Why didn't the californian respond to the Titanic's emeregency flares and distress calls?

Answer 1

Actually, the radio operator wasn't drunk; he was asleep. In those days wireless was very new, and many ships, like the Californian, only had one operator, so at night the radio would be turned off while the operator slept. Titanic had two operators, Jack Phillips and Harold Bride, who sent messages all night long, but no one was awake at Californian's wireless station to hear them. As for the rockets, those on Californian who saw them did wonder about them and reported them to the captain, Stanley Lord, but apparently there was some doubt as to whether they were distress signals so they did nothing, and Captain Lord went down in history as the slacker who slept while 1500 people died. At the very least they should have woken up the radio operator to see what they could find out about those rockets, but they never did.

Answer 2

Californian Titanic

Answer 3

Well according to the original Titanic movie (not the one with Kate Winslett and Leonardo Di Caprio), there were many reasons. 1. they didn't recognize the calls as distress. There was a light signaling but the Californian didn't see it as a distress call. 2. the mate who should have been listen for the audible distress signal was in his state room drunk, instead of at the helm listening.

I wonder why you asked the question?

Answer 4

Some say that they were the wrong color so they didn't know they were in trouble.