Thomas Andrews - Shipbuilder, Titanic’s naval architect.Thomas Andrews on Titanic: &a

Thomas Andrews - Shipbuilder, Titanic’s naval architect.Thomas Andrews on Titanic: “as nearly perfect as human brains can make her.” Andrews went down with the Titanic and his body was never found. In 1907, Andrews began to oversee the plans for a new superliner, the RMS Olympic for the White Star Line. The Olympic and its sister ship the Titanic, which began construction in 1909, were designed by William Pirrie and general manager Alexander Carlisle along with Andrews. As he had done for the other ships he had overseen, Andrews familiarised himself with every detail of the Olympic and Titanic, in order to ensure that they were in optimal working order. Unfortunately Andrews was overruled to have 36 more life boats and a double hull and water tight bulkheads that went up to B deck. On 14 April at 11:40 PM, the Titanic struck an iceberg on the ship’s starboard side. Andrews had been in his stateroom, planning changes he wanted to make to the ship, and barely noticed the collision. Captain Edward J. Smith had Andrews summoned to help examine the damage. Andrews and Captain Smith discussed the damage to the ship shortly after midnight, after Andrews had toured the damaged section of the ship and received several reports of the vessel’s damage. Andrews determined that the first five of the ship’s watertight compartments were rapidly flooding. Andrews knew that if more than four of the ship’s compartments flooded, it would inevitably sink. He relayed this information to Captain Smith, stating that it was a ‘mathematical certainty’, and adding that in his opinion, the vessel had only about an hour before it completely sank. He also informed Smith of the severe shortage of lifeboats on board the ship. As the evacuation of the Titanic began, Andrews searched staterooms telling the passengers to put on lifebelts and go up on deck. Fully aware of the short time the ship had left and of the lack of lifeboat space for all passengers and crew, he continued to urge reluctant people into the lifeboats in the hope of filling them as fully as possible. Another reported sighting was of Andrews frantically throwing deck chairs into the ocean for passengers to use as floating devices. According to John Stewart, a steward on the ship, Andrews was last seen in the first–class smoking room staring at a painting, “Plymouth Harbour”, above the fireplace, his lifejacket lying on a nearby table. The painting depicted the entrance to Plymouth Sound, which Titanic had been expected to visit on her return voyage. The painting is often incorrectly shown on television and in movies as depicting the entrance to New York Harbor. On 19 April 1912, his father received a telegram from his mother’s cousin, who had spoken with survivors in New York, searching for news of Andrews. The telegram was read aloud by Andrews Sr. to the staff of the home in Comber: “Interview titanic’s officers. All unanimous that andrews heroic unto death, thinking only safety others. Extend heartfelt sympathy to all.”Mary Sloan [a stewardess on the ship] whom Andrews persuaded to enter a lifeboat, later wrote in a letter: “Mr. Andrews met his fate like a true hero, realising the great danger, and gave up his life to save the women and children of the Titanic. They will find it hard to replace him.” A short biography was produced within the year by Shan Bullock at the request of Sir Horace Plunkett, a member of Parliament, who felt that Andrews’ life was worthy of being memorialised. -- source link

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