Learn about Capt. Stanley Lord of the SS Californian and he was up against the night of the tragedy.
TRANSCRIPT
- [Narrator] The SS Californian is one of several ships in the area that night.
- She was about 440 feet long with a general cargo, was a crew of 47, and at her head was a Bolton shipmaster aged only 35.
His name was Captain Stanley Lord, and he had made a meteoric rise in his profession and he had a reputation as a fine navigator.
- In Lord's own words, it was an extraordinary night.
The sea was completely flat calm.
There was a clear night.
- No waves, no nothing, absolutely calm.
There's no moon, but plenty of stars.
- [Narrator] That Sunday had proven to be a long day, at least for the captain of the single funnel cargo ship.
- The night of the accident, Lord had been on duty for a long shift of 16 hours and he was tired.
You know, he was in an ice field.
He was commander of a ship and he wanted to make sure it was safe.
- This was practically the first time the Californian had had a Marconi operator aboard.
The Marconi operator himself had only made two previous voyages, and that was on another ship.
- [Narrator] The Californian's wireless operator, Cyril Evans, has also had a busy day, exchanging messages about the ice, weather conditions, and its location with other ships in the area.
(intense music)
