The captain goes down with the ship

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2023-06-04 06:00:04

"The captain goes down with the ship" is a maritime tradition that a sea captain holds ultimate responsibility for both their ship and everyone embarked on it, and in an emergency will either save those on board or die trying. Although often connected to the sinking of RMS Titanic in 1912 and its captain, Edward Smith, the tradition precedes Titanic by several years.[1] In most instances, captains forgo their own rapid departure of a ship in distress, and concentrate instead on saving other people. It often results in either the death or belated rescue of the captain as the last person on board.

The tradition is related to another protocol from the nineteenth century: "women and children first". Both reflect the Victorian ideal of chivalry, in which the upper classes were expected to adhere to a morality tied to sacred honor, service, and respect for the disadvantaged. The actions of the captain and men during the sinking of HMS Birkenhead in 1852 prompted praise from many, due to the sacrifice of the men who saved the women and children by evacuating them first. Rudyard Kipling's poem "Soldier an' Sailor Too" and Samuel Smiles's book, Self-Help, both highlighted the valour of the men who stood at attention and played in the band as their ship was sinking.[2]

The tradition says that a captain will be the last person to leave a ship alive before its sinking or utter destruction and, if unable to evacuate the crew and passengers, the captain will not save himself even if he can.[3] In a social context, especially as a mariner, the captain will feel compelled to take this responsibility as a social norm.

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