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Cautionary Tales · November 15, 2023 · 38m
Full Speed into the Iceberg
Cautionary Tales
The Titanic disaster from the captain's perspective — how Captain Smith maintained full speed through an ice field because the culture of Atlantic crossing rewarded speed over safety, and because his entire career had taught him that nothing bad would happen.
Highlights
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Experience can be the enemy of safety — Smith had crossed the Atlantic hundreds of times without incident
Captain Smith's 40 years of experience taught him that ice warnings could be safely ignored — he'd done it hundreds of times. This 'experience' was actually survivorship bias dressed as expertise.•
Industry culture can make individual safety impossible — Smith couldn't slow down without losing his command
Harford reveals that Atlantic liner captains who arrived late faced career consequences. The industry culture rewarded speed to the point where slowing for safety was effectively punished.