The Captain’s Table: Overhauled and Refitted

Greetings everyone! 

It's been a while, hasn't it? I moved to the East Coast and got busy with grad school and work, so unfortunately this blog fell by the wayside. My wife's convinced me to revive it, and I'm happy to say that that's exactly what I'm doing! 

However, I'll no longer be posting to Blogger. I made the decision to buy a domain and take things to the next level. Please look for any and all updates at captainstableblog.com! 

Thank you those who've supported this version of the blog over the years. I see that there have been a good number of comments over the last decade, so please forgive me for not getting back. I sincerely hope that you'll join me over on the new version of this blog. 

"You needn't worry...He will keep out of your way:" The Ramming of HMS Curacoa

During the dark days of World War II, HMS Curacoa was accidentally rammed and sunk by HMT Queen Mary off the coast of Northern Ireland on October 2, 1942. It was a military blunder that cost hundreds of lives and continues to haunt the Queen Mary today.

The HMS Curacoa, under the command of Captain John W. Boutwood, was charged with protecting the liner as she made her way to Gourock, Scotland. He took up a position about five miles ahead of Queen Mary at around 10:00 am as she made her way to disembark the over 10,000 soldiers aboard. The Cunard White Star liner was commanded by Captain C. Gordon Illingworth, who had his ship steer a standard zigzag course - known as Zigzag No. 8. Captain Boutwood, however, was not sure at which point in the pattern Queen Mary was currently at, which was the first in a series of errors.

The two ships started drifting dangerously close to each other. The Queen Mary's Junior First Officer Stanley Wright ordered "Hard-a-starboard!" Captain Illingworth emerged from the chartroom to see what the matter was. Examining the situation, he told Wright not to worry and ordered a correction.

After taking the appropriate action, Captain Illingworth told his subordinate that he "needn't worry about her. These fellows know all about escorting. He will keep out of your way."

At around the same time aboard Curacoa, some of Captain Boutwood's officers were concerned that Queen Mary was not keeping a steady course - and she eventually began overtaking the cruiser. Senior First Officer Noel Robinson took the watch from Wright and saw how close the Curacoa was approaching from starboard. He at first tried to ease off to port, but finally ordered Queen Mary "Hard-a-port!"

But it was too late.

The two ships collided with each other at 2:12 pm. The massive Queen Mary split Curacoa in two, leaving the cruiser's halves engulfed in flames. She sank six minutes later with a loss of 338 men - from a total crew of 439. The Queen Mary was under strict orders not to stop for anything and continued on to Scotland, where she was outfitted with a concrete plug and sailed to Boston for more permanent repairs.

Each ship was subsequently found to be responsible for the disaster. A recent dive to the Curacoa's wreck found that her rudder was still set ahead and made no attempt to correct course. It is likely, however, that everything happened so quickly that the cruiser's crew had no time to respond.

Either way, it was indeed a tragic day for both the Queen Mary and the British Royal Navy.

References: David A. Thomas & Patrick Holmes, Queen Mary and the Cruiser: The Curacoa Disaster (London: Leo Cooper, 1997), 79-91.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to all! May it be a grand day!

My family aboard the Queen Mary for Thanksgiving Brunch last year. I'm taking the photo.

Ahoy There!

Things have been quite busy in the last few months, and I apologize for neglecting this blog for as long as I have. I shall endeavor to keep up with it in the future. So in the meantime, here are some lovely photos of old ocean liners. Enjoy!

"Nearer My God to Thee"

Titanic Hits the Iceberg

Titanic's lookout, Frederick Fleet, spotted an iceberg directly ahead of his ship at 11:40 pm on April 14, 1912. Despite the crew's best efforts, a collision could not be avoided and fatal damage was inflicted on the liner. The iceberg opened Titanic's first five watertight compartments and was her death sentence.

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter everyone!!!

Easter on the Titanic

On April 7, 1912, just days before her maiden voyage, the Titanic sat quietly at Berth 44 in Southampton. There was little activity aboard the giant ship, or on the quay for that matter; it was Easter Sunday. Most of the ship's crew was celebrating with their families at home and observing the day.

Unsung Heroes: Titanic's Engineers

The other night I watched a program on PBS called Saving the Titanic, which focused on the engineers' valiant efforts to keep the lights on and ship afloat for as long as possible. I was particularly interested because little tends to be mentioned of these unsung heroes. Many of them were entombed in Titanic's bowels as she went down.

The above photograph, taken aboard Olympic, shows 14 engineering officers (numbered) who transferred to Titanic and were subsequently lost. They, along with Chief Engineer Joseph Bell (pictured below at right), along with hundreds of firemen and trimmers stayed at their posts until the end.

Stokers kept up the necessary steam in order to provide the electrical plant with power; the lights subsequently stayed on until minutes before Titanic sank. These men did everything in their power to keep the ship afloat, despite the fatal damage to her hull. All the pumps aboard the White Star liner couldn't save her.

Needless to say, there were tremendous casualties in the Engineering Department. All of Titanic's engineers perished in the disaster, including most of her firemen and trimmers. In fact, of the 316 men listed on the roster, only 72 survived the sinking. Memorials to these men were erected in Southampton and Liverpool.

All of their names are listed below, with the survivors' in bold and italicized.

Abrams, Mr. William

Adams, Mr. R.

Allen, Mr. Henry

Allen, Mr. Ernest Frederick

Allsop, Mr. Alfred Samuel

Avery, Mr. James Frank

Bailey, Mr. George W.

Baines, Mr. Richard

Bannon, Mr. John

Barlow, Mr. Charles

Barnes, Mr. Charles

Barnes, Mr. Frederick

Barrett, Mr. Frederick

Barrett, Mr. Frederick William

Beattie, Mr. Joseph

Beauchamp, Mr. George William

Bell, Mr. Joseph

Bendell, Mr. F.

Bennett, Mr. George Alfred

Benville, Mr. E.

Bessant, Mr. William Edward

Bevis, Mr. Joseph Henry

Biddlecombe, Mr. Charles

Biggs, Mr. Edward Charles

Billow, Mr. J.

Binstead, Mr. Walter

Black, Mr. Alexander

Black, Mr. D.

Blackman, Mr. H.

Blake, Mr. Percival Albert

Blake, Mr. Seaton

Blake, Mr. Thomas

Blaney, Mr. James

Blann, Mr. Eustace Horatius

Bott, Mr. W.

Bradley, Mr. Patrick Joseph

Brewer, Mr. Henry "Harry"

Briant, Mr. Albert

Brooks, Mr. J.

Brown, Mr. John

Brown, Mr. Joseph James

Burroughs, Mr. Arthur

Burton, Mr. Edward John

Butt, Mr. William John

Calderwood, Mr. Hugh

Canner, Mr. J.

Carr, Mr. Richard Stephen

Carter, Mr. James

Casey, Mr. T.

Castleman, Mr. Edward

Cavell, Mr. George Henry

Cherrett, Mr. William Victor

Chisnall, Mr. George Alexander

Chorley, Mr. John

Clark, Mr. William

Coe, Mr. Harry

Coleman, Mr. John

Collins, Mr. Samuel

Combes, Mr. George

Cooper, Mr. Harry

Cooper, Mr. James

Copperthwaite, Mr. B.

Corcoran, Mr. Dennis

Cotton, Mr. A.

Couch, Mr. Joseph Henry

Couper, Mr. Robert

Coy, Mr. Francis Ernest George

Crabb, Mr. H.

Creese, Mr. Henry Philip

Crimmins, Mr. James

Cross, Mr. W.

Cunningham, Mr. B.

Curtis, Mr. Arthur

Davies, Mr. Thomas

Dawson, Mr. Jonathan[

Diaper, Mr. J.

Dickson, Mr. W.

Dilley, Mr. John

Dillon, Mr. Thomas Patrick

Dodd, Mr. Edward Charles

Dodds, Mr. Henry Watson

Doel, Mr. Frederick

Dore, Mr. A.

Doyle, Mr. Laurence

Duffy, Mr. William Luke

Dyer, Mr. Henry Ryland

Dymond, Mr. Frank

Eagle, Mr. A.J.

Eastman, Mr. Charles

Elliott, Mr. Everett E.

Ervine, Mr. Albert G.

Evans, Mr. Williams

Farquharson, Mr. William E.

Fay, Mr. Thomas

Ferray, Mr. Anton

Ferris, Mr. William

Fitzpatrick, Mr. Charles W.N.

Flarty, Mr. Edward

Ford. Mr. H.

Ford, Mr. Thomas

Foster, Mr. A.

Fraser, Mr. James

Fraser, Mr. James

Fredricks, Mr. W.

Fryer, Mr. Albert E.

Geer, Mr. Alfred E.

Godley, Mr. George

Godwin, Mr. Frederick W.

Golder, Mr. Martin W.

Gordon, Mr. J.

Goree, Mr. Frank

Gosling, Mr. Bertram J.

Gosling, Mr. S.

Graham, Mr. Thomas G.

Gregory, Mr. David

Grodidge, Mr. Ernest E.

Gumery, Mr. George

Hagan, Mr. John

Hall, Mr. Joseph

Hallett, Mr. George

Hands, Mr. B.

Hannam, Mr. George

Harris, Mr. Edward

Harris, Mr. Frederick

Harrison, Mr. Norman

Harvey, Mr. Herbert G.

Haslin, Mr. James

Head, Mr. Arthur

Hebb, Mr. A.

Hendrickson, Mr. Charles G.

Hesketh, Mr. James (aka John) H.

Hill, Mr. J.

Hinton, Mr. William S.

Hosking, Mr. George Fox

Hunt, Mr. Albert

Hunt, Mr. T.

Hurst, Mr. Charles

Hurst, Mr. Walter

Ingram, Mr. Charles

Instance, T.

Jacobson, Mr. John

Jago, Mr. J.

James, Mr. Thomas

Jarvis, Mr. William

Joas, Mr. N.

Judd, Mr. Charles E.

Jukes, Mr. James

Jupe, Mr. Herbert

Kaspar, Mr. Franz V.

Kearle, Mr. Charles H.

Kearl, Mr. G.

Keegan, Mr. James

Kelly, Mr. James

Kelly, Mr. William

Kemish, Mr. George

Kemp, Mr. Thomas H.

Kenchenten, Mr. Frederick

Kerr, Mr. Thomas

Kinsella, Mr. Leonard

Kirkham, Mr. J.

Knowles, Mr. Thomas

Lahy, Mr. Thomas E.

Lee. Mr. H.

Light, Mr. Charles

Light, Mr. W.

Lindsay, Mr. William C.

Loyd, Mr. W.

Long, Mr. Frank

Long, Mr. W.

Mackie, Mr. William D.

Major, Mr. William

Marrett, Mr. G.

Marsh, Mr. Frederick C.

Maskell, Mr. L.A.

Mason, Mr. Frank A.R.

Mason, Mr. James

May Jr., Mr. Arthur

May Sr., Mr. Arthur W.

Mayo, Mr. William P.

Mayzes, Mr. Thomas

McAndrew, Mr. Thomas

McAndrews, Mr. William

McCastlen, Mr. William

McCubbin, Mr. L.

McGann, Mr. James

McGarvey, Mr. Edward

McGaw, Mr. Errol

McGregor, Mr. J.

McInerney, Mr. Thomas

McInytre, Mr. William

McQuillan, Mr. William

McRae, Mr. William A.

McReynolds, Mr. William

Middleton, Mr. Alfred P.

Milford, Mr. George

Millar, Mr. Robert

Millar, Mr. Thomas

Mintram, Mr. William

Mitchell, Mr. Lawrence

Moore, Mr. John J.

Moore, Mr. R.

Moores, Mr. Robert H.

Morgan, Mr. Arthur H.

Morgan, Mr. Thomas A.

Morrell, Mr. R.

Morris, Mr. A.

Morris, Mr. W.

Moyes, Mr. William Y.

Murdock, Mr. William

Nettleton, Mr. George

Newman, Mr. Charles T.

Noon, Mr. John

Norris, Mr. James

Noss, Mr. Bertram A.

Noss, Mr. Henry

Nutbean, Mr. William

O'Connor, Mr. John

Olive, Mr. Charles

Oliver, Mr. H.

Othen, Mr. Charles

Paice, Mr. Richard C.

Painter, Mr. Charles

Painter, Mr. Frank

Pallas, Mr. T.

Parsons, Mr. Frank A.

Pearce, Mr. John

Pelham, Mr. George

Perry, Mr. Edgar L.

Perry, Mr. Henry

Phillips, Mr. G.

Pitfield, Mr. William J.

Podesta, Mr. John

Pond, Mr. George

Prangnell, Mr. George

Preston, Mr. Thomas C.

Priest, Mr. Arthur J.

Proudfoot, Mr. R.

Pugh, Mr. Percy

Pusey, Mr. Robert W.

Ranger, Mr. Thomas G.

Reed, Mr. Robert

Reeves, Mr. Robert

Rice, Mr. Charles

Richards, Mr. Joseph J.

Rickman, Mr. G.

Roberts, Mr. George

Rous, Mr. Arthur J.

Rudd, Mr. Henry

Rutter, Mr. Sidney

Sangster, Mr. Charles

Saunders, Mr. Thomas

Saunders, Mr. W.

Saunders, Mr. W.

Scott, Mr. Archibald

Scott, Mr. Frederick

Self, Mr. Alfred H.

Self, Mr. Edward

Senior, Mr. Henry

Shea, Mr. Thomas

Sheath, Mr. Frederick

Shepherd, Mr. Johnathan

Shiers, Mr. Alfred

Shillaber, Mr. Charles

Skeats, Mr. W.

Sloan, Mr. Peter

Small, Mr. William

Smith, Mr. Ernest G.

Smith, Mr. James M.

Smither, Mr. Harry J.

Snellgrove, Mr. G

Snooks, Mr. W

Snow, Mr. Eustace P.

Sparkman, Mr. Henry

Stafford, Mr. M.

Stanbrook, Mr. Augustus

Steel, Mr. Robert E.

Stocker, Mr. Henry

Street, Mr. Henry A.

Stubbs, Mr. James H.

Sullivan Mr. S.

Taylor, Mr. James

Taylor, Mr. John

Taylor, Mr. T.

Taylor, Mr. William H.

Thomas, Mr. James

Thompson, Mr. John W.

Threlfall, Mr. Thomas

Thresher, Mr. George

Tizard, Mr. Arthur

Tozer, Mr. James

Triggs, Mr. Robert

Turley, Mr. Richard

van der brugge, Mr. Wessel A.

Veal, Mr. Arthur

Vear, Mr. Henry

Vear, Mr. W.

Ward, Mr. Arthur

Ward, Mr. Joseph

Wardner, Mr. Frederick Albert

Wateridge, Mr. Edward L.

Watson, Mr. W.

Webb, Mr. S

Webber, Mr. Francis A.

White, Mr. Alfred

White, Mr. Frank L.

White, Mr. William G.

Williams, Mr. Samuel S.

Wilson, Mr. Bertie

Wilton, Mr. William

Witcher, Mr. Alfred

Witt, Mr. F.

Witt, Mr. Henry D.

Woodford, Mr. Frederick

Woods, Mr. H.

Wyeth, Mr. James

Young, Mr. Francis J

Lest we forget.

Titanic Month

To honor the Titanic centennial, the Captain's Table will be dedicating the whole month of April to the infamous disaster.

Stay tuned for more updates.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

Happy Saint Patrick's Day to all from the Captain's Table!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day from the Captain's Table!

We're experiencing a few technical difficulties...

....but we're working on it!

It seems my computer has decided to conk out (I'm using someone else's at the moment). It might take a while to get things back up and running, but we'll see what happens.

Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee

February 6, 1952 saw the death of Britain's beloved King George VI and the ascension of his eldest daughter, Elizabeth, to the throne.

The world has changed dramatically over the last 60 years, but Queen Elizabeth II has remained constant. She is more than a mere ruler. The Queen is a symbol of Great Britain itself.

God save the Queen!

Captain Francesco Schettino

Since his ship, the Costa Concordia, capsized off the Italian island of Giglio on January 13, I think it's safe to say that Captain Francesco Schettino has become one of the most reviled men on planet Earth.

"Captain Coward" (as the press likes to call him) is accused of abandoning ship before all passengers were safely off. He also faces manslaughter charges for 17 fatalities (not to mention that 15 people are still missing and presumed dead).

Even if he is cleared of all charges, Captain Schettino's sea career is ruined.

Born in the town of Castellammare di Stabia, he comes from a long line of Italian seafarers. Captain Schettino and his brother decided to follow family tradition and went to sea. He attended the Nautical Institute in Piano di Sorrento and later found work with a ferry company. Operating between Sicily and Sardinia, he proved himself as a very capable officer. One fellow captain said that Schettino was, "The best of all of us."

He later found work with the Agip petroleum company before joining Costa Crociere in 2002. Schettino worked his way up to captain in 2006 and took command of some of the fleet's grandest ships. Some people have noted that he could seem arrogant at times, as well as overconfident of his own abilities.

In December 2010, he told the Czech paper Dnes, "I wouldn’t want to be the captain of the Titanic, forced to navigate between icebergs. But I think with the right preparation any situation can be overcome and any problem prevented." Captain Schettino went on to say, "I enjoy moments when something unpredictable happens, when you can diverge a bit from standard procedures."



References: Helen Weathers and Rebecca Evans, "Captain Coward had his eye on English dancer: After claims he was distracted by a woman on the bridge, passengers and crew reveal Casanova antics of crash skipper," Mail Online, January 31, 2012, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2089680/Costa-Concordia-Captain-Coward-Francesco-Schettino-eye-dancer-Domnica-Cemortan.html (accessed February 4, 2012).

Down to the Andrea Doria

Down to the Andrea Doria was filmed shortly after the Italian ship sank on July 26, 1956. A team of divers used state-of-the-art equipment to go down and document the wreck site for posterity. Although a rather short expedition, it was nonetheless a success.

Recent underwater images of the Costa Concordia reminded me of this little film, and I felt compelled to share.

Snapshot: Captain Calamai Helped Ashore

Here we see Captain Piero Calamai being helped ashore after the Andrea Doria sank in July 1956.

A total of 46 people died in the initial collision with the MS Stockholm. All remaining passengers and crew, however, were successfully taken off before the Doria went to the bottom: 1,660 souls were saved. Captain Calamai - in the tradition of the sea - intended to go down with his ship. The pleading of his subordinates, however, coupled with their assurances that all passengers had been rescued persuaded him otherwise.

Captain Calamai never again commanded a ship, nor did he speak of the Andrea Doria disaster. He died in his home on April 7, 1972. His final words were reportedly, "Is everything all right? Are the passengers safe?" This was the only reference he made to the sinking after it happened.

Snapshot: Looking on the Costa Concordia

Of all the photos to have come out of the recent disaster, this one strikes me as being the most poignant. There is a sort of awful beauty in it all - ship of that size sinking so close to land. This picture sums it up for me.

The Sad State of the Costa Concordia

Daylight shows the Costa Concordia in a truly spectacular - yet terribly sad - state. The Italian ship has a 160 foot gash in her side; a giant piece of rock is still clearly embedded in her hull.

At least forty people are still missing, and three are confirmed dead. Divers are continually searching the wreck for more survivors - a South Korean couple was found alive earlier today.

Many of the over 4,000 survivors have been telling their stories, and many of them seem to focus on the chaotic nature of the shipboard evacuation. They say the crew didn't seem to know what was going on, and now the Costa Concordia's captain, Francesco Schettino, has been detained by police. He may face criminal charges as a result of the disaster.

For those who were aboard the Costa Concordia...

Our thoughts are with all those who were aboard the Costa Concordia, which ran aground off Italy on the evening of January 13. The damage was substantial and she ultimately capsized. An investigation is currently underway.

While most of the people aboard were saved, at least three are dead. Rumor has it that many more may be trapped inside the stricken ship, but I hope that this is indeed just a rumor.