Edward John Smith’s final evening as captain of the world’s largest sea vessel was an undeniably sensational one. As the Titanic sank in those early hours on April 15, 1912, Captain Smith was lost and his final actions remain unknown.
One eye witness, Junior Marconi Officer Harold Bride, claims he saw Smith dive into sea from the ship’s open bridge, moments before the final sinking. Another story has Smith rescuing a child once in the water, then swimming into the darkness alone.
Either way, the story takes Captain Smith into the waters he traversed for over 40 years--a place I like to believe he felt comfortable. It’s easy to imagine the luxurious ocean liner gliding under the currents to the soft ocean floor, and being taken up by a new crew--this time with tentacles.
The rare Grimpoteuthis, also known as the Dumbo Octopus, is one such visitor to the ship’s wreckage. I suspect the rest of Titanic’s community is equally refined: elegant jellyfish, swarthy squid, some unusual, opulent sea fauna. It is in this dreamy, unhurried company Captain Smith eternally rests.
"When anyone asks me how I can best describe my experience in nearly forty years at sea, I merely say, uneventful ... I never saw a wreck and never have been wrecked nor was I ever in any predicament that threatened to end in disaster of any sort."
