The shooting at Collapsible C is one of the most mysterious events that took place during the sinking of the Titanic. During the loading of Collapsible C, tumult started and gunshots were fired.
Some sources say that two stewards tried to rush into the boat, causing an officer to use his gun. It is also said to be that that were two male passengers trying to get a seat. There is also the possibility that the guns were only shot into the air as a warning.
What did the survivors say?[]
First Class passengers[]
- Hugh Woolner and Mauritz Steffansson came to inspect the tumult. Woolner wrote in a private letter aboard the Carpathia:
- "We then turned our attention to a boat ready on the starboard side, (Boat C, Ismays Boat) where there was shouting going on. We saw the first officer [ Murdoch, at Collapsible C ] twice fire a pistol in the air ordering a crowd of the crew out of the boat. We ran in and helped bundle the men onto the deck and then we got a lot, about ten, Italian and other foreign women into that boat and when we saw it was being safely lowered we went away and made a final search on the deck below."
This is arguable, according to incomplete evidence presented here.
- George Rheims said in a letter to his sister:
- "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!"
- Jack Thayer wrote in 1940:
- "There was some disturbance in loading the last two forward starboard boats. A large crowd of men were pressing to get into them. No women were around as far as I could see. (...) Purser H.W.McElroy, as brave and as fine a man as ever lived, was standing up in the next to last boat, loading it. Two men, I think they were dining-room stewards, dropped into the boat from the deck above. As they jumped he fired twice into the air. I do not believe they were hit, but they were quickly thrown out."
Third Class passengers[]
- Irish Third Class passenger Eugene Daly told a newspaper:
"...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 shoot 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."
After that, Daly immediately jumped overboard.
- Syrian Third Class passenger Sha'nīnah Wihbah recalled:
"I saw Gerios Yousseff, one of my cousins. He pushed me toward one of the lifeboats. Sailors armed with revolvers drove the men away from the boats shouting, "Women and children first!". They shot into the air to frighten the men. Many passengers were overcome with fright. A woman I had met on the ship held a small child in her arms. Her five year old son, Tommy, was lost."
Crew[]
Steward Edward Brown, who was questioned almost solely about his actions at Collapsibles C & A, mentioned nothing.
What guns were used?[]
Before departure, First Officer Lightoller was demoted to Second Officer and he forgot to hand over the key of the gun cabinet to Murdoch. That's why it was Lightoller who was called from the lifeboats to go and, against his will, hand out the guns. He later recalled that the guns were Webley revolvers, still packed in greaseproof paper. But if that's true, the revolvers could only be used after intensive cleaning and there was no time for that.
Fifth Officer Lowe, who got involved in another shooting affair on board that night, recalled he used a Browning gun instead of a Webley revolver. It has been suggested that the Browning was from himself.
Who fired the gunshots?[]
The survior's accounts match at certain points, but not the details. After all, the Boat Deck was poorly illuminated and it was hard to see everything.
Only the officers were given guns and one of them must have fired the shots. Captain Smith, Chief Officer Wilde, First Officer Murdoch, and Sixth Officer Moody we’re the three officers present at the loading of Collapsible C, and none of them survived the sinking.
Suicide?[]
The testimonies of Daly & Rheims strongly suggest that an officer committed suicide after shooting the passengers. The only four candidates for this suicide are Smith, Wilde, Murdoch and Pursor McElroy, although there was only a couple of survivors who mentioned the latter.
Smith[]
There is little chance Captain Smith was the self-murderer. He was seen multiple times after the shooting by various survivors. Also, Smith would have been very recognizable among the officers, with four stripes and a white beard. Neither Daly nor Rheims speak about "the captain"; they're only referring to "an officer".
Also, regarding Smith's personality and reputation, he does not seem the type of man to first shoot at people then himself.
Wilde[]
Wilde was also seen by Quartermaster Rowe in Collapsible C after the launching. Wilde ordered him to send other lifeboats back to the ship to take more people. There is also evidence that Wilde had a lifebelt and was last seen smoking a cigar.
Murdoch[]
The infamous suicide in the 1996 Mini Series
The alleged suicide in the 1997 film
Murdoch was last seen trying to launch Collapsible A, where no shooting took place. Murdoch was the officer named as the suicide victim and was portrayed this way in the 1996 Miniseries. The 1997 Film, infamously portrayed Murdoch as killing two people at Collapsible A, including Tommy Ryan. Then Murdoch puts his pistol at his temple. When Murdoch's nephew Scott saw the film, he objected to the portrayal as damaging to Murdoch's heroic reputation, and film executives later flew to Murdoch's hometown to apologize. The film's director, James Cameron, said that the depiction was not meant to be negative, and 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."
Author Tim Maltin writes that, although the evidence is circumstantial, "it does seem that an officer did shoot himself and Murdoch seems the most likely candidate. As Titanic experts Bill Wormstedt and Tad Fitch point out; Murdoch was the man directly in charge of the ship in the hours leading up to the collision with the iceberg and he was therefore responsible for the ship and all its passengers during that time. His career at sea was effectively over, even if he survived the disaster".
Moody[]
James Paul moody has been accounted to of fired a shot to himself, however many people don’t say this but think he committed Suicide on a lifeboat. However if he fired it, it would’ve of been said by several people. Also Junior officers never had firearms given to them, Charles Herbert Lightoller said “I do not remember seeing Mr. moody at night tho I am given to understand, from what I have since, that mr moody must’ve have been standing quite close to me at the same time. He was on top of the officers quarters clearing away the collapsible boat on the starboard side, whilst Mr. Murdoch was working at the falls if that is so we were all practically in the water together.” However there is a book about the officer who shot himself, and it proposed Moody to committing suicide on Lifeboat 16. But no one said that he was aboard, Samuel Ernest Hemming said the last time he saw Moody was suggesting to let the boat float free before getting washed off.