Original subtitles

(light music)

(soft music)

- [Narrator] The sinking of the RMS Titanic

on the 15th of April, 1912, has become one of the most

profound moments in modern history.

(somber music)

News of the tragedy shocked the world,

signaling the end of an era where mankind

had put its trust and belief in technology.

(somber music)

It was not just the death toll of over 1500

that added to the sorrow of the disaster.

The sinking of the Titanic was the story

of man challenging nature, and losing.

She boasted to be unsinkable,

yet sank four days into her maiden voyage.

(somber music)

Following the distaster,

there was an attempt to shift the focus

from tragedy to one of heroism.

The name Titanic came to embody

not just a cruel act of God,

but the story of selfless bravery

and duty to the last.

(somber music)

As the tale of Titanic passed

from generation to generation,

the stories of her class structure

and the inevitable loss of life

on a ship with too few lifeboats, were well told.

(somber music)

What is not known, is the story of the men below deck,

in her engine rooms.

The men who worked to keep Titanic afloat,

and her systems running to the last minute,

saving many lives.

As she sank, this group of men tried to hold back

the power of the sea, and save the Titanic.

(somber music)

- Hell of a day.

A hell of a day.

Really.

I mean, just a hell of a day.

- Have you counted it?

It's the same.

We're all four days short.

- You're alive, aren't ya?

- Listen, pal.

I know a guy who'll part with $40.00

for anything you've got.

What do you say?

(somber music)

Hell of a day.

(somber music)

- Ah, and you must be leading fireman Frederick Barrett,

am I right?

Oh, please.

Would you care for tea, or perhaps a glass of beer?

I'm sure we could...

- No thanks, sir.

- Very good.

Straight to business then.

You have been singled out, Barrett,

as a potential source of valuable testimony in this case.

Now do you know what that means?

You will be subpoenaed to give evidence at the inquiry,

and if you decide...

- Are you a lawyer, sir?

- We're trying to piece together a picture of what happened.

A picture we can all take pride in.

- You see, it's important that the public

continue to feel secure traveling with White Star.

Now, how do we help them to feel that, hmm?

By reassuring them that the crew, people like you,

did their duty that night.

Stayed at their posts.

Followed orders.

- Yes, at times like these, grievous times,

times of anxiety, people need,

well, what do they need?

- They need heroes, Barrett.

We need to present the Board of Inquiry

and the public with heroes.

- Chief Engineer Bell,

did you see him at all that night?

- I did.

- Did you see him,

did you see any engineers on deck?

- I couldn't say.

I couldn't say more than I've already said.

- Well think, Barrett.

It's important.

(suspenseful music)

(alarms blaring)

- Stand firm, hold steady.

(intense music)

- All engines stop!

- [Man] All engines stop!

(somber music)

- 2:30.

All hands to lifeboats!

- Yes sir!

All hands to the lifeboats.

(somber music)

Very good men.

Stand down.

Drill over.

Get back to your posts and stand by.

Dead slow ahead.

- [Man] Dead slow ahead.

- Ease her up gently.

Once she's under full way,

shut down the cylinder drain valves.

Alright?

(soft music)

Let's have a poke about, shall we?

(soft music)

So these are reciprocating

four cylinder expansion engines.

We're still maneuvering it slow ahead

so we're only using the outer screws.

We've not yet engaged the...

- Lower pressure turbine.

- Go on.

- Well what do you want to know?

- I want to know what you know?

- It's a Parson's direct coupled

lower pressure reaction turbine.

The Swiss lose valves are closed,

sealing the turbine off while it's not needed.

If you want to bring in the center screw

you'll activate the change over valves,

using a Brown's hydraulic engine.

- So they are teaching you something.

(light music)

- Double ended Scotch boilers.

24 of them with six furnaces each.

Five single ended boilers back there.

Hey.

You can take your coat off.

- What about you, father?

- All this.

- You need to go over that fire tray,

you're not getting any air through.

- Very good, sir.

(light music)

- [Narrator] Coal fed every working part of Titanic.

Her 29 boilers were the lungs of the ship,

consuming over 800 tons of coal a day.

They generated the vast amounts of steam

needed to power the largest ship yet built.

(intense music)

For every five crew members that worked aboard Titanic,

almost four of them hailed from Southampton.

With a national coal strike underway in Britain,

there were up to 17,000 unemployed men in the town

eager to take up work.

Nowhere would Titanic's loss be felt more

than in Southampton's working class community.

- They're the pick of South Hampton, sir.

The very best.

Alright men.

Come on through.

- Shepherd.

Welcome to the Titanic, Shep.

Well, what do you think of her?

- Can't tell yet, sir.

She's not the Olympic.

Not what I'm used to, that's all.

I feel unfaithful.

- Wife, or mistress?

I tell you.

She's perfect.

- Yes, I can see that.

Perfect.

- She's all yours, Shep.

- Once you're signed in, lads,

up to your quarters, D through G deck, names on the doors.

(somber music)

- Welcome to the Titanic, gentlemen.

Grab a bunk quick as you can.

First ship is one hour.

One hour 'til first ship!

- [Narrator] Titanic's layout between decks

was emphatic in its class structure,

and this was none more so evident

than in the engineering quarters.

Firemen, greasers, trimmers, known as the Blackgang,

were given berths at the front of the ship,

so as not to come into contact with Titanic's passengers.

- Thomas Dillon, but everybody calls me Paddy.

- Do they now?

- And you are?

- [Man] Barrett!

Barrett!

- Hey, look sharp.

- [Man] Barrett!

- Over here.

- These quarters are for trimmers and stokers only.

According to this, you're a leading fireman.

I'll get you a better billet if you want.

- I'm happy here.

- Suit yourself.

(laughing)

(somber music)

- You don't have to take your hat off in here, son.

We don't judge, you know.

(soft music)

- Is it alright if I park myself here?

- Who plays dominus?

I play dominus.

- Kelly, William Kelly.

- Albert Irvine.

- Kelly, you say.

♫ Has anybody here seen Kelly

♫ K e double l y

♫ Has anybody here seen Kelly

♫ Find him if you can

(intense music)

- [Narrator] From her birth in 1909,

Titanic came to life in a country rife

with political and religious tension.

In her shipyard Harland and Wolff,

there were running battles between

Protestant and Catholic workers.

Nationalists had found a voice in a home grown movement,

in turn creating a fervent resistance from Unionists.

The divisive nature of the conflict

would continue onboard Titanic.

- And three!

- In you go!

- That's it, keep that up.

Here.

You want to jump over those bars.

Hey!

Four inches over the grid, like this, right?

Yeah?

Good man.

(somber music)

- [Narrator] Even Titanic's boiler rooms

had a class structure.

At the bottom was the trimmer,

bringing coal to and from the bunker to the furnaces,

and clearing out the ash.

Above him, feeding the furnaces with coal, was the firemen.

And overseeing all this,

controlling the pressure required from the boilers,

was the leading firemen.

- We need another pitch of coal down here!

Come on, get a move on!

(somber music)

That's it, lads.

Keep her in the blood, yeah?

(somber music)

- Bless us, oh Lord, in these thy gifts

we are about to receive from thy bounty,

through the mercy of Christ our Lord, amen.

- [Men] Amen.

- He's a growin' lad, Perry.

Make sure he gets double rations.

So tell me, Frank.

When did you start with Harland and Wolff?

- Last autumn, Mr. Harvey.

- You settlin' in?

- Mr. Andrews, we weren't expecting you.

- Joseph, oh, please.

- Will you join us?

- Thank you, yes.

- Let me introduce my son, Mr. Andrews, this is Frank.

- How do you do, sir?

- Oh, I've heard all about young Frank Bell.

Great things, we're expecting great things of Frank Bell.

You proud of the old man?

- Oh, very much, sir.

- And so you should be.

He's the best engineer going, isn't that right, chaps?

- [Men] Oh yes.

- Well they have to say that, don't they.

- Ah, thank you, Perry.

Hardtack and weevils, right?

But I mean it, Frank.

This is the best time to be starting in shipbuilding.

It's a golden age.

To the Titanic.

- [Men] The Titanic.

- Mr. Andrews?

Could I ask somethin' of you?

- Oh, by all means.

- Frank.

- No, it's alright, Joseph.

Carry on, Frank.

- Well it's just, it says in here,

"It's impossible to conceive of any

"vital disaster happening to this ship,

"that she's practically unsinkable."

Do you agree with that?

- Well do you?

- well, just say for the sake of argument

that the hull were breached and...

- Where?

- I don't know.

- That's important.

Here, for example.

- Frank, let Mr. Andrews...

- It's alright, Joseph.

- And here.

- Very well.

Now even with both of these compartments

completely flooded, the ship won't founder.

- Yeah, but what if...

- And any of these forward compartments.

- Well I know that, but what I'm trying to say...

- But what?

These bulk heads extending from the bottom

to the upper deck here, and to the saloon deck here,

are completely sealable.

She's taking water in here, and here, and here.

Now what happens?

- Um, the captain releases the friction clutches

on the water side doors.

- He saw that in the drill.

- Say he doesn't have time, or forgets?

What then?

- Well the doors are fitted with floats

beneath the floor plates.

If the floats are lifted, the doors close automatically.

- And then what have you got?

A lifeboat.

(intense music)

The Titanic is its own lifeboat.

The grandest, and most luxurious lifeboat in the world.

(intense music)

- [Narrator] Titanic's iconic look was deceiving.

Only three of her funnels actually worked.

The fourth was a dummy added by White Star,

as the public associated four funnels with speed.

- You coming?

What's the matter?

- Heights.

- Alright, stay here and keep watch.

- Are you sure, Freddy?

- George bloody Barrett, come on.

- What will you say if we get caught?

- White's keeping watch.

We're not doing anything wrong, anyway.

- I suppose.

- This funnel is used for swank.

Might as well put it to some use.

♫ Abide with me

- What can you see?

- Would you look at them all down there?

Flags, and a marchin' band.

They're like ants.

Like an ant's nest all stirred up.

Can you hear the band?

Come on up.

- Don't!

They'll see!

- So what if they do.

I could be like John McCormick.

This could be my chance, imagine it!

The world at my feet.

♫ When other helpers fail and comforts flee

♫ Help of the helpless, abide with me

- You sing like Christmas, Freddy.

Like Christmas.

You really do.

- Captain's orders.

We sail at noon, let's get some steam up.

- Yes, sir.

- Sir?

- Yes, my boy.

- How old do you have to be

to work on a White Star liner?

- Now why would you be askin' that, I wonder?

16.

But I don't want you gettin' any notions.

I want you gettin' qualifications.

Hey.

Do you understand?

- Yes, father.

- [Man] Would everyone not sailing on the Titanic

please start disembarkation by standing aside.

(crowd chatter)

- Father?

Would you have a word with Mr. Andrews for me?

See about my joining Titanic on the next crossing?

- You've got enough on your plate at Harland and Wolff.

- I know, but I'm sure if you just asked.

- I'll give it some thought.

- Sorry to interrupt, sir.

Frank.

There's something I need you to see.

- Very well.

Take care of your mother for me.

- I will.

- See you in a month.

(crown chatter)

- Very good, sir.

(intense music)

- Could've been burning since Belfast, sir.

- Mash, this.

With the coal strike, this is all we could get.

We'll have to dig it out, it's too set in for smotherin'.

Need a 12 man crew, strict rotation each watch.

- I'll draw up a list, sir.

- What's wrong with these chaps?

You.

Start diggin' out that fire.

- Pass me a banjo.

(cheering)

- [Narrator] Fires in coal bunkers

were a common problem in the age of steam.

With a major coal strike underway,

Titanic had taken onboard cheap coal

that caused it to combust deep within

boiler room number six.

This fire within the bunker would play

an important role in the coming disaster,

weakening part of Titanic's hull.

(upbeat music)

- Stand by!

- Ahead full!

- Ahead full!

(machinery running)

- Nice and easy, Mr. Harvey.

Let's see what you're made of, old girl.

Increase the pressure!

Nice and easy, barely breathin'.

Open the regulatin' valve.

Lay steam into the high pressure cylinder.

Gently!

That's it.

- Make the drop feed oil boxes,

with the heads tight and topped up,

and the wicks are all primed, is that clear?

We're full away now, so keep your eyes peeled.

Remember, if you want to know if a bearing's too hot,

spit on it, it spits back, it's too hot.

(intense music)

- Did you ask him to do that?

What's he playin' at?

- Some of these carbon brushes are worn.

And the commutator needs some attention.

- But we're not using the forth set.

- Well just in case.

What's that sound?

- Main turbine.

Right underneath us.

We're underway, boys!

- You ever been to New York, Kelly?

- First time at sea.

- It's your first time at see?

Oh,

♫ Has anybody here seen Kelly

♫ K e double l y

♫ Has anybody here seen Kelly

(somber music)

- Hey.

Shall we add a little piquancy

to the proceedings?

- What is it?

- The good stuff.

- Is it homemade?

- Is it homemade, he's askin'.

Homemade?

Strained through the sink of my wife's smalls.

Now don't tell me it can get more homemade that that.

Fire in the hole, eh?

Wanna see the missus?

Here.

She's in the all together.

- I didn't notice.

- Not bad, eh?

- Got a picture of your old lady?

- No.

- Are you a married man, Barrett?

- I was.

- I'm sorry.

Pass away, did she?

- Thanks for the wet.

- Aye.

(soft music)

- Dear Frank,

I hope that you got to Belfast alright.

I got your wire from Liverpool.

We've made a good run from Southampton.

Everything workin' A one.

We nearly had a collision with the New York and Oceanic

when leavin' Southampton.

The wash of our propellors made the two ships

range about when we were passin' them.

This made the mooring ropes break

and the New York set off across the river

until the tugs got hold of her again.

No damage was done but it looked like trouble at the time.

Keep well, and be a good lad.

Your lovin' father, J Bell.

(soft music)

- Dear mother,

we've had everything working nicely so far.

I've four hours work, and eight hours off.

We had a full dress rehearsal for an emergency.

The alarm bells rang for 10 seconds,

then 50 doors, all steel,

slipped down into their places

so that water couldn't escape

from one section into the next.

So you see, it is true.

It would be impossible for the ship to be sunk.

The next call is New York.

Your loving son, Bertie.

(soft music)

(crowd chatter)

- This is the leading fireman's table.

Trimmer's is over there.

- He's with me.

- Don't care who he's with.

He's a trimmer.

Trimmer's is over there.

- Plenty of room.

- It's rules.

It's a principle.

- Oh, it's a principle, is it?

- Move, you Papist bastard.

(crowd yelling, jeering)

- Come on!

Go on, hit me!

Hit me!

- Hey!

What on earth is goin' on here?

I asked a question.

I will not tolerate fightin' on this ship.

- Aye.

- Is that understood?

- Sir, it was...

- Leave it, Paddy.

(intense music)

- If you've enough energy to fight,

you've enough to work a double shift.

Eight hours in the coal bunker.

(intense music)

- Why do you do that?

- What?

- That.

All that alter boy stuff.

Clothes.

- It's habit, I suppose.

My father is a draper.

It's just how it was at home.

- It's a Protestant ship.

It's built in a Protestant yard.

- I've just as much right to be here as you.

(intense music)

- You called for me, sir?

- Aye.

- Still coal fire?

- Still burnin', sir.

- I take a man as I find him, Barrett.

- I did my job, sir.

- I don't doubt it.

- Will that be all, sir?

- Aye.

Work another double shift tomorrow.

♫ Fare thee well my Juliana

♫ Shallow, shallow brown

♫ Fare thee well my Juliana

♫ Shallow brown, shallow brown

- [Narrator] Three days before the disaster,

Titanic had received its first iceberg warnings

from ships further into the Atlantic.

The Titanic changed course

hoping to steer clear of trouble.

(morse code beeping)

(intense music)

- It was magic.

Just the two of us.

Weren't married then.

Hardly even knew each other.

Knew we wanted to, if you get my meanin'.

Here.

It was spring.

The ground by the river was all covered in wild garlic,

bluebells, rake and robin and the like.

We were kissin' and cuddlin'

under the trees in the sunshine.

Remember sunshine, Barrett?

(laughs)

She wouldn't let me get a hand to her.

Not properly.

But still.

We were like Adam and Eve.

That's what I thought at the time.

Adam and Eve, and this is the garden of bloody Eden.

(intense music)

- He didn't do anything.

- Listen, I've lived with them.

I know what they're like.

You don't think I've put up with much worse than that?

Every day, lookin' out for my back.

That's why I left.

They would kick us out if they had the chance.

Home rule is Rome rule.

- Look, you're on the Titanic,

and you're worried about workin' with a Catholic?

- He's nothin' but a bloody Papist.

- I fold.

(coughing)

(soft music)

(yelling)

(soft music)

♫ Eternal father strong to save

♫ Whose arm has bound the restless waves

♫ Who bids the mighty ocean deep

♫ Its own appointed limits keep

♫ O hear us when we cry to thee

♫ For those in peril on the sea

♫ Oh Christ whose voice the waters heard

♫ And hushed their raging at thy word

♫ Who walkest on the foaming deep

♫ And how amidst his gracious sleep

♫ O hear us when we cry to thee

♫ For those in peril on the sea

(intense music)

(clapping)

(somber music)

- 22 and a half knots, not a shiver.

(somber music)

- She's hungry tonight.

- Aye, she is that.

- All well, Barrett?

- Yes, sir.

- Problem with this ship is, there are no problems.

Could get a little boring, don't you think?

- Rather be busy than bored, in my view, sir.

- Devil finds work for idol hands, and all that.

- Somethin' of the sort, sir.

(intense music)

- What is it?

- I'm not sure, sir.

(alarm bell ringing)

Shut the dampers!

- [Narrator] At 11:40 p.m.,

when watch outs first spotted the iceberg,

orders were sent immediately to the engine room.

- Engine room receiving.

Understood.

Stop all engines.

Stop all engines!

- [Man] Stop all engines, stop all engines.

- Shut the doors, come on, shut the doors.

Shut the dampers, I say shut it down lads.

- [Narrator] As the engines came to a stop,

Titanic tried to steer clear of the approaching iceberg.

- Come on, shut the dampers.

That's it now, shut them down.

- [Narrator] Now drifting, it took 30 seconds until impact.

(loud boom, alarm bell ringing)

- What the hell?

- Freddy.

- Did you hear that?

(alarm bell ringing)

(ship groaning, creaking)

- Release the valves!

- Have we dropped a propeller blade?

- I don't know, sir.

- Well cut off the turbines

and redirect steam to the main condensers.

And Shep, raise the bridge.

What is it, old girl?

What's the matter?

(men yelling)

- [Narrator] One of Titanic's key safety features

was now put into action.

Her water tight doors were shut down,

sealing off the ship's 16 compartments.

- Shut the dampers on those boilers!

- What in God's name is happening?

- I'm not sure, sir.

Water came through for full stop

bring her up while standing us in.

I'm tryin' to raise the bridge

but I'm just getting stand by.

- Any news forward?

- Nothing, sir.

- Where's Harvey?

- Slower stead.

Slower stead 11:45!

- Activate the reversin' engines?

- Slow ahead!

(intense music)

What the hell are they playing at?

(somber music)

- Well?

- He says he wants the dymamos runnin'

as if nothin's happened.

- And what has happened?

- What, you think they'd tell a bunch of greasers?

- Someone said we've run aground off Newfoundland banks.

- And what would you know about anything?

- I heard that too.

- Just get the pole up on the sets.

Find out what's gone wrong with the phones.

That's all he said.

So that's all you need to know.

(somber music)

- Telephone and lighting circuit shorted

in boiler six, five, four.

- That can't be right.

- That's what I'm lookin' at.

(engines shutting off)

Funny how you get used to the noise.

Don't notice it 'til it's gone.

Think she's in dry dock?

- You feel that?

- What?

- He's dampered the headers out.

(intense music)

- [Narrator] When the iceberg hit

Titanic's starboard side,

it ripped along nearly 300 feet of her hull,

allowing cold sea water

to pour into her forward compartments.

Firemen and engineers working in boiler room six

were among the first to witness the flooding.

Yet at this stage, they would not have known

the true extent of the damage.

Many of the men retreated backwards to boiler room five

as Titanic's water tight doors came down,

sealing off the ship's compartments one by one.

Titanic's engineers now have to clear

the remaining boilers of their coal.

Cold sea water hitting a fully pressurized boiler

could cause a thermal explosion.

- Get those furnaces pulled.

Put your bloody backs into it, come on!

- Sir!

- What is it?

- You'd better see this.

- Shut down the cylinder drain valves

when all the condensate is blown out.

What's your name, son?

- Dillon, sir, but everybody calls me Paddy.

- I want you to open this door for me, Dillon.

- Sir, we're not supposed to...

- You follow orders, don't ya?

- Aye.

- Give him a hand, Shep.

- [Narrator] With two of Titanic's compartments

now sealed off by her water tight doors,

the senior engineers needed to get forward

to find out what had happened, and assess any damage.

Four separate boiler rooms now separated the engine room

from the incoming water towards the bow of the ship.

(somber music)

- Feel that?

- Feel what, sir?

- It's like a Turkish bath down here.

She's takin' water up ahead.

(creaking)

- Shut the door.

- What's happened, Barrett?

- We need to keep it shut.

- Close it.

Barrett, what's happened?

- I'll take you through the hatch, sir.

- [Narrator] Seemingly cut off from the flooding,

the iceberg had in fact breached a fifth compartment.

A tear of just two feet within a coal bunker

located in boiler room five was slowly taking water.

- The ballast boards, how many are there?

- Five, sir.

- Capacity?

- About 250 tons an hour, I'd say, that's an estimate.

- And they're reversible?

I mean we can use them to bail water out.

- Absolutely, sir, through the ash ejectors.

- And those pumps?

- Three of those, slightly less capacity I'd say,

150 tons an hour, somethin' like that.

- Very good.

Gauge the pumps then.

- Yes sir.

How many?

- All of them.

- We need a team of counters down here right away.

And tell them to bring shorin' equipment.

I need someone to go into six and report back.

Shep, you go with him.

- Sir.

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.

Back up.

- Yeah.

- The Olympic.

My cabin would've been just down there on the left.

- This isn't the Olympic, sir.

- Yeah.

(intense music)

- Excuse me.

Are we in New York yet?

- No ma'am.

- Is anything the matter?

I felt something.

- Nothing's the matter, it's just routine.

Probably best to go back to your cabins.

(intense music)

- Mr. Andrews?

- Joseph.

- Check if there's ton fluid in the berm oil.

- Alright, sir.

- What's the news?

- There's a hole in the hull,

and she's makin' water.

Well, that's what they're sayin, anyway.

- She'll be limping into New York at this rate.

- That's if she doesn't turn back.

- It doesn't look good.

Not for White Star, anyway.

- Andrews has already been known for problems.

- Who's Andrews?

- Does that mean we get overtime?

- You're jokin'.

Look you signed up for a single trip,

and agreed to that pay.

- Alright, Karl Marx.

- Don't change.

However long it takes them to get to New York.

How would you like a six bob for a month's work?

- A month?

- How much water?

- What?

- How much?

How much water is she taking?

(intense music)

- Do you know your alphabet, Joseph?

Your A, B, C, do you know it, man?

Your A, B, C, and D.

- I don't follow.

- From the bow

she can fill all of these compartments.

That's A, B, C, and D.

But E, compartment E, boiler room five,

whatever you want to call it.

That's her death sentence.

- But the soundings.

I've counters in all forward compartments.

I mean, she's hold.

Surely.

The amount of water...

- The amount of water is immaterial.

She can take on more water, just not in this way.

Her neck is in the noose.

This ship will sink.

I give her an hour, an hour and a half at most.

- I won't let that happen.

- Let me show you something.

(somber music)

Feel that?

Water coming in below is forcing the air up.

- She's sighing.

(somber music)

- [Narrator] The forward sections of Titanic

were filling uncontrollably.

As each bulkhead was breached,

the weight created by the water

forced Titanic's bow further into the ocean.

- Know what the lads call this sir?

This is the devil.

'Cause this is hell.

- Keep the fires goin'.

- Men!

Can you all here me?

I want you to go up top, as per drill,

and await further orders.

Is that understood?

- You heard the man, get above decks now, come on!

- Not you, Barrett.

You stay down here with Shepherd and Harvey

and help man the pumps.

- Yes, sir.

- Have you transferred steam pressure to the ash ejectors?

- I believe Mr. Harvey has, sir.

- Keep those fires drawn.

We don't want the pressure buildin' up

and blowin' the joints.

Can you keep them pulled?

- I'll do my job, sir.

- [Narrator] As Titanic slowly listed forward,

the firemen's bunk rooms towards the front of the ship

were among the first areas to start flooding.

It was now clear that water

was pouring over Titanic's bulkheads.

- What's the matter, boys?

Didn't bargain on an early bath?

Nice and clean for those burly hers, eh?

(intense music)

- Paddy, what's all this?

- Orders.

- I need you to fetch me some lamps

from the port side store room.

- What?

- It's on G deck, for the workshops.

- And I thought we were pals.

(morse code beeping)

- [Narrator] As Titanic's first distress call was sent,

for the small group of electricians onboard,

their role became vital.

They were now in charge of diverting power

through miles of circuits that ran throughout the ship,

keeping essential systems working.

- Alright, comrads.

Looks like we're gonna have to put

in a little extra on this one.

- No, we're busy.

- You just got busier.

Bell.

He wants the auxiliary sites workin'.

Turn on the lifeboat winches.

- Lifeboats?

- I'm just the messenger.

(intense music)

- The emergency steam supply pipe runs

above the water tight bulkheads through to the

auxiliary dynamos on D deck.

They're on the outside of the turbine engine room casing.

How much power will they give us?

- 30 kilowatts each at 100 volts.

- There's a cross connection here.

We need to take steam from boiler rooms two,

three, four, and pass it up to the emergency dynamo.

- There's a valve here, here, and another one.

That's just gonna lose the lights.

Can you isolate these circuits?

- The fires are being pulled in five.

The water hits the boilers that blow.

Every remaining ounce of pressure

I need to power the ballast and bilge pumps.

- So what are we supposed to use for the emergency circuit?

The lifeboat winches, and the lights down here.

- Divert the port side boiler from two.

What's your name, son?

- Irvine, sir.

- How old are you, Irvine?

- 18, sir.

From two then?

- Aye, good lad.

- Kelly, have you found those bloody switches?

(intense music)

- Who's that?

- Who the hell do you think it is?

Ah, would you bloody believe it?

- Come on.

- [Narrator] As the first lifeboat was lowered,

it had a capacity for 65.

There were 28 people onboard.

- Alright, gentlemen, we're going to make our way up top.

Orderly fashion now.

Henry Allen, Walter Finster, Edward McGarvey.

- I need some men below to help me pull the fires in five.

- But Bell said...

- I need some men.

(somber music)

- Kelly.

Get up!

(somber music)

What's the matter with you?

(somber music)

- Right lads.

Right to work, come on.

Somebody on starboard.

- Alright, I want all these boilers drawn.

(yelling)

Get all those coals out, right.

Get them all out.

- It seems so big.

Like a cathedral.

Now I can feel it all pressin' in on me.

I think about the ocean.

How deep it is underneath us.

Miles of it.

Do you think we'll ever get off?

(intense music)

- You know the last person I saw leave the ship

was a kid about my age.

He looked at me and I knew what he was thinkin'.

He was thinkin', I wish I was in that uniform.

I wish that was me.

You're bloody good at your job, Kelly.

I've seen you.

Bloody good.

- What difference will that make?

- I don't know.

None probably.

But you're wearing that uniform, aren't you?

- [Narrator] The battle to save Titanic

was now taking place in boiler room number five.

Titanic's pumps became a life line for survival.

Normally used to keep the ship on an even keel,

they were now given a new role.

Stopping the incoming water from overwhelming the ship.

(screaming)

- Hold him still, Barrett, hold his hands.

- I've got them, sir.

You're doin' okay, sir.

(screams)

(somber music)

Give me your scarves, come on.

(somber music)

- Sir.

- I need you to start the fourth generator now.

- There's not enough pressure in the system.

- People are trying to get off this ship.

We will give them the best chance we can.

- We have the auxiliaries running off the boilers in three,

we have the port side boilers in two.

- There's the starboard side in four.

- Aye?

- If we keep her in steam,

we can cross connect from the supply lines

through reciprocating engines.

- Do it.

(intense music)

- [Narrator] The series of events had by now

brought Titanic towards her end.

(intense music)

Oblivious to what had taken place above decks,

the engineering crew were now battling

against rising sea water slowly taking over the ship.

By now, the senior engineers would have realized

the fate of the ship.

The situation turned from saving Titanic

to one of delaying her sinking.

(intense music)

- Men.

I need steam.

For the pumps, for the generator, for this ship.

I'm offerin' you a choice.

You can take your chances up top with everybody else,

or stay down here with me.

We'll try and keep her afloat as long as we bloody can.

That's not my order.

It's your decision.

(somber music)

- And I thought we were pals.

So long, Paddy.

Right, lads.

Need to keep boilers two, three, and four in steam.

Stoke them, you'll have to judge it yourself, alright.

- I feel like bloody King Canute lying here.

- You know the thing that always struck me about that story?

- What's that?

- People think it's about how arrogant and foolish he was

trying to hold back the tide.

I don't see it that way.

I think old Canute was trying to say,

what's a king compared to the sea?

Nothin'.

I mean this ship has a gymnasium, a library,

swimmin' pool, for God's sake.

And what is she compared to the sea?

Nothin'.

(intense music)

- [Narrator] The remaining boiler rooms

not yet taking water were now used to create steam.

Through firing the furnaces,

the dynamos could provide essential power

so that people and crew could make their way

towards the upper decks.

(intense music)

- That should do it.

Good thing you cleaned those brushes.

Where's Middleton?

- Does he know how to work it?

- White!

You see that lever?

Push it 'round clockwise, slowly.

(somber music)

- Come on, come on, come on old girl.

Come on.

(somber music)

- There she blows!

(somber music)

- It's workin', Barrett.

It's only bloody workin'.

(intense music)

(ship groaning)

- [Narrator] The stress upon Titanic's hull

as it was being pulled further into the water was immense.

The weight of the sea pouring into her

forward compartments finally brought her

to the breaking point.

- Move it.

Move it!

- [Narrator] Boiler room six had by now

completely filled with water

and its bulkhead collapsed.

(yelling)

(intense music)

- Shepherd!

- It's too late!

Harvey!

(somber music)

(yells)

- What about Kelly?

- It's hopeless.

- Kelly!

Kelly!

(intense music)

- Good evening.

- I, um.

- Top of the brush, old man?

(laughs)

- Don't mind if I do.

Cheers, boys.

- Barrett.

Barrett!

Go up top with the others.

- I'm gonna pump out boiler room number four.

- Barrett.

- When I opened the door,

I thought she'd be alone, but she wasn't.

He didn't see me at first.

But she did.

Then he sees her lookin' at me,

and he knows I'm there behind him.

And I wanted to kill them both.

And I coulda done.

She was hidin' under the sheets.

And he's up against the wall.

I'm thinkin' I could drive me fist into his throat,

I could geld him.

He knows it.

Ah, he's expectin' it.

He closes his eyes.

- It's alright, lad.

- I loved her.

I mean, I worshiped that woman.

So I left them there.

And that's when I signed up for this.

So there's safe 'cause I can't get at them.

That's why I gotta go pump out boiler room number four.

- Barrett.

I need you to do somethin' for me.

(somber music)

What's your name?

- It's White, sir.

- I want you to go up top and report back what's happenin'.

I want to know what you see, what you hear, everythin',

is that clear?

- Yes, sir.

- White.

Everything.

(intense music)

♫ Twinkle, twinkle little star

♫ How I wonder what you are

♫ Up above the world so high

♫ Like a diamond in the sky

♫ Then if I were in the dark

♫ I would thank you for your spark

(intense music)

(somber music)

(screaming, yelling)

(intense music)

- Get out.

Get out!

(intense music)

- Freddy?

(intense music)

- This is Chief Engineer Bell.

Are you receivin' me?

This is Bell in the engine room.

I repeat, are you receivin' me?

Bell to bridge!

(intense music)

(ship groaning)

(intense music)

- [Narrator] Eye witnesses all testified

to seeing Titanic's lights still burning

just minutes before she disappeared into the ocean.

(screaming)

- Heroes, Mr. Barrett.

Men who died fighting to the last

so that others might have a chance of life.

Now can you give us the heroes we need?

I can't tell if this is false modesty or pigheadedness.

You're a hero, aren't you Barrett?

- Why?

- For standing by your post and following orders?

- That makes me a hero?

- Doesn't it?

- You're a hero in my book, Barrett.

- Because it suits you.

Because it suits White Star.

- You are a hero for what you did, Mr. Barrett.

- What did I do?

I survived.

And then you cut my pay the moment she goes down.

Your dead heroes come cheap.

I'm alive.

(soft music)

(laughs)

- Thomas Dillon, sir.

But everybody calls me Paddy.

(somber music)

- [Narrator] It will never be clear if engineers

managed to make it above decks as Titanic sank.

For many, it would've been impossible,

as they were isolated deep in the hull of a dying ship.

Without doubt, the men of the engineering section

had worked to keep Titanic from sinking

for up to an hour and a half longer

than what was expected, saving hundreds of lives.

(somber music)

- You Frank Bell?

- Yes, I'm Bell.

- I made a promise to your father.

He wanted you to have this.

(somber music)

- [Joseph] My dear Frank,

I feel sure by the time you read this,

they'll be saying all sorts of things

about what has happened here.

They'll find their villains and their heroes,

tell their stories to make sense of the senseless.

They'll tell you, I hope,

that you can be proud of your father.

But all i can think of now

is how proud I am of you.

Remembering you, knowing you,

knowing for certain what you will become.

I have the strength to do what I have to do.

Look after your mother for me.

Keep well, and be a good lad.

Your loving father, J Bell.

(somber music)

(soft music)