51 north, longitude 49.52 west. Last night we spoke with German oil tanker Deutschland, Stettin to Philadelphia, not under control; short of coal; latitude 40.42 north, longitude 55.11. Wishes to be reported to New York and other steamers. Wish you and Titanic all success.".
This message from the Baltic was immediately given to Captain Smith who, instead of giving it to the officers on watch, carried it with him. Captain Smith encountered Bruce Ismay (managing director of the White Star line) as he walked aft along the promenade. According to Ismay's testimony in a later hearing regarding the loss of the Titanic, the Captain handed him the message without comment. Ismay briefly glanced at the message and then put it in his pocket.
During the few spring months when icebergs were a threat around the Grand Banks, ships would take a more southerly route, steaming southwest until reaching forty-two degrees west longitude and forty-seven degrees west longitude. This location was commonly known to as "the corner." From this point on they streamed nearly due west on the course for Nantucket Lightship. The Titanic reached "the corner" around 5:00pm but, instead of immediately turning, Captain Smith ordered a delay in changing the ship's course until 5:45pm. This caused the Titanic to travel an additional sixteen miles southwest. When the ship finally turned the corner, she was approximately ten miles south off the normal shipping route. It is likely that the Captain decided this change in course in response to the ice warnings received earlier that day.
Second Officer Lightroller came on duty at 6:00pm. His watch would last until 10pm that night. Lightroller had been with the White Star line since January 1900, and had left the 17,000-ton Oceanic to join the 46,000-ton Titanic. At 7:35, shortly after his dinner, he noticed how quickly the temperature was falling now that the sun had set.