The
American inquiry into the Titanic disaster opened four days after
the sinking and lasted from April 19 to May 25, 1912. Six U.S. senators
examined 82 witnesses in New York and Washington, D.C., including 29 U.S.
citizens and 53 British subjects. The lead role in the investigation was
played by Senator William Alden Smith, who performed most of the
questioning.Unusual measures were taken to ensure that witnesses remained in the U.S. Ever since the Carpathia docked in New York, surviving crew members of the Titanic had remained aboard the liner Lapland, expecting to leave for England aboard the ship on the morning of April 20. Shortly before the ship's departure that day, however, 29 of the crew members were served with federal subpoenas, requiring them to remain in the U.S. By an oversight, five crew members had not been received subpoenas and sailed out of New York aboard the ship.
A
federal marshal aboard the tugboat Barrett was sent to intercept
the Lapland at Sandy Hook and retrieve the five designated crew
members. The remaining crew returned to England aboard the Lapland,
arriving on April 29. J. Bruce Ismay was also forced to remain in the U.S.
during the inquiry. On May 2, he and the detained crew members finally
left for England aboard the Adriatic, reaching Liverpool on May
11.Spectators and newspaper reporters crowded the American hearings, and the British press harshly criticized them. In the senators' 19-page report, their recommendations included enough lifeboat space for every person on all foreign and domestic ships carrying passengers from U.S. ports; lifeboat drills for passengers and crew; adequate manning of boats; and 24-hour operation of radiotelegraph equipment. The report also condemned Captain Lord of the Californian, a ship that had been near the Titanic's position, for not responding to the Titanic's distress signals.
Meanwhile,
a British inquiry into the disaster was also proceeding, headed by Lord
Mersey, the Wreck Commissioner. The British hearings lasted from May 2 to
June 29. In their findings, issued on July 30, the commissioners concluded
that the Titanic disaster was due to the ship's excessive speed,
that a proper watch was not kept, that the lifeboats were insufficiently
manned, that there had been no discrimination against third-class
passengers in the saving of life, and that the Californian might
have reached the Titanic if she had attempted to do so. The
British commission also recommended enough lifeboat space for every person
aboard, more watertight compartments in ships and better regulation of
lookouts. Lord Mersey was especially critical of the British Board of
Trade for failing to update its lifeboat regulations for ships, which had
remained unchanged since 1894, despite the enormous increases in size and
carrying capacity of liners.