Captain Edward J Smith RNR. . Captain Edward J Smith RNR, Captain of the Titanic. Captain Smith commanded many famous White Star boats including the Britannic, Germanic, and Majestic. Later he commanded the Baltic and Adriatic and was then transferred to the Olympic before finally going to the Titanic. He went down with the ship. Titanic was built by Harland & Wolff in Belfast Ireland during 1910 - 1911, and sank on 15th April, 1912, after striking an iceberg off the coast of New Foundland during her maiden voyage from Southampton, England to New York, USA, with the loss of 1,522 passengers and crew.