The Titanic struck an iceberg at 11:40 pm 14 April 1912.

The Titanic departed from Southhampton, England on April 10, 1912, with 2,227 people on board. The ship was en route to New York in the United States. The ship was owned by the White Star Line and it was constructed at the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast, Ireland. The Titanic carried lifeboats for only 1,178 people.

The Titanic struck an iceberg at 11:40 pm on April 14, 1912, and sank two hours and forty minutes later.

Harold Bride, the junior wireless officer elaborates on the moments leading up to the sinking:

“The lucky thing was that the wireless broke down early enough for us to fix it before the accident. We noticed something wrong on Sunday and Phillips and I worked seven hours to find it. We found a ‘secretary’ burned out at last, and repaired it just a few hours before the iceberg was struck.”

Bride is referring to Jack Phillips, the senior wireless operator who was on board the Titanic during the catastrophe.

Bride goes on: “I remembered how tired he (Phillips) was and I got out of bed without my clothes on to relieve him. I didn’t even feel the shock. I hardly knew it had happened after the Captain had come to us. There was no jolt whatever.”

“I was standing by Phillips telling him to go to bed when the Captain put his head in the cabin,” Bride exclaimed.

“We’ve struck an iceberg the Captain said, “and I’m having an inspection made to tell what it has done for us. You better get ready to send out a call for assistance. But don’t send it until I tell you.”

About ten minutes later Bride said that the Captain had come back, and the wireless was working perfectly.

“Send the call for assistance” ordered the Captain.

“What call should I send?” Phillips asked.

“The regulation international call for help. Just that.” The Captain replied.

Bride continues… “Then the Captain was gone. Phillips began to send ‘C.Q.D.’ He flashed away at it and we joked while he did so. All of us made light of the disaster.”

Five minutes later the Captain comes back. “What are you sending?” the Captain had asked.

‘C.Q.D.’ Phillips replied.

Bride throws in a joke… “Send ‘S.O.S.’ It’s the new call, and it may be your last chance to send it.”

Bride goes on about more humor shared with Phillips. They had contacted the steamship Frankfurd. They also had contacted the Carpathia and had gotten a response.  The Carpathia Captain said that the ship was heading towards the Titanic, after hearing it was sinking by the head.

Phillips then sent Bride to tell the Captain that the Carpathia had responded. After coming back, Phillips reminds Bride to put some clothes on. Phillips was wiring the Carpathia back and giving more instructions. Bride speaks of the people scrambling on his way to inform the Captain:

“I went through an awful mass of people to get to his cabin. The decks were full of scrambling men and women. I saw no fighting, but heard tell of it.” Bride is sent for many trips to the Captain, informing him of news from the Carpathia.

Bride goes on… “I noticed as I came back from one trip that they were putting off women and children in lifeboats. I noticed the list forward was increasing.”

“Phillips told me the wireless was growing weaker. The Captain came and told us our engine rooms were taking water and that the dynomos might not last much longer.”

“I went on deck and looked around. The water was pretty close up to the boat deck. There was a great scramble aft.”

Harold Bride further comments about his wireless associate: I will never live to forget the work of Phillips for the last awful fifteen minutes.”

Then came the Captain’s voice: “Men you have done your full duty. You can do no more. Abandon your cabin. Now it’s every man for himself. You look out for yourselves. I release you. That’s the way of it at this kind of time. Every man for himself.”

Harold Bride finishes the story about his survival after the ship had sunk. His friend Jack Phillips makes it to a lifeboat with him, but dies from the cold.

[Source: The New York Times PDF,  April 19, 1912 -  “Thrilling Story By Titanic’s Surviving Wireless Man”]