Why was J. Bruce Ismay blamed for the sinking of the Titanic?

Answer 1

he changed the frame of the ship to wrought iron rivets that meant when the titanic hit the iceberg it could rip the exterior easily and flood the watertight compartments that had a little gap between each that let the water flood them 1 by 1; which he reduced the size of for a bigger staircase.he ordered the ship to go faster to therefore they probably crashed into the iceberg for that reason.

Answer 2

Bruce Ismay was blamed because he urged Captain Smith (against his wishes) to light the final boiler of the Titanic to ensure an early arrival in New York and a place on the front page of the paper. However, this was an incredibly unwise move as the boilers had not yet been broken in and since they were in an area known for an abundance of icebergs and growlers. He was blamed so much (and so hated by the public for contributing to the sinking as well as getting into a lifeboat) that he eventually committed suicide.

Answer 3

Historians don't blame J. Bruce Ismay for the Titanic'ssinking. A lot of what you read in novels and see in movies is fiction based on the rantings of newspaper magnate, William Randolph Hearst. Hearst and Ismay hated each other, and Hearst used his newspapers to speculate on who was to blame for the sinking. The most common blame given to Ismay was that he pressured the captain and/or chief engineer to do whatever necessary to make the voyage a time-breaking voyage. However, trying to accomplish such records had long been given up by passenger steamships. Moreover, when the ship struck the iceberg, several of its boilers were idle due to problems associated with a coal strike in Great Britain. Because of this, economy and conservation of fuel was a primary concern. Finally, the early arrival of such a large passenger ship would have created problems, such as making hotel arrangements for passengers, refueling the ship and replenishing food, water and supplies.

Answer 4

He was negligent to the prominent dangers as since the ship was a high-classed one, he would rather spend the space and money on the designs and exteriors of the ships. He failed to put enough lifeboats and stuff due to this reason, thus resulting in more casualities.

I disagree.

As chairman and General manager, Ismay would not have been directly responsible for the design & installation of safety equipment. That would have rested with the chief designer who would have followed the safety recommendations as laid down by the British Government of the time.

In the case of the Titanic the regulations were followed to the letter of the law. had they not have been then the vessel would not have been issued its seaworthiness certificate and would have never left Wolfgang and Harland docks in Belfast. Titanic exceeded the specifications and number required for lifeboats according to the law.

You could also blame design in that the water tight compartments were not water tight at deck level. remember this was an experimental addition to the standard design not an exclusive one. There was no requirement for water tight compartments at all aboard a passenger vessel at the time. Ismay may have pressurised the Captain to beat the Blue ribbon record for the White Star line. I say 'may' because this was only reported by a single witness and as such is just hearsay.

Unfortunatly his real crime was surviving the sinking of the Titanic, which gave the public a target with which they could vent their anguish at the loss of life. Had Smith, the captain not died, then Ismay would have been a backrunner in the blame game.

People tend to believe the tabloid reports of the time. But actually he was seen assisting in the lowering of lifeboats by multiple witnesses (None of which is ever portrayed in Titanic films). He then only entered a half empty lifeboat when it was already being lowered and there were no available passengers to take the seats. If the public of the time considered Ismay to be a coward then what of the other 130 men who survived?

Ismay was a victim of the Titanic too...of character assasination!

Answer 5

He was the chairman and managing director of the White Star line (company that owned the Titanic) He was aboard ship, (which had been built with too few lifeboats) and had been urging the captain to speed up.

Answer 6

While Ismay's actions did contribute to the Titanic's fatal end, other factors were involved as well.

Answer 7

Ismay was not responsible for the sinking and he did not urge Captain Smith to go any faster than planned.