William Murdoch |
|
|---|---|
 | |
| Biological Information | |
| Full name |
William McMaster Murdoch |
| Nicknames |
Will |
| Gender |
Male |
| Born |
February 28, 1873 |
| Death |
April 15, 1912 (age 39) |
| Cause |
Suicide by gunshot wound to the head |
| Background Information | |
| Romances |
Aba Florence Banks (wife) |
| Hometown |
Dalbeattie, Scotland |
| Titanic Statistics | |
| Boarded |
Belfast, Ireland |
| Destination |
New York, U.S.A. |
| Occupation |
First officer |
| Class |
Titanic crew |
| Production | |
| Classification |
Historical character |
| Portrayal | |
William McMaster Murdoch was a Scottish sailor who was the First Officer of the RMS Titanic.
Biography[]
Events on RMS Titanic[]
Murdoch, with an "ordinary master's certificate" and a reputation as a "canny and dependable man", had climbed through the ranks of the White Star Line to become one of its foremost senior officers. He was selected to be Titanic's Chief Officer, with 16 years of maritime experience now behind him.
Murdoch had originally been assigned as the ship's Chief Officer, though when the Titanic's skipper Edward J. Smith brought Henry Wilde, his Chief from his previous command, Murdoch was temporarily reduced to First while First Officer Charles Lightoller was in turn reduced to Second. The original Second, David Blair, would sit out the voyage altogether while the rest of the ship's complement of officers remained unchanged.
Murdoch was the officer in charge at the bridge when the Titanic struck the iceberg on April 14, 1912. There are varying accounts as to what orders Murdoch gave in order to avoid collision with the iceberg. It is generally agreed that he gave an order of "Hard a'starboard" (an order which, through rotation of the ships wheel, would work to move the ship's tiller all the way to the starboard (right) side of the ship) in an attempt turn the ship to port (left). Murdoch is reported to have set the ships telegraph to "Full Astern" by Fourth Officer Joseph Boxhall, who saw them at that setting when he entered the bridge some time during the accident. Boxhall’s testimony was contradicted by Greaser Frederick Scott, who stated that the engine room telegraphs showed "Stop", and by Leading stoker Frederick Barrett who stated that the stoking indicators went from “Full” to “Stop”.
During or right before the collision Murdoch may have also given an order (as heard by Quartermaster Alfred Oliver when he walked onto the bridge in the middle of the collision) of "Hard a'port" (moving the tiller all the way to the port (left) side turning the ship to starboard (right)) in what may have been an attempt to swing the remainder (aft section) of the ship away from the berg in a common manoeuvre called a "port around" (as he explained to the captain "I tried to port around it, but she hit"). The fact that such a manoeuvre was executed was supported by other crew members who testified that the stern of the ship never hit the berg.
Murdoch shortly after the collision
Quartermaster Robert Hichens who was at the helm, and Fourth Officer Joseph Boxhall, who may or may not have been on the bridge during the collision, both stated that the last command Murdoch gave Hichens was "Hard-to-port!" Despite these efforts the ship made its fatal collision at an estimated 37 seconds after the berg had been sighted. The ship's starboard (right) side brushed the iceberg, buckling the hull in several places and causing rivets to pop out below the waterline, opening the first five compartments (the forward peak tank, the three forward holds and Boiler Room 6) to the sea.
After the collision, Murdoch was put in charge of the starboard evacuation during which he launched 10 lifeboats, containing almost 75% of the total number who survived. He then attempted to launch Collapsible A while keeping the increasingly desperate passengers at bay with a Webley Mk. 2 revolver. Cal arrived and reminded Murdoch of the money he gave him to secure his passage aboard the lifeboat, but Murdoch angrily threw it back in his face knowing that it was useless; money cannot save anyone from the cold and unfeeling sea.
When Tommy Ryan who was the man who tried to charge the boat, Murdoch instinctively shot him and a third class passenger. This startled the crowd who accidentally pushed Thomas Ryan forwards. Murdoch panicked and fired at Tommy as well, mortally wounding him. Murdoch then stumbled back in shock as Ryan's friend, Fabrizio, called the officer a "bastard". A horrified and guilt-stricken Murdoch looked down at the gun in his hand, then caught the eye of Chief Officer Wilde. With a calm expression on his face, Murdoch saluted his fellow sailor and put his revolver to his left temple, wanting to die on his own terms. Wilde called out “No, Will!”, but Murdoch pulled the trigger before anyone could stop him, his body toppling backwards into the ocean.
Murdoch is last seen among those present in Rose’s ‘dream sequence’. He is standing next to Thomas Andrews, smiling as Rose drifts by and clapping along with the rest of the crowd of happy onlookers as Rose and Jack kiss, the stain of his actions apparently gone.
Behind the scenes[]
The real Murdoch
In the movie, Caledon "Cal" Hockley (Billy Zane) bribes Murdoch to gain a place in one of his lifeboats which Murdoch later throws back in Cal's face. There is no evidence that Murdoch ever took a bribe. James Cameron's inclusion of it demonstrates Cal's lack of integrity rather than Murdoch's.
Controversy[]
Murdoch's nephew Scott objected to the film's portrayal as damaging to his uncle's heroic reputation. Murdoch is highly regarded in his hometown of Dalbeattie, where there is a memorial to him. Studio executives flew to Dalbeattie to apologize for this depiction. They also presented a $5,000 donation to Dalbeattie High School to boost the school's William Murdoch Memorial Prize.
Cameron claims his depiction of Murdoch is not a "cowardly murderer" nor even a man "gone bad", but of an "honorable man" who accepts full collective responsibility for the predicament they are in and is overwhelmed by feelings of desperation. He makes the ultimate sacrifice by taking his own life. Cameron's intention was not to portray Murdoch as a "murderer" as many have suggested, but the very opposite. He apologized on the DVD commentary, nonetheless.
In the CBS' 1996 miniseries "Titanic", Murdoch is also portrayed shooting passengers before shooting himself. This did not generate the same level of controversy because it received far less exposure than Cameron's film. This was based on a number of eyewitness reports of an officer's suicide by gunshot during the launching of the last lifeboat. With Murdoch being a prominently portrayed character, the filmmakers could not have left his fate ambiguous. With the exact details of his death uncertain, they went with a depiction which is at least consistent with the known facts. However, the identity of the officer is unknown, and there is no particular evidence for it being Murdoch.
Cameron's high opinion of Murdoch is revealed when he says, "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" (James Cameron’s Titanic, p.129). This is maybe why Murdoch has the privilege of being among those seen in Rose's 'dream sequence' at the end of the film. He is standing next to Brianna and Thomas Andrews, smiling as Rose drifts by and clapping along with the rest of the crowd of happy onlookers as Rose and Jack kiss and implying Murdoch's heroic reputation.
