Did First Officer Murdoch of the Titanic really kill two men with the warning shots and then commit suicide?

Answer 1

I'm not sure, but I'm positive he did because everyone was panicking and he didn't know what to do when he shot them so he thought it was the best if he shot himself too.


Although it has been claimed that shots were fired on the night of the sinking, if this is true no one really knows who fired the shots. However survior accounts claim that Murdoch was last seen attempting to launch Collapsible Lifeboat "A" He was never seen after and is assumed to have died in the water.

No, he did not kill any passengers. He was commended for saving passengers. In fact he was the only officer who ensured all his lifeboats were launched full. He made no distinction between the different passenger classes. First Officer William McMaster Murdoch was portrayed as a villain in the film Titanic to introduce excitement. The truth was the opposite. The film makers agreed to $8400 to the village in Scotland as recognition of the 'error' and apologized to his surviving family.

Answer 2

No one!He shot himself for being nasty to a 1st class passenger. Incorrect.

William McMaster Murdoch did not shoot himself. He was lost at sea after showing great heroism in organising and assisting passengers into life boats.

Answer 3

He did not. The James Cameron film made a false portrayal of Murdoch. This was slander and the culprits were brought to justice.

Murdoch actually died this way: He was last seen alive trying to launch a lifeboat with other people just before the bridge submerged in the final stages of the sinking and a huge wave knocked him down into the ocean. He was later seen clinging to a broken deck chair in the water but he was dead from hypothermia.

To have information on Lieutenant William McMaster Murdoch, and his actual death, go to

Murdoch Of The 'Titanic'

Answer 4

In real life, he didn't commit suicide. Survivors have reported that he worked diligently to help people get onto the lifeboats until the end, and he was in the water when the ship sank, but didn't survive against the freezing cold water

Answer 5

No- Murdoch was the First Officer, and was asleep in his bunk at the time of the accident. Chief Officer Wilde was in command, with Quartermaster Hitchens at the helm- Frederick Fleet and Archie Jewell were the look-outs.

Murdoch did not survive the sinking- there are rumours that he shot himself in the final moments to spare himself the agony of drowning, but there is no evidence for this and in any case, even if he did, one can hardly blame him for having done so.

Answer 6

It has never been proven if he actually did kill himself. While many accounts say that he did, many other accounts claim that he did not.

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Murdoch was the officer in charge of the bridge when the collision took place.

In two motion films about the Titanic, Murdoch was portrayed shooting passengers and himself during the sinking of the Titanic. However, this was based on rumor and no credible evidence has ever surfaced to indicate that any crew member of Titanic, let alone Murdoch specifically, ever shot passengers or committed suicide in such a manner. Surviving eyewitnesses also reported that Murdoch actually worked diligently until the end, and was seen alive in the water as the ship went down.

Answer 7

It is believed that murdoch did kill himself, but not enough evidence has been found to completely prove it.

Answer 8

Cpt. Smith died when the Titanic sank. He went down with his ship.

Answer 9

He shot himself because he shot someone else on the ship so he decided to kill himself after shooting 2 people.

Answer 10

no..