I will however include some final portions of Senator Smith's report on the conclusions of the Committee. Only two lifeboats lowered: "Many of the crew did not join the ship until a few hours before sailing, and the only drill while the vessel lay at Southhampton or on the voyage consisted in lowering two lifeboats...into the water[.] No boat list designating the stations of members of the crew was posted until several days after sailing[.]"
Lifeboats of the steamship "Titanic": "The "Titanic" was fitted with 16 sets of double-acting boat davits of modern type...thus capable of handling 48 boats, whereas the ship carried but 16 boats and 4 collapsibles, fulfilling all the requirements of the British Board of Trade. Total lifeboat capacity, 1176. There was ample life-belt equipment for all."
Summary of passengers and survivors: "...the "Titanic" sailed with 2,223 persons aboard, of whom 1,517 were lost and 706 were saved."
Ice Warnings: "On the third day out, ice warnings were received by the ..."Titanic" and at least three of these warnings came direct to the commander of the "Titanic" on the day of the accident, [the message from the "Baltic"] places icebergs within 5 miles of the track which the "Titanic" was following, and near the place were the accident occurred."
Ice both to northward and southward steamship "Titanic's" track: "[T]he ice positions so reported to the "Titanic" just preceding the accident located ice on both sided of the track or lane which the "Titanic" was following, and in her immediate vicinity. No general discussion took place among the officers; no conference was called to consider these warnings; no heed was given to them. The speed was not relaxed, the lookout was not increased[.]"
The most damning finding of the Committee was regarding the actions of the steamship "Californian," the apparent source of the tantalizingly close masthead light seen from the "Titanic" and that she attempted to signal with rockets as she sank.
The Senate report found:
Steamship light seen from steamship "Titanic:" "Sixteen witnesses from the "Titanic," including officers and experienced seaman, and passengers of sound judgement, testified to seeing the light of a ship in the distance[.] The "Titanic" fired distress rockets and attempted to signal by electric lamp and Morse code to this vessel. At about the same time the officers of the "Californian" admit seeing rockets in the general direction of the "Titanic" and ...testify that the side lights of a large vessel going at full speed were plainly visible from the lower deck of the "Californian" at 11:30 p.m., ship's time, just before the accident."
