What precautions did Captain Smith take to prevent a collision?
Navigating officers were warned verbally and by posted notice of the approaching ice field, and the crow’s nest was also instructed to watch for ice in the distance. Hatches on the forecastle head were closed to eliminate light scatter and render the vision forward as dark as possible. No alteration, however, was made in the Ship’s speed, which was the fastest time of the voyage so far. Additional lookouts were posted despite the difficult visual conditions. While it is true that Captain Smith did order Titanic to take a course several miles south of the customary lanes through these waters, his reasoning for that decision has never been determined. Although some of the surviving deck officers believed that this was an attempt to put additional distance between Titanic and the reported positions of ice fields in the area, many people today feel that, given the lack of exact knowledge of the iceberg’s position and the comparatively small change in course, Smith may have been positioning
