The Titanic’s course as it left Fastnet Rock off Ireland was to use a Great Circle route to New York that would be the shortest distance to travel. Staying on this course would be necessary if they were trying to break the trans Atlantic speed record that I don’t thing they were going for but is one of the suggested causes of the disaster.
There were two issue for sure that would effect the fate of the Titanic as follows:
Course Change
There was a course change implemented around 5 pm on April 14 that turned the Titanic slightly southerly. I have read that this correction was made by Captain Smith and was have been precipitated by the ice warning that the ship had received that day. I understand that this correction was implemented about 30 minutes late after it’s scheduled time. This error in timing would have put the Titanic traveling at 22 knots about 11 nautical miles (20 kilometres) farther west than planned and on a path to meet an iceberg (1). Whether Captain Smith knew of this error and it’s effects on the ships course isn’t known.
Ice Conditions in the North Atlantic
As we are today dealing with climate change back in 1912 there were climate issues even then. The amount of ice floating south from Greenland was more than usual in 1912 “The ice conditions in the North Atlantic were the worst for any April in the previous 50 years”(2). This put icebergs closer to the regular path of ships on the North Atlantic. The normal paths that ship took across the Atlantic were shifted further south during times when the ice was floating south and further north in other times of the year. The closer a ship is to the normal route on the Great Circle the shorter the transit time. I do wonder if Captain Smith was aware of these conditions.
References:
(1) https://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/community/threads/how-many-times-did-titanic-change-course.35113/
Titanic a Tragedy 