Today in History—April 15: The Titanic’s Final Moments and Messages
“Fine voyage fine ship feeling fine what news.”
That was a telegram sent from the Titanic by Isidor Straus, co-owner of Macy’s. When the ship set sail on its maiden voyage, it made headlines for its size and opulence. But it also was equipped with the latest technology: a powerful Marconi wireless telegraph.
The machine used radio frequencies and Morse Code to transmit up to 1,000 miles. It handled ship business and sent personal messages from passengers to family and friends at sea or ashore. These “Marconigrams” were the text messages of their day—though they were brief for good reason. A 10-word message reportedly cost about $100 in today’s money.
On the night of April 14, 1912, Jack Phillips, the senior wireless operator, was working through a pile of private messages. He was occasionally interrupted—and exasperated—by ice warnings from other ships. At one point, he told the Californian to “Shut up!”
About an hour later the Titanic collided with an iceberg.
The unsinkable ship was sinking. And the wireless became the Titanic’s lifeline.
At 12:15 am on this day, Phillips and the junior operator, Harold Bride, began sending distress signals. Phillips initially transmitted CQDs, the standard international distress call, and later also sent the newer SOS signal.
While often thought to mean “save our ship,” SOS doesn’t stand for anything. It’s simply an easy-to-remember sequence in Morse Code.
He reached the Carpathia at 12:20 am. “Come at once. We have struck a berg. It’s a CQD, old man.” The other ship immediately changed course, but it was more than three hours away. Other responding boats were even farther out. The Californian was closer, but it had turned off its wireless for the night.
At about 2:00 am, Capt. Edward Smith released the crew, but Phillips continued to call for help. His last transmission was 17 minutes later, shortly before the power went out. By the time Phillips left the Marconi room, water was at his feet, and all the lifeboats were gone.
In the Titanic’s final minutes, its stern rose out of the water, and the ship broke apart. It disappeared into the Atlantic at 2:20 am. Just over an hour later the Carpathia arrived. Bride was among the 705 rescued. Phillips was among the 1,500 who perished.
The Titanic’s wireless might have been silenced, but its vital role that night was not forgotten. It revolutionized maritime communications, sparking new regulations and technological advances.
- $146,500: Cost of a first-class parlor suite on Titanic in today’s money
- 250: Telegrams sent during the voyage
- 1,178: Capacity of the ship’s 20 lifeboats (more than 2,200 people were on board)
- 1947: Jackie Robinson breaks baseball’s color barrier
- 1955: The first McDonald’s franchise opens
- 2019: Notre-Dame de Paris catches fire
