a memorial to his heroism and a charitable prize has been established in his name. The charitable prize was given a donation by the James Cameron film for its portrayal of him after the residents of Dalbeattie complained. On April 3 and 4, 2012, the Associated Press announced that the Premier Exhibitions recovered Murdoch 's artifacts from the wreck of the Titanic. There was the toiletry kit, a spare White Star Line officer 's button, a straight razor, a shoe brush, a smoking pipe, and a pair of long johns. Cause of death Within days of the disaster, several crew members and passengers spoke of an officer committing suicide in the ship 's final moments ; in one example in a letter reprinted in the London Daily Telegraph, Third Class Passenger Eugene Daly wrote that he had seen an unknown officer shoot two men and then himself : `` an officer pointed a revolver and said if any man tried to get in he would shoot him on the spot. I saw the officer shot two men dead because they tried to get into the boat. Afterwards there was another shot, and I saw the officer himself lying on the deck. They told me he shot himself, but I did not see him ''. First class passenger George Rheims also said, `` While the last boat was leaving, I saw an officer with a revolver fire a shot and kill a man who was trying to climb into it. As there remained nothing else for him to do, the officer told us, ' Gentlemen, each man for himself. Good bye. ' He gave a military salute and then fired a bullet into his head. That 's what I call a man ! '' The officer was variously reported to be Captain Smith and Chief Officer Wilde. Before long, however, rumour of suicide had a recurring name : Murdoch. Second Officer Charles Lightoller said that he saw Murdoch hard at work attempting to free Collapsible A from the falls on the boat deck when a huge wave washed him overboard into the sea, and that `` other reports as to the ending are absolutely false ''. However, it seems that Lightoller may have jumped into the sea and so may have been unaware of Murdoch 's fate. It is also possible that Lightoller may have wanted to conceal the suicide, if it occurred, from Murdoch 's widow. Later in life, Lightoller is said to have admitted that he `` knew someone who committed suicide that night '' but never said who. Responsibility for sinking The orders that Murdoch gave to avoid the iceberg are debated. According to nearby Quartermaster Alfred Oliver, he immediately ordered the helm `` hard to port '' to ward off the stern of the iceberg. Hichens and the Fourth Officer Joseph Boxhall made no mention of the order. However, since the stern avoided the iceberg, it is likely that the order was given and carried out. Portrayals Theo Shall ( 1943 ) ( Titanic ) Barry Bernard ( 1953 ) ( Titanic ) Richard Leech ( 1958 ) ( A Night to Remember ) Paul Young ( 1979 ) ( S.O.S. Titanic ) ( TV Movie ) Stan Bocko ( 1989 ) ( Pilots of the Purple Twilight ) ( A play by Steve Kluger ) Malcolm Stewart ( 1996 ) ( Titanic ) ( TV Miniseries ) David Costabile ( 1997 ) ( Titanic ) ( Broadway Musical ) Ewan Stewart ( 1997 ) ( Titanic ) Courtenay Pace ( 1998 ) ( Titanic : Secrets Revealed ) ( TV Documentary ) Charlie Arneson ( 2003 ) ( Ghosts of the Abyss ) ( Documentary ) Brian McCardie ( 2012 ) ( Titanic ) ( TV series / 4 episodes ) David McArdle ( 2016 ) ( Pilots of the Purple Twilight ) ( A play by Steve Kluger ) In the 1996 miniseries and the 1997 film, Murdoch committed suicide. The latter depicted him accepting ( and later refusing ) a bribe from Caledon Hockley ; and shooting two passengers ( Tommy Ryan and an unnamed passenger ) in a mob on the deck after he presumes they intend to storm one of the remaining lifeboats. After realizing what he had done, he then salutes Chief Officer Henry Wilde and commits suicide by firing the pistol into his temple, his body crumpling backwards into the sea. When Murdoch 's nephew Scott saw the film, he objected to his uncle 's portrayal as destroying Murdoch 's heroic reputation, and studio executives later flew to Murdoch 's hometown to issue an apology for this depiction. According to Cameron, then, his depiction of Murdoch was not of a man `` gone bad '', a `` cowardly murderer '', but of an `` honorable man '' who accepts full collective responsibility for the predicament they are in and for the death of 1500 that were shortly to occur. He was overwhelmed by feelings of desperation and makes the ultimate payment by sacrificing his own life. He added, `` I 'm not sure you 'd find that same sense of responsibility and total devotion to duty today. This guy had half of his lifeboats launched before his counterpart on the port side had even launched one. That says something about character and heroism. '' This is perhaps why Murdoch has the privilege of being among those seen in Rose 's `` dream sequence '' at the end of the film, implying his heroic reputation. He is shown standing next to Thomas Andrews, smiling as Rose drifts by and clapping along with the rest of the crowd of happy onlookers as she and Jack kiss. References Jump up ^ Walter Lord ( 1955 ), A Night To Remember, Penguin Books Jump up ^ `` Appendix II : STOP Command / `` Porting Around '' Maneuver ``. marconigraph.com. Retrieved 23 August 2016. Fourth Officer Joseph Boxhall reported during the Enquiry that upon arriving on the bridge after the fact, he saw both telegraph handles pointing to FULL ASTERN, and heard Murdoch report that the engines had been reversed to Captain Smith. This, in effect, has led historians to believe that Murdoch rang down a ' crash stop. ' Jump up ^ Nathan Robison ( 12 February 2002 ). `` Hard a-starboard ''. Encyclopedia Titanica. Jump up ^ `` Titanic Inquiry Project -- United States Senate Inquiry ''. titanicinquiry.org. Jump up ^ `` Testimony of Robert Hichens ( Quartermaster, SS Titanic ) ''. Titanic Inquiry Project - United States Senate Inquiry. Jump up ^ Titanic sunk by steering blunder, new book claims Jump up ^ `` STOP Command / `` Porting Around '' Maneuver ``. marconigraph.com. Jump up ^ `` STOP Command / `` Porting Around '' Maneuver ``. marconigraph.com. Jump up ^ `` '' Last Log of the Titanic '' - Four Revisionist Theories -- a `` port around '' or S - curve manoeuvre in which `` the bow is first turned away from the object, then the helm is shifted ( turned the other way ) to clear the stern '' ``. Archived from the original on 28 October 2003. Retrieved 12 March 2009. Jump up ^ `` STOP Command / `` Porting Around '' Maneuver ``. marconigraph.com. SENATOR BURTON : Do you not think that if the helm had been hard astarboard the bow would have been up against the berg ? QUARTERMASTER GEORGE ROWE : It stands to reason it would, sir, if the helm were hard astarboard. Jump up ^ `` titanic-model.com, ' ' ' Titanic and the Iceberg ' ' ' -- By Roy Mengot ''. Titanic-model.com. 1912 - 04 - 14. Retrieved 2013 - 09 - 19. Jump up ^ `` The whole impact had lasted only 10 seconds ''. Pbs.org. 1912 - 04 - 10. Retrieved 2013 - 09 - 19. Jump up ^ Charles Pellegrino. `` William McMaster Murdoch, Titanic hero unstuck in time ''. Jump up ^ Winocour 1960, p. 316. Jump up ^ `` Hero dog ''. Titanic-titanic.com. Retrieved 2013 - 09 - 19. Jump up ^ `` Artifacts linked to Murdoch recovered from Titanic wreck ''. The Life and Mystery of First Officer William Murdoch. Retrieved January 28, 2017. Jump up ^ `` AP Exclusive : Titanic Artifacts Link to Officer ''. YouTube. Retrieved January 28, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Charles Herbert Lightoller - William Murdoch ''. Jump up ^ 101 Things You Thought You Knew about the Titanic - But Did n't ! at Google Books.co.uk Jump up ^ `` Charles Herbert Lightoller - William Murdoch ''. Jump up ^ 101 Things You Thought You Knew about the Titanic - But Did n't ! at Google Books.co.uk Jump up ^ ( Mark Chirnside 2004, p. 155 ) Jump up ^ ( Gérard Piouffre 2009, p. 140 ) Jump up ^ `` Nephew angered by tarnishing of Titanic hero ''. BBC News. 24 January 1998. Retrieved 19 September 2013. Jump up ^ `` Titanic makers say sorry ''. BBC News. 15 April 1998. Jump up ^ James Cameron 's Titanic, p. 129. Jump up ^ `` Murdoch ''. williammurdoch.net. Retrieved 23 August 2016. William McMaster Murdoch, A Career at Sea. By Susanne Störmer Encyclopedia Titanica Dalbeattie museum Bibliography Bruce Beveridge ( 2009 ). Titanic, the ship magnificent. Volume two : interior design & fitting out. The History Press. p. 509. ISBN 9780752446264. Daniel Allen Butler ( 2009 ). The other side of the night : The Carpathia, the Californian and the night the Titanic was lost. Casemate Publishers. p. 254. ISBN 1935149024. Mark Chirnside ( 2004 ). The Olympic - class ships : Olympic, Titanic, Britannic. Tempus. p. 349. ISBN 0 - 7524 - 2868 - 3. Gérard Piouffre ( 2009 ). Le `` Titanic '' ne répond plus ( in French ). Larousse. p. 317. ISBN 9782035841964. External links Dalbeattie Town History -- Murdoch of the ' Titanic ' Murdoch - The Man, the Mystery William McMaster Murdoch at Find a Grave William McMaster Murdoch : Women and Children First Order RMS Titanic First class facilities Second and Third class facilities Grand Staircase Animals aboard Musicians Sinking Alternative theories Changes in safety practices Legends and myths Lifeboats Lifeboat No. 1 British inquiry US inquiry Wreck of Titanic Maritime Memorial Act Deck officers Edward J. Smith ( Captain ) Henry Tingle Wilde ( Chief Officer ) William McMaster Murdoch ( First Officer ) Charles H. Lightoller ( Second Officer ) Herbert Pitman ( Third Officer ) Joseph G. Boxhall ( Fourth Officer ) Harold G. Lowe ( Fifth Officer ) James Paul Moody ( Sixth Officer ) Crew members Harold Bride William Denton Cox Sid Daniels Alfred Frank Evans Frederick Fleet Luigi Gatti Robert Hichens Violet Jessop Charles Joughin Reginald Lee Evelyn Marsden William Mintram Jack Phillips George Symons Passengers Fatalities Thomas Andrews John Jacob Astor IV David John Bowen Archibald Butt Thomas Byles Walter Donald Douglas Edith Corse Evans Annie Funk Jacques Futrelle Sidney Leslie Goodwin Benjamin Guggenheim John Harper Wallace Hartley Charles Melville Hays Edward Austin Kent Joseph Philippe Lemercier Laroche Francis Davis Millet Harry Markland Molson Michel Navratil Eino Viljami Panula W.T. Stead Ida Straus Isidor Straus John Borland Thayer Jr. Frank M. Warren, Sr. George Dennick Wick George Dunton Widener Harry Elkins Widener Duane Williams George Henry Wright Survivors Rhoda Abbott Madeleine Astor Lawrence Beesley Karl Behr Dickinson Bishop Mauritz Håkan Björnström - Steffansson Elsie Bowerman Francis Browne Margaret `` Molly '' Brown Daniel Buckley Helen Churchill Candee Charlotte Drake Cardeza Lucile Carter Gladys Cherry Margaret Devaney Sir Cosmo Duff - Gordon Lucy, Lady Duff - Gordon Ethel Flora Fortune Dorothy Gibson Archibald Gracie IV Frank John William Goldsmith Henry S. Harper Margaret Bechstein Hays Masabumi Hosono J. Bruce Ismay Margaret Mannion Alfred Nourney Arthur Godfrey Peuchen Edith Rosenbaum Noël Leslie, Countess of Rothes Emily Ryerson Frederic Kimber Seward Eloise Hughes Smith Jack Thayer Marian Thayer R. Norris Williams Last living survivors Lillian Asplund Ruth Becker Alden Caldwell Millvina Dean Edith Haisman Eva Hart Eleanor Ileen Johnson Louise Laroche Louise Kink Michel Marcel Navratil Winnifred Quick Marjorie Newell Robb Beatrice Sandström Barbara West Other Allison family Monuments and memorials General Memorials and monuments to the RMS Titanic Australia Bandstand ( Ballarat ) United Kingdom Engine Room Heroes ( Liverpool ) Engineers ( Southampton ) Musicians ( Southampton ) Titanic ( Belfast ) Orchestra ( Liverpool ) United States Straus Park ( New York City ) Titanic ( New York City ) Titanic ( Washington, D.C. ) Butt - Millet Memorial Fountain ( Washington, D.C. ) Popular culture Books Futility, or the Wreck of the Titan ( 1898 ) A Night to Remember ( book ) Polar the Titanic Bear Films Saved from the Titanic ( 1912 ) In Nacht und Eis ( 1912 ) Atlantic ( 1929 ) Titanic ( 1943 ) Titanic ( 1953 ) A Night to Remember ( 1958 ) The Unsinkable Molly Brown ( 1964 ) Raise the Titanic ( 1980 ) Secrets of the Titanic ( 1986 ) Ghostbusters II ( 1989 ) Titanica ( 1992 ) Titanic ( 1997 ) The Legend of the Titanic ( 1999 ) Titanic : The Legend Goes On ( 2000 ) Ghosts of the Abyss ( 2003 ) Titanic II ( 2010 ) Television S.O.S. Titanic ( 1979 ) Titanic : The Complete Story ( 1994 ) Titanic ( 1996 ) No Greater Love ( 1996 ) `` A Flight to Remember '' ( Futurama ) ( 1999 ) Titanic ( 2012 ) Titanic : Blood and Steel ( 2012 ) Music `` The Titanic ( It Was Sad When That Great Ship Went Down ) '' ( folk song ) The Sinking of the Titanic ( music composition ) Titanic ( musical ) The Unsinkable Molly Brown ( musical ) `` My Heart Will Go On '' ( song ) `` Nearer, My God, to Thee '' ( song ) Video games Titanic : Adventure Out of Time ( 1996 ) Titanic : Honor and Glory ( 2017 ) Museums and exhibitions SeaCity Museum ( Southampton ) Titanic Museum ( Branson, Missouri ) Titanic Museum ( Pigeon Forge, Tennessee ) Maritime Museum of the Atlantic ( Halifax ) Titanic Belfast Places Titanic ( Canada ) Titanic Canyon Titanic Quarter, Belfast Cape Race, Newfoundland Fairview Cemetery, Halifax, Nova Scotia Mount Olivet Cemetery ( Halifax ) Related Titanic Historical Society Encyclopedia Titanica Halomonas titanicae Women and children first SOS RMS Carpathia RMS Olympic HMHS Britannic Robert Ballard Replica Titanic Titanic II Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=William_McMaster_Murdoch&oldid=801259812 '' Categories : 1873 births 1912 deaths Victims of the RMS Titanic People lost at sea People from Dalbeattie People who died at sea RMS Titanic 's crew and passengers Royal Navy officers Scottish sailors British Merchant Navy officers Hidden categories : Use British English from April 2012 Use dmy dates from April 2012 Articles to be expanded from April 2011 All articles to be expanded Featured articles needing translation from French Wikipedia Articles needing additional references from August 2017 All articles needing additional references Pages using infobox person with unknown parameters Articles with hCards All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from December 2014 CS1 French - language sources ( fr ) Find a Grave template with ID not in Wikidata Talk Contents About Wikipedia Azərbaycanca Čeština Deutsch Eesti Español Esperanto Français Bahasa Indonesia Italiano Magyar Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Polski Português Русский Suomi Svenska Українська Tiếng Việt Edit links This page was last edited on 18 September 2017, at 17 : 05. 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Question: who was at the helm when the titanic sank
Answer: Robert Hichens