She was
several months in dry dock.
The result of a naval court inquiry was to put all the blame
for the collision on the Olympic. Captain Smith, in his testimony
before the naval court, said that he was on the bridge
when he saw the Hawke overhauling him. The Olympic
began to draw ahead later or the Hawke drop astern, the
captain did not know which. Then the cruiser turned very
swiftly and struck the Olympic at right angles on the quarter.
The pilot gave the signal for the Olympic to port, which was
to minimize the force of the collision. The Olympic's engines
had been stopped by order of the pilot.
Up to the moment the Hawke swerved, Captain Smith
said, he had no anxiety. The pilot, Bowyer, corroborated
the testimony of Captain Smith. That the line did not believe
Captain Smith was at fault, notwithstanding the verdict of
the board of naval inquiry, was shown by his retention as the
admiral of the White Star fleet and by his being given the
command of the Titanic.
Up to the time of the collision with the Hawke Captain
Smith when asked by interviewers to describe his experiences
at sea would say one word, "uneventful." Then he would
add with a smile and a twinkle of his eyes:
"Of course there have been winter gales and storms and
fog and the like in the forty years I have been on the seas, but
I have never been in an accident worth speaking of.
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