The first warnings of ice came on April 12 with the wireless operators taking the messages from ships traveling in the opposite direction. When hearing of the messages, the captain gave orders for the ship to be steered south, as was the standard procedure for avoiding ice. Two days later, on the 14th, there were more warnings from ships concerning icebergs ahead. There were warnings of "growlers" as well, which are chunks of ice that have broken off from icebergs.
The fateful day arrives
April 14, 1912, was a Sunday. After breakfast, many of the passengers attended church services. Captain Smith himself officiated over the service for the passengers in first class. In the afternoon, the ship received a couple more warnings about icebergs. Captain Smith mentioned the warning to one of the ship designers, J. Bruce Ismay, who was on board and sailing with the maiden voyage.
The afternoon of the 14th was rather cold so there were not a lot of passengers out on the decks. They found things to do away from the elements and the lounge in first class had an inviting fireplace. It was a good day to relax with a good book or catch a nap.
By the time dinner was over, some first class passengers listened to the orchestra and had after dinner coffee while others retired for the evening. Some passengers in the second class section enjoyed singing hymns and it is reported that one of the songs had a topic of praying for those "in peril on the sea." There was a party going on in the third class area until it was time for "lights out" at 10 p.m.
One more iceberg warning came in from another ship that evening, but it was not given to Captain Smith. The officers prepared for possible ice problems and had crew members in the crow's nest looking for approaching ice. The captain assumed that the lookouts would see ice and that they could just move the ship around it if any was spotted.
Another ship, the Californian, stopped in the ice field because of the danger and had sent a message of caution to other ships in the area. It is a historically accepted fact that crew member Jack Phillips, who had 90 minutes earlier set aside an ice warning from another ship thinking the captain and the bridge had had enough warnings and were aware of the situation, answered the Californian's warning telegraph with a cut off and the words "shut up."
When the ice was spotted, the officers issued a warning to stop the engines and then reverse direction. At the same time, they started a hard turn, but it was simply too late. If the ship had not been slowed down, it very likely could have avoided the iceberg. If it hadn't turned and hit the iceberg head-on instead, many people believe it would not have fully sunk either because the damage would have been limited to the front compartment and not the six on the side.