Was Bartlett wrong to restart Britannic's engines?

Did restarting Britannic's engines make the situation worse?

The criticism overlooks Bartlett's attempt to bring everyone closer to land without knowing whether rescuers were coming. Restarting the engines is defended as a reasonable decision on the information he had.

Bartlett had received no replies to his distress messages and could not know that help was coming. The receiving cable had been damaged, so the lack of confirmation did not establish that nobody had heard the call. Getting closer to Kea shortened the journey survivors would have to make after leaving the ship. The decision to use the engines is defended on that basis, with the sinking ship still offering the safest available refuge for as long as she could stay afloat.