Herbert Haddock was appointed on 27th March to command Titanic. Then it was announced that E.J. Smith was to be given command, and Haddock would transfer to Olympic. E.J. Smith arrived in Belfast on 1st April and signed on as Titanic’s captain. There were 78 stokers and trimmers plus 41 officers and senior crewmen aboard for the trials. Twenty Scotch boilers were fired up late on 31st March, as they would take between 8 and 12 hours to reach operating temperature and steam pressure. Once at the operational level, the fires were banked down to maintain an even heat. On 31st March five tugs – Herald, Herculaneum, Hercules, Hornby and Huskisson – arrived from Alexander Towing in Liverpool. Overnight the weather deteriorated and by 10.00am, when Titanic was expected to leave, the north-west wind was too strong and it was decided to delay the trials for 24 hours, to avoid risking the liner in the narrow confines of the Victoria Channel. The next day the weather had improved sufficiently, and the trials were concentrated into just one day: it was considered this would be sufficient.
On 2nd April 1912 the crew were aboard early; the stokers and trimmers opened up the boilers from the night before and were soon busy getting everything on line and the steam pressure up. The tugs moved in and at 6.00am helped Titanic down the Victoria Channel and into Belfast Lough. Hornby was on the starboard bow line, Herald was leading, Herculaneum was on the starboard line and Huskisson on the port line. Once into the Lough the little group came to a halt, the tugs cast off and returned to Belfast. The engines and rudder were tested, and the compasses adjusted. Smith ordered the blue and white international code signal to be hoisted – “I am undergoing sea trials”. Titanic then completed several hours of manœuvring trials, speed runs and testing various items of equipment. After lunch, Titanic headed south for around two hours in a continuous power test, before heading back to Belfas, during which she averaged 18 knots during a total run of 80 miles. Titanic was back at Belfast by 6.30pm. After testing the anchors, Francis Carruthers, the Board of Trade surveyor, signed Titanic’s certificate of seaworthiness, valid for one year. With this formality completed Thomas Andrews, on behalf of Harland & Wolff, handed Titanic over to Harold Sanderson as the official representative of White Star Line. At this point Titanic was registered at Liverpool, with the official number 131,428.