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.
Lifeboats of the RMS Titanic Third Class. Among the occupants was stewardess Violet Jessop who survived the accidents that befell all of the "Olympic"-class liners: the collision of "Olympic" with HMS Hawke in 1911, the sinking of "Titanic" in 1912, and that of "Britannic" in 1916. About 58 people were aboard Boat 14, with Wilde, Lightoller and Lowe supervising its launch. By the time it was launched at about 1:30 a.m., "Titanic" was well down in the water and some passengers still aboard were beginning to panic. Lowe fired three shots from his revolver to warn off a crowd of passengers pressing up against the