Titanic's ‘chancer captain’ CRASHED sister ship MONTHS before fatal collision

The British passenger liner famously sank on April 15, 1912, with more than 1,500 passengers losing their lives. Titanic was on its way from Southampton to New York when it hit an iceberg and descended into the Atlantic Ocean. An official inquiry into the incident by the British Wreck Commissioner found the owners – White Star – were not to blame for the disaster.

Yet, over 100 years on and many conspiracy theorists still dispute the idea, with some claiming the captain was not fit to lead the ship. 

“Captain Smith, known as EJ, was the obvious choice as White Star’s main commander,” it was revealed on Amazon Prime’s 2011 “Titanic Arrogance” documentary.

“He had taken Olympic on her main voyage the previous year. 

“He was a sociable and popular captain, especially among the millionaire elites. 

“But he was nothing less than a chancer. 

“Over the years he had been involved in a number of scrapes and near-misses – the most recent being with Olympic and HMS Hawke.”

Smith, from Stoke-on-Trent, was captain of Olympic – Titanic’s sister ship – when it collided with a British warship on September 20, 1911.

Although the crash left two of Olympic’s compartments filled and one of her propeller shafts twisted, Smith managed to make it back to Southampton.

The Royal Navy found White Star to be at fault for the incident, claiming the vessel’s massive size generated a suction that pulled Hawke into her side. 

Just months later, he was the captain behind one of the most infamous nautical disasters in history.

source: express.co.uk