Moody's calm professionalism did not desert him. He responded politely, and probably automatically, "Thank you" and then turned and called out to Murdoch "Iceberg, right ahead!"
The chief officer [sic] rushed from the wing to the bridge, or I imagine so, sir. Certainly I am inclosed in the wheelhouse, and I can not see, only my compass. He rushed to the engines. I heard the telegraph bell ring; also give the order 'Hard astarboard,' with the sixth officer standing by me to see the duty carried out and the quartermaster standing by my left side. Repeated the order , 'Hard astarboard. The helm is hard over, sir.'
Quartermaster Robert Hichens, US Inquiry
As Moody repeated and confirmed Murdoch's orders, Hichens would remember that "she was crushing the ice, or we could hear the grinding noise along the ship's bottom" Murdoch himself pulled the lever closing the watertight doors, and only moments later Captain Smith emerged from where he had been resting on the settee in his sitting room.
Third Officer Pitman's testimony at both inquiries makes it evident that from his position in the wheelhouse, Moody did not see the iceberg that the Titanic had struck. Murdoch instructed Quartermaster Oliver to note the time the collision had occurred and instructed Moody to enter it in the log. Boxhall, who had been returning to the bridge when the collision occurred, arrived moments later. Moody told him what had happened:
Senator Smith: Did you know what had occurred?
Boxhall: No, not at all. I heard the sixth officer [sic] say what it was.
Smith: What did he say it was?
Boxhall: He said we had struck an iceberg.
US Inquiry
Examinations by Boxhall, designer Thomas Andrews and ship's carpenter John Hutchinson would determine the severity of the damage and indicate that Titanic was mortally wounded. How aware James Moody was of the gravity of the situation at this point is unknown but, as he was on the bridge as the damage reports came in, it is possible that he was one of a handful of people who knew almost from the outset that the largest ship in the world was going to sink.
About 12.05 am Smith began to issue orders – Wilde to uncover the boats, Murdoch to muster the passengers, Moody to get out the list of boat assignments and Boxhall to wake up the off-duty officers.
It is impossible to state with complete confidence the order in which Moody loaded lifeboats – indeed, difficulties arise even in determining which of the lifeboats he oversaw or assisted at. There was a general unfamiliarity between the deck officers and the rest of the crew, although some had served with Moody on Oceanic. Many of those assisting did not even come from the deck crew, and included stokers from the boiler rooms, staff from the victualling department and even passengers. Physical descriptions that might have assisted in positive identifications are rare in transcripts of both official inquiries and survivor accounts. Lowe, Boxhall and Pitman met Moody only briefly during the evacuation, and Lightoller would later state he had not seen the Sixth Officer at all. Murdoch, with whom Moody worked at some of the starboard boats, might have clarified some of his young colleague's movements, but he was lost in the disaster. In our account, Moody has been placed at the boats where he can be identified with some degree of confidence, although his actions were not necessarily limited to these boats. It is important to keep in mind that the timing of lifeboat launchings and occupancies remain a matter for ongoing debate among Titanic researchers.
The first task facing the officers in the evacuation procedure was to prepare the boats for lowering – uncovering them and swinging out the davits. Third Officer Pitman, after he was awakened by Boxhall, went to the aft end of the boat deck and found Moody already engaged in preparing the boats. ' I asked him if he had seen the iceberg. He said no; but he said, "there is some ice on the forward well deck'.
While Pitman went to investigate this ice on the well deck, Moody continued working at the boats. He worked his way to the forward port side boats (Nos. 2, 4, 6 and 8), where he was sighted by A. B. William Lucas. Lucas stated at the English Inquiry that "The only officers I saw there were Mr. Moody and Mr. Lightoller" who were issuing orders – "They said 'get out the boats,' we got out those boats – before the boats were lowered, before they were swung out."
The length of time Moody spent at the forward port boats is indeterminate, but Lightoller would not remember working there with him, so it may be surmised that once the forward boats were uncovered and swung out Moody moved fairly rapidly aft.
Gracie: "…..then a young English officer of the ship, a tall thin chap, whose name was Murphy – I think it was Officer Murphy –"
Senator Fletcher: "Murdoch?"
Gracie: "No; not Murdoch. Murphy, I think it was. He was the Sixth Officer, or something of that sort."
Senator Smith: "Moody, was it not?"
Gracie: "Moody was his name. He said, "No man beyond this line." Then the women went beyond that line."
US Inquiry
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Possibly Moody was acting under the orders of Second Officer Charles Lightoller when he blocked Gracie's access to the boats, as Lightoller was more inflexible in his interpretation of "women and children first" . Later, while working on the starboard side with Murdoch, Moody would allow male passengers to enter the boats.
Fifth Officer Lowe had been working on the forward starboard boats with Murdoch. About 1.15 am he crossed the boat deck and met Moody, asking him "what are you doing?" Lowe remembered the exchange at the US Inquiry: "He said, 'I am getting these boats away.'" (Nos. 12, 14 and 16). Lowe discussed the situation with his younger colleague:
I told Mr. Moody on my own that I had seen five boats go away, and an officer ought to go in one of these boats. I asked him who it was to be – him or I – and he told me, "You go; I will get in another boat."
Harold Lowe, English Inquiry
There were several witnesses to this exchange. One of them – A. B. Joseph Scarrott – would remember that Lowe instructed Moody to take command of No. 16:
I was taking the women in when Mr. Lowe came. There was another officer with him on the boat deck, but I do not know which one that was, and he said to this other officer: "All right, you go in that boat and I will go in this." That would mean No. 16 boat; she was abaft us, the next boat. Mr. Lowe came in our boat."
A.B. Joseph Scarrott, English Inquiry
Lowe left Titanic in No. 14, apparently under the impression that Moody would be following him shortly in another boat – probably No. 16.
He would not see Moody again.
The loading of No. 16 was comparatively calm and orderly (considering that Scarrott had to beat back passengers with a tiller to prevent them from swamping the neighboring No. 14):
When the officer started to fill the boat with passengers and the men to man it, there were no individuals who tried to get in, or that he permitted to get in. There was not confusion whatever. The officer asked me if I could take an oar. I said I could.
Steward C.E. Andrews
Titanic still had an hour to live, and many passengers were reluctant to leave their husbands and the apparent safety of her illuminated decks to be lowered in small boats down into the dark ocean. Problems were compounded by language barriers - due to No. 16's location on the boat deck, there were a high number of immigrant steerage passengers who faced communication difficulties in following Moody's directions.
1478. Was any order given about filling up? – Yes, but there was not anybody there handy – no women – I was singing out for women myself.
1479. Had you received the order that women were to be put in the boats? – Yes
1480. Who did you receive that from? – Mr Moody.
A.B. William Lucas, English Inquiry
Stewardess Violet Jessop remembered in private correspondence the difficulties Moody had in inducing passengers to enter the boats:
It was terribly difficult to make people get into the boats and leave their menfolk behind. After we had done all we could below stairs, we went up on deck and were just standing back watching a young officer trying to persuade emigrants to go into the boats. As he could not make himself understood (they were mostly Poles, Russians, etc.), he asked us to give a good example and get in."
Violet Jessop to Mrs. Emery 29/7/1958
In her memoirs, she left a haunting impression of James Moody at this stage of the evening:
My arm was suddenly jerked and I turned to see young [Moody] who had been busy filling a boat. His face looked weary and tired, but he gave a bright smile as he ordered my group into the boat, calling out "Good luck!" as we stepped in, helped by his willing, guiding hand. I nearly fell over the tack and oars as I tried to assist Ann in beside me. She was suffering from her feet, I could see, and found her lifebelt got in the way of moving freely.
Before I could do anything, young [Moody] hailed me and held up something, calling to me as he prepared to throw it, "Look after this, will you?" and I reached out to receive somebody's forgotten baby in my arms."
Stewardess Violet Jessop
Moody instructed A. B. Ernest Archer to check and see that the drainage plug was in place in No. 16 (all the lifeboats had drainage holes to prevent water accumulating in them while they were stored on deck), and to see that no one attempted to get in the boat. After No. 16 was filled with about forty people aboard, the majority of them steerage passengers, Moody ordered the crew to lower the boat:
1481. Was he [Moody] there or was he by the falls? – He was near me when I was lowering.
1482. Were you told to help lower the boats? – I was warned off by Mr. Moody, and to stand by.
A.B. William Lucas, English Inquiry
A recurring problem all evening was the lack of experienced boat crew available to send away in command of the lifeboats. Although there were probably about 5 crewmen aboard No. 16, it seems that only two of these, A. B. James Forward and A. B. Archer, had experience in handling a boat. Apparently realizing this, Moody sent Master-at-Arms Bailey down the falls to take command.
After No. 16, the aftermost port boat, reached the water, Moody crossed to starboard to assist First Officer Murdoch. At 1.30am they began loading boat No. 9. One of the crewmen present was Quartermaster Walter Wynn, who was able to identify the Sixth Officer. Moody told Wynn to go to the boat to which he was assigned, but Wynn could not remember his assignment. Moody directed him to go to No. 9 – "It was already swung out on the davits and he told me to take charge of No. 9, as I did not know my own boat." The boat had somewhere in the vicinity of 45 to 48 people aboard, predominantly second class.
Moody then moved further aft, and by 1.40 a.m. was working at No. 13. Although Lookout Reginald Lee could not remember Moody's name, he provided a description clear enough to identify him beyond doubt:
2527. You mean there was scarcely anybody in No.13 boat? – Yes. Mr. - , I cannot tell you what his name is – a tall officer, about 6 feet in height, fresh complexion – I forget his name; I could not remember his name – he was there attending to passing the passengers into the boats.
2528. Was it Mr Wilde, the chief officer? – No, he is about the sixth officer, or the fifth officer.
2529. At any rate, he was a very tall man according to you? – Yes, tall and spare. I think he was drowned.
Lookout Reginald Lee, English Inquiry
Part IV-Conclusion
Part I
Part II
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