First Hand - Quartermaster George Rowe

George Thomas Rowe

Quartermaster

View Bio

Peter West [Interviewer]:
Quartermaster Rowe, who's here tonight, was a very surprised man. Where were you Quartermaster?

George Rowe:
I went on watch on the poop at 8 o'clock. At 10 o'clock, I read the log and passed it onto the Forebridge. At twenty minutes to twelve, I was pacing up and down the deck and I felt a good jar. I thought that was peculiar, I looked along the side, and saw what I thought was a windjammer, but as it came astern, I saw it was an iceberg.

The engines were going full speed astern then so I pulled the log in. After that it got a bit quiet, except for the blowing off of steam, and heard nothing or seen nothing until I saw a lifeboat being lowered on the starboard side. I reported it to the Bridge, asked them if they knew there was a boat being lowered. They said they did, and wondered who I was.

I said I was the After Quartermaster. They asked me if I knew where the distress rockets were. I said yes. They said bring them on the Bridge. When Captain Smith saw me bring them up, he told me to fire one, and fire one every five or six minutes. After about two or three minutes, he said to me, "Can you morse?" I said, "Yes a bit." He said, "Call that light up, tell her we're the Titanic sinking, please get all your boats ready." She never answered.