William McMaster Murdoch, 1st Officer RMS Titanic
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William McMaster Murdoch was born on February 28th, 1873 at No.3 'Sunnyside', Barr Hill, Dalbeattie, the fourth son of Captain Samuel Murdoch and Jane (or 'Jeannie') Muirhead, six of whose children survived infancy. The family had prospered mainly through investing the wages of their successful ships' officers in building local property, and by trading in the ships of relatives. After living briefly at 341 High Street, they were to move to a new house in the High Street, - 'Oakland Cottage' - named for the port that faced San Francisco across its Bay. Models of sailing ships, souvenirs and photographs, and other seafaring memorabilia, reinforced the interest of William in life at sea.
William was educated first at the old Dalbeattie Primary School in the High Street, and then at the High School in Alpine Street until he gained his diploma in 1887. He was remembered as being an intelligent and hard-working scholar, which in 1912 made the town establish the Murdoch Memorial Prize in his memory.
On finishing school, William was apprenticed for five years to William Joyce & Coy, Liverpool, but after four years (and four voyages) he was so competent that he passed his Second Mate's Certificate. He served his apprenticeship aboard the 'Charles Cosworth' of Liverpool, trading to the west coast of South America. His father Captain Samuel Murdoch then was employed by the Liverpool-based shipping firm of Alexander Rae (later J.&J. Rae). William may have served with his father as Second Mate aboard the 1,941 ton barque 'Iquique', trading to Peru and Chile, between 1892 and 1895. It would have been a harsh kind of apprenticeship, but it gave William the determination he needed to succeed. From 17th May 1895 he was First Mate on the 'Saint Cuthbert', which was to sink in a hurricane off Uruguay in 1897. William had gained his Extra Master's Certificate No. 025780 at Liverpool in 1896 and had been replaced by John Murdoch (who died on the 'Craignair').
The Murdoch family was to lose many of its men in twelve horrifying years, drowned at sea in performance of their duties. In April 1901, William's cousin, a Captain John Murdoch, was lost with his new bride aboard the 'Craignair'. His uncle, another William Murdoch, drowned when the schooner 'Mary' was wrecked on Rascarrel Rocks at Auchencairn Bay in April 1906; that uncle, though retired, had agreed at the owner's request to assist the schooner's master. Regrettably, it appears that the master had got drunk in Whitehaven, and old William had a cup too many himself. Another John Murdoch, William's only surviving paternal uncle, was to be ost in April 1907, when First Officer of the Anglo American Company's ship 'Alcides'. Also in 1907, Captain James T. Thorburn, husband to one of William's aunts, was lost with his 15-year-old son and 12 crew when the barque 'Dundonald' was wrecked in the Auckland Islands off New Zealand.
William's career between 1896 and 1901 is rather fragmentary, but the shipping records show that from 3rd April 1897 to 2nd May 1899 that he was First Mate (First Officer) aboard the J.Joyce & Co. steel four-masted barque 'Lydgate', a 2,534 tonner. The 'Lydgate' traded from New York to Shanghai, and at least one of her voyages was delayed by bad weather. This distant posting may account for a lack of information in the Lloyds' Register on his movements.
It is possible that Murdoch had already made up his mind to enter the faster and more glamorous life of a steamship officer, and his chance may have come in 1899. The Boer War in South Africa had called for the rapid mobilisation of British, Canadian and Australian troops, and many horses. The 'Iquique', with her comparatively large size and speed, was taken over as one of Her Majesty's Transports, possibly chartered by the Oceanic Steam Navigation Company or another of Ismay's affiliates. Murdoch may have served aboard her again as a First Officer, and was trained as a Lieutenant in the Royal Naval Reserve. From there, with past experience as a bright and capable officer, William won the chance to enter the White Star Line as one of its Second Officers.
The final stage of Murdoch's career can be said to have started in May 1911, when he joined the new 'Olympic', 45,000 tons, with an unusual mix of two triple-expansion piston-engines and a turbine, to drive her at a rated speed of 21 knots. Intended to outclass the Cunard ships in luxury and size, - if not in speed, - 'Olympic' needed the most experienced large-liner crew that the White Star Line could find. Captain Smith assembled a crew that included Henry Tingle Wilde as Chief Officer, William Murdoch as First Officer, and the Chief Purser Henry W. McElroy. On 14th June 1911, the big ship made her maiden voyage to New York, with the Director James Bruce Ismay on board. Also present was Thomas Andrews, taking time away from his duties building 'Titanic', to review the performance of the first in the new class of super-liners.
Smith was losing his grip, as two lesser incidents showed. Early in February 1912,'Olympic' struck a sunken wreck whilst three days out of New York. She arrived in Plymouth on 27th February and was forced to return to Belfast and be drydocked, this time for replacing a broken propellor-blade. She left Belfast on 4th March 1912, touched her bottom on a mudbank, and nearly ran aground.
Murdoch must have been relieved to reach Southampton. There, he learned that he had been appointed as Chief Officer of the new Titanic. Lightoller later remarked that "three very contented chaps" headed north to Belfast, for he had been appointed First Officer, and their friend Davy Blair was to be the new second officer. Awaiting them would be an old 'Adriatic' hand, Joseph Groves Boxhall, as Fourth Officer, and others who would be old and familiar colleagues. Captain Bartlett, the senior shore captain and Marine Superintendent, would be taking them out of Belfast, but they were not yet sure of their eventual Captain for the maiden voyage to America. At the last moment, Henry Tingle Wilde was brought on board as Titanic's Chief Officer, bumping Murdoch back to First Officer status, Lightoller to Second Officer, and Blair was replaced by Third Officer Herbert Pitman.
The recent release in the United Kingdom of the film 'Titanic' has yet again brought the actions of her crew under public scrutiny. Unfortunately, this has also perpetuated myths about the principal officers such as Captain Smith and his First Officer William McMaster Murdoch, Lieutenant RNR.The film has incorrectly portrayed Murdoch as having taken a bribe to let a man into a lifeboat, later shooting a passenger before committing suicide by shooting himself for being responsible for the collision.
In fact, First Officer Murdoch took action to try to avert the collision, and to assist with the safe embarkation of passengers in the lifeboats. This was witnessed by Charles Herbert Lightoller, the Second Officer. Lightoller gave evidence in the two official inquiries, and in a published letter to William Murdoch's wife Ada, telling how Murdoch was swept away when the ship sank. Second Wireless Operator Harold Bride, and passenger Archibald Gracie, both also saw Murdoch trying to free a collapsible boat to rescue more of the crew and passengers when he was swept away. William Murdoch's heroic actions were those of a reasonable and honourable seaman.