Defending Captain Lord: A Titanic Myth (Part Two)

Description

Foreword and Chapter One: The Executive Council

Recount Leslie Harrison’s efforts to clear Captain Lord’s name regarding the Titanic disaster. Captain Lord, commanding the Californian, was accused of ignoring Titanic’s distress rockets, but Harrison argues that the charges were unjust. The evidence, including official documents and firsthand accounts, suggests it was impossible for the Californian to reach Titanic in time. Harrison explores the challenges of revisiting a deeply ingrained narrative and offers insights into maritime law, media influence, and the complexities of historical justice.

• Captain Lord was accused of ignoring Titanic’s distress rockets, contributing to the loss of over 1,500 lives.
• He was denied effective legal representation and the opportunity to appeal the 1912 inquiry’s findings.
• Documents and testimonies suggest the Californian was too far from Titanic to provide timely assistance.
• Harrison criticizes the media’s portrayal of Captain Lord, fueling public condemnation.
• Harrison’s detailed investigation seeks to challenge the historical record and defend Lord’s legacy.

Chapter Two :  Confrontation

The author details the contentious debates surrounding the publication of an article defending Captain Lord in The Merchant Navy Journal. Harrison faced resistance from the Mercantile Marine Service Association (MMSA) Council, particularly from its President, Sir Ivan, who opposed revisiting the Californian incident. Despite internal divisions, a postal vote and subsequent Council decision eventually supported the publication. This chapter highlights institutional challenges, the persistence of historical bias, and the struggle to clear Captain Lord’s name.

• Harrison sought approval to publish an article defending Captain Lord on the 50th Titanic disaster anniversary.
• MMSA’s President, Sir Ivan, strongly opposed reopening the Californian case, citing established inquiry findings.
• Council members were divided, with some acknowledging a potential miscarriage of justice against Captain Lord.
• A Council vote favored the article’s publication, acknowledging Lord’s side of the story.
• Harrison highlighted challenges within MMSA, navigating political tensions and personal opposition.

Chapter 3: Publicity

Leslie Harrison details the public and media reception of his article defending Captain Lord regarding the Titanic disaster. He recounts his efforts to disseminate the article, including interviews, press coverage, and a pivotal appearance on BBC’s Tonight. While the article garnered global interest and sympathy, it also provoked dissent within the Mercantile Marine Service Association (MMSA), culminating in the resignation of its president, Sir Ivan. Harrison emphasizes the challenges of navigating opposition while vindicating Captain Lord’s reputation.

• Harrison published a detailed article arguing the Californian could not have saved Titanic passengers, challenging long-held narratives.
• Press coverage, international interest, and a BBC interview increased public awareness of Captain Lord’s case.
• MMSA President Sir Ivan resigned in protest over the article’s publication, citing opposition to revisiting the Titanic controversy.
• The article drew widespread attention, with no major challenges to its technical claims or evidence.
• Harrison and supporters called for recognition of Captain Lord’s innocence on the Titanic tragedy’s 50th anniversary.

Chapter Four: People

Harrison details the broad spectrum of people he interacted with during his campaign to clear Captain Lord’s name. Supporters included Edward Kamuda, founder of the Titanic Historical Society, who provided invaluable resources. Harrison also encountered sceptics, fraudulent claimants like George Ellis, and public figures with diverse reactions. These interactions highlighted the challenges and unexpected moments in Harrison’s advocacy, from receiving rare historical documents to exposing impostors.

• Edward Kamuda, a Titanic historian, provided critical documents, including the U.S. inquiry transcript, supporting Lord’s case.
• Fraudulent Claims: George Ellis, a charming conman, falsely claimed to be a Californian crew member, adding intrigue but no value to the campaign.
• Public Interest: Letters from the public and media reflected the Titanic’s enduring global fascination and sparked new debates.
• Reversals by Critics: Writers like John C. Carrothers, initially critical of Captain Lord, later publicly supported Harrison’s arguments.
• Television Challenges: Harrison navigated media scrutiny, including staged debates and controversial interviews, to promote Captain Lord’s defence.

Chapter Five: General Secretary

In Chapter 5 Leslie Harrison reflects on his tenure as General Secretary of the MMSA, focusing on his efforts to defend Captain Lord’s reputation. While some accused him of obsession, Harrison insists Lord’s case was just one aspect of his varied responsibilities. He details his extensive involvement in maritime welfare, education, and advocacy, alongside anecdotes highlighting the challenges and rewards of his role.

• Harrison’s work defending Captain Lord garnered significant attention but was just one part of his MMSA responsibilities.
  Critics, including Edward P. de Groot, labelled Harrison overly fixated on Lord’s case, but he maintained a balanced approach.
  Managed Mariners Park, housing retired seafarers, and administered pension funds for those in need.
  Played a key role in rebuilding the Conway cadet training facility, reflecting his dedication to maritime education.
  He represented shipmasters’ interests in collisions, wrongful dismissal cases, and maritime safety regulations.
  Balanced investments and operational funding for MMSA activities, demonstrating financial stewardship.

Chapter Six: the Book

Leslie Harrison recounts the journey to publish his book, detailing numerous challenges and setbacks over 15 years. Despite rejections from nearly 40 publishers, Harrison persisted, eventually finding success with William Kimber in 1986, spurred by renewed interest following the Titanic wreck’s discovery. The book combined a factual account of Captain Lord’s life and a rebuttal of criticisms against his role in the Titanic disaster.

• Harrison planned the book with Captain Lord in 1962 to clear his name and tell his life story.
• Repeated rejections and logistical challenges with publishers and manuscript submissions.
• Divided the book into factual biographical accounts and a detailed defense of Lord’s actions on the night of the Titanic sinking.
• Renewed public interest following the Titanic wreck discovery in 1985 reignited publishing opportunities.
• William Kimber accepted the manuscript in 1986, marking the culmination of Harrison’s decade-long effort.

Chapter Seven: William Kimber

Harrison describes the challenges he faced with William Kimber, the publisher of A Titanic Myth. Kimber’s legal team raised concerns about potential defamation, forcing edits to the manuscript. Disagreements over title, content, and editorial decisions strained Harrison’s relationship with the publisher. Despite these setbacks, the book was published in 1986, selling over 900 copies by April 1987. A second edition, published in 1992 with updated content, was more positively received and launched at the Merseyside Maritime Museum on Harrison’s 80th birthday.

• Disputes with William Kimber over title changes and legal concerns complicated the book’s publication.
• Harrison retained his preferred title, A Titanic Myth, against Kimber’s initial suggestion of Titanic – The Case for Captain Lord.
• The first edition, published in 1986, sold over 900 copies within six months, with significant international interest.
• The second Edition published in 1992 included a new chapter addressing the British Ministry of Transport’s reappraisal of Captain Lord’s case.

Chapter Eight: Stanley Tutton Lord

Chapter 8 focuses on Stanley Tutton Lord, Captain Lord’s son, who lived a quiet life in Wallasey, England. Despite his reserved nature, Stanley actively contributed to defending his father’s reputation, collaborating with Titanic researchers like Edward Kamuda. His correspondence reveals a profound sense of loyalty to his father and frustration over false narratives surrounding the Californian. In his later years, Stanley donated his estate to charitable causes, leaving a legacy intertwined with his father’s historical controversy.

Chapter Nine: Leslie Reade

Harrison recounts his strained interactions with Reade, who was critical of Harrison’s defence of Lord. Despite Harrison’s attempts to address inaccuracies in Reade’s manuscript, his input was dismissed. Reade’s book, published without corrections, included many errors and unsupported claims, sparking controversy and further complicating the Californian debate. Harrison emphasizes the challenges of ensuring factual accuracy amidst entrenched biases.

Chapter Ten: The Ship that Stood Still

Chapter 10 critiques Leslie Reade’s book The Ship That Stood Still, which attempts to blame Captain Lord for the Titanic disaster. Leslie Harrison dismantles the book’s claims, citing unreliable evidence, factual inaccuracies, and a lack of credible sources. He highlights instances where Reade misrepresented testimonies and ignored contradictory evidence. Harrison also condemns Dr. Robert Ballard for exploiting Captain Lord’s reputation to generate media controversy after discovering the Titanic’s wreck. He concludes that Reade’s efforts unfairly tarnished Captain Lord’s name without substantial justification.

• Harrison critiques The Ship That Stood Still for using unreliable sources and misrepresenting facts to condemn Captain Lord.
• Reade’s narrative selectively omitted key evidence that contradicted his claims.
• According to Harrison Dr. Ballard used Captain Lord’s story as a distraction tactic during Titanic wreck coverage, further damaging Lord’s reputation.
• Harrison highlights how historical inaccuracies perpetuated public misconceptions about the Californian’s role.
• Harrison reaffirms Captain Lord’s integrity, criticizing Reade for dedicating efforts to malign a good man unjustly.

Chapter Eleven: Reflections

The final chapter reflects on the enduring controversy surrounding Captain Lord and the Californian’s role in the Titanic disaster. Leslie Harrison critiques the oversimplified judgment that the Californian could have saved Titanic’s passengers, highlighting misinterpretations of distress signals and logistical challenges. He argues that Lord Mersey’s 1912 inquiry verdict was unjust and rooted in flawed assumptions. Harrison underscores the missed opportunity for full exoneration during a 1992 reappraisal and concludes by reaffirming Captain Lord’s integrity, advocating for a posthumous clearing of his name.

• Titanic’s rockets were misinterpreted, and key officers on the Californian did not recognize them as emergency signals.
• Harrison outlines the unrealistic timeline and operational challenges for the Californian to rescue the Titanic’s passengers.
• Lord Mersey’s 1912 judgment disregarded critical evidence, unfairly blaming Captain Lord.
• A 1992 government report admitted Lord’s actions wouldn’t have changed the outcome but failed to fully clear his name.
• Harrison calls for reopening the case to honour Captain Lord’s integrity and resolve a long-standing injustice.

Appendices

The appendices provide additional context and documentation supporting Leslie Harrison’s defence of Captain Lord. Key inclusions are a record of the 1995 High Court libel case in which Harrison successfully refuted defamatory claims made in The Ship That Stood Still, technical explanations of maritime navigation and compass usage, diagrams illustrating ship positioning, and a detailed timeline of Titanic’s final hours.

• APPENDIX ONE: High Court Proceedings, 19 December 1995
• APPENDIX TWO: Technical Terms
• APPENDIX THREE: Ship sectors and a compass card as used in 1912.
• APPENDIX FOUR: Schedule of events, 14/15 April 1912

About the Author

Leslie Harrison, who has seafaring ancestry on both sides of his family, was born in Grimsby and first went to sea in trawlers.

From school, he entered the Merchant Navy as a cadet. During the depression years of the 1930s he worked ashore with the Marconi Company until returning to the sea in 1936. After spending the first year of the 1939-45 War in the Merchant Navy, he
transferred as a master mariner to the Royal Air Force, serving first as a navigation instructor and then as a navigator in Coastal Command, flying on anti-U-boat patrols in the North Atlantic and the Bay of Biscay.

On being demobilised, he was appointed Secretary of the Officers (Merchant Navy) Federation, and in 1956 accepted the post of
General Secretary of the Mercantile Marine Service Association, the British shipmasters’ representative organisation. In this capacity he became responsible for arranging the protection of members involved in courts of inquiry and for representing shipmasters on a number of official committees, serving as a British government delegate at two international conferences on
safety of life at sea. A member of two nautical research societies, he was at one time on the Executive Council and Technical Committee of the British Institute of Navigation. Leslie Harrison is a widower, with two daughters, and lives near Liverpool. He retired from the MMSA in 1975.