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The Last Log of the Titanic: What Really Happened on the Doomed Ship's Bridge?

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As one of the archaeologists who has visited the Titanic site, piecing together a forensic analysis of the liner's final minutes, I am happy to report that Captain Brown's book forces me to go back to my own analysis with new questions. We all know, for example, that some minutes after the collision, Mr Shephard fell through an open hatch in the tank top - and until this book, I don't think anyone has really taken pause to ask what might have compelled the men in the forward boiler rooms open those floor hatches in the first place. Into this question Brown brings the process known as "hogging," which sheds new and credible light on some of the phenomena observed that night, ranging from the odd cracks and leaks reported by Charles Joughin, to Richard N. Williams' out-of-line door frame and the flood from below that caused the evacuation of boiler room 4. There is much to agree with, and much to disagree with in this book. One small nit arises from Samuel Hemming's (page 124) recollection of carpenter Hutchinson's statement, approximately 10 minutes after the collision: "The ship has half an hour to live, from Mr. Andrews." This clearly contradicts Brown's hypothesis that the ship was not already doomed before it resumed steaming; but at least the author is honest enough to present multiple views even when some of those eyewitness accounts contradict his interpretation of events. A less honest author would have tried to sweep the Hemming account under the rug. I happen to agree with Brown that steaming forward shifted multi-ton masses of water in Boiler Room 6, producing damaging inertial effects that, to one degree or another, sank the ship faster. Agree or disagree, this is (along with the works of Paul Quinn and Walter Lord)one of those truly rare books that, far from being another amongst hundreds of rehashes on an old subject, breathes new life into it.

David G. Brown's "The Last Log of the Titanic" should prove to be a controversial addition to the literature about the loss of the famous liner during her 1912 maiden voyage. This is not a book for the casual reader whose knowledge and interests about the Titanic are largely defined by the James Cameron movie. Rather, it is sharply focused upon the mechanics of the collision and subsequent sinking, together with the decisions made by Captain E.J. Smith and White Star Line chairman Bruce Ismay that influenced those events. While this book may have only limited appeal to those people mostly attracted by the human drama aspects of the tragedy, "The Last Log of the Titanic" should strongly interest persons who want to understand just what really happened to the ship itself.

The actual ship's log of the Titanic was lost during the sinking, so David Brown has "reconstructed" what that document might have been, based upon his minute-by-minute - even second-by-second - examination of the sequence of events. To do this, he has closely studied the primary evidence (especially the official inquiry testimony by survivors), but much of his reconstruction is drawn directly from his analysis of the physical damage and his own understanding of the characteristics and limitations of ship handling. Brown has relevant professional training and experience in this regard; he holds a US Coast Guard Masters License.

The most controversial portions of Brown's narrative can be summarized into three areas: First, he contends that the ship's lookouts spotted the iceberg several minutes before the collision, but failed to understand what they were seeing. Second, Brown concludes that the damage to the hull came from running over a projecting shelf of ice, not from a grazing impact along the side of the hull as depicted in numerous movies and books; and he also argues that the pattern of damage proves that the Titanic made two turns before the collision, one swinging the bow away from the berg, the second pushing the bow back towards the ice mountain. Third, Brown maintains that the rapid sinking (and thus the large number of casualties) was due to a fatal decision taken by Smith and Ismay to steam towards Halifax immediately after the collision, before the nature of the damage had been adequately ascertained; in Brown's view this action guaranteed that the stricken vessel could not remain afloat until rescue vessels arrived on the scene.

In my opinion, the evidence for the first of Brown's theses (that the iceberg was sighted, although not recognized, several minutes before the collision) is minimal and ambiguous. It does provide grounds for interesting speculation about how the history of that night could have been changed, but whether or not such a sighting was made is largely irrelevant to the main thrust of "The Last Log of the Titanic": the nitty-gritty details of how the ship actually sank. It is in these areas - the manner of the collision and the nature of the damage, plus the possibility that the damage was seriously aggravated by an incautious resumption of travel - that Brown's book will likely have its greatest impact. I cannot see how serious students of the disaster can ignore his conclusions without first making a careful evaluation of the evidence and his analysis. If Brown's explanation of the collision or of the subsequent actions taken is valid, then he has made an important contribution to our understanding of that well-remembered night.

Relying on his own experience of ships, David G. Brown has attempted both to reconstruct the last few pages of the Titanic's log and also to closely analyse the happenings of that night. His interpretation of the impact as being more akin to a grounding has the advantage of closely matching the actual observations of the persons on board that night, much more so than the "grazing collision" described universally elsewhere. Several years ago Walter Lord pointed out in his "The Night Lives On" that there was apparently lethal damage to the bottom of the ship, and Brown's analysis confirms this. Brown also usefully describes how ships actually handle and points out that First Officer Murdoch, just as he told Captain Smith immediately after the crash, tried to "port around" the berg - first putting on starboard helm to turn the bow away from the berg, then port helm to clear the ship's midsection and stern, explaining succinctly why the damage to the ship was limited to the first 200-300 feet. Brown also theorizes on the actual visibility from the crow's nest that night and suggests that the berg may have been sighted as a "dark mass" looming in the distance several minutes before it was seen to be an iceberg and suggests that First Officer Murdoch may have mistaken the "dark mass" for a safe path through ice. One suggestion Brown makes that I tend to disagree with is his contention that the Titanic had been manuevering through ice for some time before the impact. Even a gentle turn in a ship the size of the Titanic will cause the ship to heel noticably, particularly in a ship, like the Titanic, that lacks stabilizers. Passengers should have noticed the ship manuevering instead of maintaining a straight course, but there appears to be absolutely no testimony from anyone that night that the ship was doing anything other than steaming straight ahead. That, however, is a minor issue; this book is extremely interesting, a very valuable contribution to the literature on the subject, and I recommend it highly.

It's not often that one finds a book on Titanic that encourages the reader to evaluate the actions of Titanic's crew from a fresh perspective. Dave Brown challenges the reader with assertions based on practical nautical experience and in so doing, stimulates a reappraisal of the conventional wisdom surrounding the immediate cause and subsequent impact of Titanic's collision with the iceberg. A must-read for any Titanic enthusiast or historian, in my opinion.

It has been a while since I have read a Titanic book from start to finish in one sitting, but I did with this book. The Last Log is another one of the many `alternate theories' of the sinking books that are so in vogue these days, but unlike most others of it's ilk, this one has real teeth.

I am a complete layman in things nautical, but Brown enabled me to understand every point he was trying to make, even some of the more arcane concepts like Bernoulli's Principle and lolling. The author has written one of the most knowledgeable accounts from a mariner's perspective that I have ever read.

In addition, Brown has gathered much of the conflicting testimony and arranged it into a cohesive whole. I did not agree with all of his conclusions (and some of them are WAY out there), but I have to acknowledge that his version of events is completely credible.

For one, First Officer Murdoch's actions are finally recognized for what they were, that of one of the most competent officer's to ever command a bridge. Ismay also gets a great deal of coverage, and although his part in the story is much, much darker, the author avoids the `sinister villain' oversimplifications the White Star Line chairman has received at the hands of many other authors.

On the other hand, Brown does make some incredible claims, often with little or no supporting evidence. One of the largest, that Titanic was dodging ice for hours before the final collision. Another being that when the ship ported around the berg, it almost collided with a huge ice field just beyond. There is simply no eyewitness evidence to support these claims.

Some members on the Titanic Mail List were initially put off by the in-your-face attitude of the editorials adapted by the publisher as a selling ploy. But don't let that stop you from reading this book. It's that good. Highest recommendation.

Michael (TheManInBlack) Tennaro

This is a really good book, but not for Titanic novices (read "A Night to Remember" and its sequal for that). It's a shame the book has such a speculative and rather silly title because it may put-off some of it's intended readership - Titanic buffs.

Refreshingly, rather than rehashing tired old stories, Brown keeps his book narrow and focussed. Drawing from the original statements made for both the American and British official enquiries and his own expertise in ship handling and dynamics, he manages to make a radical yet convincing arguments.

Like some of the other reviewers here, I too had trouble with some of the conclusions. Swerving around icebergs at 21+ knots in an unstabilised hull would have surely caused the odd spilt drink and more to observant passengers. Likewise, I believe the hull did split near the surface, but not on it. But in the context of the book's major conclusions, this is just minor nit-picking!

Highly recommended - crackpot theories on the Titanic sinking are so common it is a real pleasure to find original ideas that are so convincing.

I have watched movies and read several books about the Titanic disaster; but, without doubt this is the very, very best I've seen. This book explains in great detail, how things happened. It is written in an easy to read style. It presents numerous references and direct quotes throughout the book, as well as written testimony presented at the official enquires, so it is clearly not simply the author's spectulation. This was one book I could not put down. It answers important questions, such as "Did the nearby frieghter Californian, see Titanic's distress signals; and, if so, why didn't they come to aid the striken liner?", "Were the engines placed in "FULL ASTERN" immediatley when the iceberg was sighted?", "Why were some of the lifeboats only half filled with passengers?", "Would it have been better if the Titanic hit the iceberg head-on instead of side-swiping it?" and "Was the Titanic excessively (and carelessly) speeding to New York in attempt to set a record?" Every page was a pleasure! I just cannot give it enough praise. You won't be sorry if you buy this book.

I first read this book in 2000 and found it to be one of the more plausible explanations of the damage suffered by TITANIC when she hit the berg, as well as what happened afterward. Captain Brown has brought what is so lacking in many TITANIC books into LAST LOG OF THE TITANIC--actual shiphandling experience.

Captain Brown had also produced an eminently readable text, one which I think most people will have little trouble understanding.

I cannot reccommend LAST LOG OF THE TITANIC too highly to everyone, TITANIC buff or not.

I admit that the Titanic movie of 1997 made a big change in my Titanic collecting - mainly before that time I had only about 5 books. One of the books I had was an original from 1912 that was produced due to the fact that there was no radio, Internet or CNN to blast the news into your daily lives. Only the newspapers carried the story and people wanted to know more.

Needless to say, the movie got a lot of people interested in the subject (as it always seems to do whenever a new movie gets produced) Due to this interest all sorts of books got re-published and published for the first time. I started to collect and read and read and read.

I was always interested in the many points of debate that continue on and on, but this book seemed to make so much sense because it aligned with those things that I had read and had questions about but that never really got answered.

There were several reports of iceberg sightings, before the ship hit. There was a report that the alarm bell was rung three times, not three sounds but three different times for three different icebergs. Why did Murdock keep going when they entered the ice field? All the other reasons didn't quite hold up. This author gives forth a logical answer.

The idea that the iceberg grazed along the side of the ship didn't really seem to answer how the ship could go down so fast, the author of this book explains how the ship could have hit. Not only does his explanation make sense but it aligns with the other eye witness accounts of that night.

The list goes on. I can only say that it is well worth the read, and I currently have 58 Titanic related books and have talked and talked to other historians who have their theories.

This is a really good book.

Chris, Founder, McVitamins

This book is essential reading for anyone seeking the truth about the Titanic.

We recently delved into Titanic literature, starting with the testimony from the stateside investigation. That led to a quest for more information because there were so many unanswered questions. After reading quite a few books, The Last Log of the Titanic finally arrived in the mail. And what a wonderful book!!!

David G. Brown carefully and exactly solves the mysteries involved in how and why the Titanic sank. It is all explained with a knowledge of navigation and engineering.

Read this book with an open mind and an attention to details. If you throw out all your pre-conceived notions from other books, the films, the TV specials etc., and really read what Brown is telling you, you cannot possibly have any doubts about what happened.

The only controversy caused by this book will be brought on by those who will defend their earlier positions on the foundering of this floating hotel.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!