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The Iceberg Warnings

The Titanic received several ice warnings during her voyage from Queenstown. First messages received were on Friday, April 12. They were congraulations and good wishes for the maiden voyage. During the day steamers Empress of Britian and La Touraine sent a greeting to Titanic, but these messages also included advices of ice.

Titanic's wireless apparatus ceased to function at 11 pm on Friday. Phillips and Bride were looking to correct the problem all the night, and finally on Saturday they had located and fixed the problem

During Saturday the ships on the North Atlantic lanes reported ice. "Ice betwwen 41 and 42 North, and 49 and 50 West...Field ice, some growlers, some bergs..."

These are the most historically, most well-noted ones:

At 9am on Sunday a message arrived from Caronia: "Captain, Titanic-West-bound steamers report bergs, growlers, and field ice in 42 N, from 49 to 51 W. April 12..." Captain Smith posted this message for his officers to read and note.

At 1:42 pm steamer Baltic reported: "Greek steamer Athenai reports icebergs and large quantities of field ice in latitude 41 51'N, longitude 49 52'W.." This message was delivered to smith when he had a conservation with Ismay. Ismay took the message and showed it to several passengers, before Smith asked for it back around 7:15pm to post it in the chart room.

1:45pm: A private message from Amerika to U.S. Hydrographic Office was received and relayed by Titanic wireless operators: "Amerika passed two large icebergs at 41 27'N, 50 8'W on April 14." Since the message included navigational information it should have been delivered to the bridge. It was not.

At 7:30, Harold bride delivered a message from the Californian to Antillian to the bridge: "To the Captain, Antillian - 6:30 pm apparant ship's time latitude 42 3'N, longitude 49 9'W. Three large bergs 5 miles southward of us. Regars, Lord."

9:40 pm: "From Mesaba to Titanic - In latitude 42 N to 41 25'N, longitude 49 W to 50 30'W, saw much heavy pack ice and great number of large icebergs, also field ice, weather good, clear." This message never reached the bridge. Bride was having a nap, and Phillips was on duty alone.

10:30 pm. Eastwardbound from Halifax, a steamer Rappahannock emerged from her passage through an extensive ice-field, during which she sustained rudder damamge. Her acting master Albert E. Smith saw Titanic's lights abeam contacted her by Morse signal lamp: "Have just passed through heavy field ice and several icebergs." After a moment Titanic acknowledged "Message received. Thank you. Good night."

10:55 pm. Californian's operator Cyril Evans, 19 miles north of the Titanic, sent a message to all ships in the vicinity. "We are stopped and surrounded by ice." This message was received by Titanic, but Phillips was working with Cape Race land station in Newfoundland and signalled "Keep out! Shut up! You're jamming my signal. I'm working Cape Race." Evans ceased his transmission and listened to Titanic's Cape Race traffic, and turned off his set as usual at 11:30 pm. He was the sole radio operator on Californian, so now Californian was deaf.

Sound of seven bells marked 11:30 pm on Titanic. Sunday was almost over.