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RamboSixVegas t1_j5jqhqu wrote

Reply to comment by GoGaslightYerself in TIL that Titanic crewman Herbert Pitman made an attempt to row his lifeboat over to rescue people in the water, but was overruled by the other occupants of the boat, who were worried about people swarming them and duly complied. Pitman said that this haunted him throughout his life. by ChadExtra

There's even some debate over whether Captain Ronstron of Carpathia put his own ship at undue risk when he pushed it to its limits through the same waters that sank a much larger ship. He's lauded because he was successful, where I think he'd be condemned if he wasn't the one to save the passengers in the lifeboats or even damaged his own ship in the process.

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Jrubas t1_j5jy5cx wrote

Then you have Captain Lord of the Californian who to this day is treated like a villain for his inaction that night. His ship was surrounded by ice and had stopped for the night. Even if he conclusively knew of the Titanic's predicament, he wouldn't have been entirely in the wrong to stay put. Like the other guy said, he was responsible for the ship and he was damned if he did, damned if he didn't. He was dragged for his inaction, but if he tried to get to Titanic, hit an iceberg, and sank, suddenly the question would be "Why did you try to get to Titanic when you knew you were surrounded by icebergs?"

Sometimes, you just can't win.

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