Herbert Haddock  Herbert James Haddock  (27 January 1861 – 4 October 1946) was an English naval reserve officer and ship's captain, and was best known as the captain of the RMS "Olympic" at the time of the sinking of the "Titanic". He was the first person to captain "Titanic," overseeing the ship at Belfast while her delivery-trip crew was assembling there from 25 to 31 March 1912. A 1911 story in "The New York Times" described Haddock as the "only skipper in the Atlantic trade who wears the mid-Victorian mutton chop whiskers without a beard or mustache". Haddock was born to Herbert James Haddock (born 1825) in Rugby, Warwickshire on 27 January 1861. He joined the Royal Navy, serving as a lieutenant aboard HMS "Edinburgh". In 1902, Haddock was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath. He was later "aide de camp" to British royalty. After his Royal naval service, Haddock joined the White Star Line, where he captained a number of liners including the RMS "Britannic", SS "Germanic", RMS "Cedric", and RMS "Oceanic". Haddock was also nominally the first commander of RMS "Titanic". He signed on as her master at Southampton on 25 March 1912, and then travelled to Belfast to oversee the crew that was assembling there for the ship's delivery trip to Southampton. He was relieved by Edward J. Smith at Belfast on 31 March and then returned to Southampton to take command of Smith's previous ship, RMS "Olympic". On 3 April he began "Olympic"s tenth Southampton-New York-Southampton roundtrip, arriving in New York on 10 April, the day "Titanic" left Southampton. "Olympic" was given the radio call sign "MKC". At the time of "Titanic"s sinking Haddock was sailing "Olympic" easterly from New York to Southampton, approximately west by south of "Titanic"s location. Haddock was informed of the disaster by wireless operator Ernest James Moore at 2250 ET on 14 April. After receiving a CQD call from "Titanic", Haddock calculated a new course and headed directly to her. He also sent for an engineer to set the ship's engines to full power. When from "Titanic", at approximately 1600 ET on 15 April, Haddock received a message from Captain Rostron of RMS "Carpathia", explaining that continuing on course to "Titanic" would gain nothing, as "All boats accounted for.