The " seven turned faces" and " the stump of a topmast" may well be telling about way the captain of the ship feels after the sinking of it.He thinks he is responsible for the lives of the men on the boat.He thinks he is still in charge , wants to guide the men,but he is broken. He , in the figure of the captain is exalted tough after the shipwreck his mpresence is tragic.The turned faces could be explained as nature againt the men and he is no longer as strong as the topmast of a ship, the men are no longer in control and there is nothing he can do about it.