In all, there were more than 2,200 people aboard the ship as it made its way across the ocean. There, the ship took on more passengers as well as mail to be delivered to the United States. It made one stop in Queenstown, Ireland, the next day before setting out into the Atlantic. On April 10, 1912, the Titanic left Southampton and stopped in Cherbourg, France, to pick up more passengers and mail. His ship was damaged in September 1911 when a British Royal Navy cruiser crashed into its side. (The order for the Gigantic was made later and was then renamed Britannic after the Titanic disaster) The first of the two vessels, the Olympic, was launched in 1910 with Smith in command. To compete with the Lusitania and Mauretania owned by Cunard, the company announced it was building two new ocean liners in 1907. The White Star Line planned to add even grander ships to its fleet. By this time, Smith was held in high esteem by his company and was well known and well regarded among travelers on the North Atlantic route between the United States and Europe. His next ship, the Adriatic, was even larger. At 23,000 tons, the Baltic was one of the largest vessels at the time.

A new Baltic was added to the White Star Line fleet in 1904 with Smith as its captain. In 1902, the White Star Line was bought by the International Mercantile Marine (IMM) Company in a deal financed by famed banker J. He also served in the British Royal Navy during the Boer War in South Africa. From 1895 to 1904, Smith commanded the Majestic. He went on to serve as the captain of several other vessels in the White Star Line.

Eight years later, Smith took his first command of a passenger ship, the Baltic.

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