Sinking of the RMS Titanic believed that ice posed little risk; close calls were not uncommon, and even head-on collisions had not been disastrous. In 1907, , a German liner, had rammed an iceberg and suffered a crushed bow, but was still able to complete her voyage. That same year, "Titanic"s future captain, Edward Smith, declared in an interview that he could not "imagine any condition which would cause a ship to founder. Modern shipbuilding has gone beyond that." As "Titanic" approached her fatal collision, most passengers had gone to bed and command of the bridge had passed from Second Officer Charles Lightoller to First
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