The captain goes down with the ship The captain goes down with the ship "The captain goes down with the ship" is an idiom and maritime tradition that a sea captain holds ultimate responsibility for both his ship and everyone embarked on it, and that in an emergency, he will either save them or die trying. Although often connected to the sinking of RMS "Titanic" in 1912 and its captain, Edward J. Smith, the phrase precedes "Titanic" by at least 11 years. In most instances, the captain of the ship forgoes his own rapid departure of a ship in distress, and concentrates instead on saving other people.
Passengers of the RMS Titanic Passengers of the RMS Titanic An estimated 2,400 people sailed on the maiden voyage of the RMS "Titanic", the second of the White Star Line's "Olympic" class ocean liners, from Southampton, England to New York City, New York, US. Partway through the voyage, the ship struck an iceberg and sank in the early morning of 15 April 1912, resulting in the deaths of over 1,500 people, including approximately 815 of the passengers. The "Titanic"s passengers were divided into three separate classes, determined not only by the price of their ticket but by wealth and social class: those travelling in first