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The mystery ship and the Titanic

By Joni Scott | February 2, 2025

The RMS Titanic is one of my history obsessions. As such, it showcases so much of humanity and was a pivotal moment in history, It and the Spanish Flu are bookends to the greater tragedy of WWI. The tragic story of the Titanic still fascinates, despite the ship’s loss over a century ago.

Indeed, The RMS Titanic lives on as a cautionary tale of what can go wrong when ego and greed overpower responsibility and safety concerns. But intriguingly, the mystery of the ‘mystery ship’ sighted by Titanic crew and passengers also endures. The loss of the Titanic affected many lives but just not those aboard. The involvement of other ships in its rescue affected the crew of those ships too. Read on for details of these mystery ships surrounding the Titanic.

Yes, the Titanic story is one that keeps on giving. There is so much to fascinate, so many lessons about human nature to appreciate and ongoing mysteries to puzzle. What really happened that night onboard the Titanic and the nearby ships?

What caused the Titanic tragedy?

It is telling of human nature that we are drawn to details of tragedies. Perhaps it is because there is so much to take away and reflect on. The factors that caused the real-life Titanic tragedy are themselves endlessly fascinating. In this instance, there were a myriad of fateful errors both human and natural.

Titanic was steaming ahead in a fateful race with Time itself. Captain Edward Smith confidently ordered her throttled into full steam so she could arrive in New York ahead of schedule. He, along with Bruce Ismay, director of White Star Line, wanted to showcase her capabilities as the biggest ship ever to sail the seas. It was Smith’s last commission at sea, so this would be a fitting end to his career. A timely six day crossing of the Atlantic was important for both men. But thousands of others would have preferred to just arrive.

The Titanic had everything but lifeboats

Neither man seemed concerned by reported ice warnings in the ocean ahead. Nor were they overly mindful of their responsibility to the cargo of 2240 passengers considering the paucity of lifeboats. The Titanic had everything anyone could want on board a ship, except enough lifeboats and a pair of binoculars. Those were missing to from the look-out.

There were only enough lifeboats for 1178 people, leaving 1023 others stranded. That is only if the lifeboats were fully loaded, which was definitely not the case. Many that could take 65 people, left with less than twenty aboard. Some of these fortunate passengers were extremely wealthy and influential women along with children and even first-class men. Most second and third-class passengers went down with the ship.

So many fateful errors

If it were not for the speed, the inattention to ice, the lowered bulkheads, the limited lifeboats, the missing binoculars on the watch deck, the poor-quality steel, the pop rivets, the last-minute attempt to swerve around the iceberg…. So many ‘ifs, so many factors that coalesced to cause tragedy. The mysteries surrounding the Titanic are many.

Then, apart from the ship’s construction, the speed and human factors, there was the bad luck that the only nearby ship, the Californian, turned off its telegram service and retired all staff to bed, even after sighting a flare rocket. ‘We thought it was a just a party,’ the captain claimed in defense. Words that went down in history like those of Captain Smith. ‘I cannot imagine any condition which would cause a ship to founder. Modern shipbuilding has gone beyond that.’

The mystery ship nearby

Captain Lord of The Californian would become the scapegoat during the British enquiry into the disaster. However, the Californian lay actually 20 miles to the north of the Titanic and may not have been the mystery ship on the horizon seen from the Titanic. Perhaps it was the crew of the mystery ship now identified as the SS Mount Temple who ignored their duty. This ship was also nearby but on the other side of the deadly icefield.

A night of confusion

The SS Mount Temple responded to the Titanic‘s distress signals on 14 April 1912 but its captain, Capt. Moore, stopped short of helping, He later claimed the ice was too thick to safely pass through. Controversy continues as to the exact position of the SS Mount Temple on tht fateful night. Moore’s recollections of his ship’s true speed and distance from Titanic confound conclusions to this day. Some historians claim that Mount Temple was the ‘mystery ship’ seen by officers and passengers aboard the Titanic five to ten miles away, rather than the SS Californian blamed in the British Inquiry.^[1]^[2]

However, many other experts firmly believe that the ‘Californian‘ was the ship seen from the ‘Titanic‘, and vice versa. This history article is one of many to summarize the findings.

Wrong coordinates for Titanic wreck

One of the most confounding mysteries surrounding the Titanic is why nearby ships did not come to the rescue. Mystery ship, SS Mount Temple stopped to the west of The Titanic disaster site. The British enquiry overlooked this because the reported disaster site had the wrong coordinates. Only in 1984 when the wreck of the Titanic was discovered were the true coordinates known. Despite being critically damaged by the iceberg, the Titanic drifted, not completely stopping, as first believed. This is one of the mysteries surrounding the Titanic

Quoting Wikipedia, as it explains the matter well, ‘At a distance of 49.5 nautical miles (91.7 km; 57.0 mi) from the famous distress coordinates of Titanic, and roughly 60 miles (97 km) from the actual location of the disaster, SS Mount Temple was simply too far away to be seen from those aboard Titanic, and for those aboard Mount Temple to see Titanic or her distress rockets. Captain Moore and his crew made a desperate attempt to reach the stricken Titanic but only reached the western side of the ice field that stood between her and the wreck site some 2 hours and 40 minutes after Titanic sank. There was no way that she could have reached Titanic in time to carry out a rescue; she did not ‘abandon’ Titanic.’

A possible rescue?

Could another ship have reached the Titanic in time? This seems the consensus of most historians on the SS Mount Temple‘s possibility of rendering assistance. The wireless operator onboard Titanic reported two sets of coordinates, one on either side of the icefield. But not all nearby ships received both as it was very late at night, and some had shut off the Marconi wireless. Smaller ships may not have even had the new innovation of a wireless. Other historians claim it was neither of these nearby ships, the Californian or the Mount Temple, but a northbound Norwegian steamer, named Samson. But this ship was very small and unlikely to be the mystery ship seen that night.

Titanic and its Women Passengers.

The hope of a rescue was one factor in the reluctance of passengers especially women to board lifeboats and leave the warm comfort of the Titanic. The mystery ship visible on the horizon seemed as if it could come soon to rescue them. The women waited with their men folk and let others board. A lack of urgency led to the boats leaving partially loaded. some with a capacity of 60 left with only a dozen or so, mostly men. Women were also afraid of the drop down to the cold dark sea below. It was 70ft from Boat deck A to the chilly Atlantic. One of the few advantages of being a woman in the Victorian age was chivalry. For those who have no experience of it, chivalry is the social and moral code by which men supposedly, selflessly, respect women. It is definitely a dying art!

In 1912, chivalry dictated that women and children had priority over men, with regards to lifeboats. The problem, of course, was that there were not enough lifeboats, even for the women and children and women were not eager to be in one.

Class onboard Titanic mattered

Sadly, as explained above, most lifeboats left the ship with few onboard and most of these were first-class women and men, and crew. Because, though chivalry was active, class was the dominating decider of who survived.

Third-class women and children had a slim chance of making it on deck, to even try for a lifeboat. There were no lifeboats for third class at all. The rules of the ship restricted third class passengers access to higher decks. This was to avoid mass panic, so the captain maintained, but really it was all about class. James Cameron’s blockbuster, Titanic (1998) portrays this well.

Class and women survivors

The first-class women included the likes of eighteen-year-old Lady Madeleine Astor, the young and pregnant wife of John Jacob Astor. He was the richest man onboard the ship and unlike some first-class men, behaved admirably. Wealthy Sir and Lady Duff Gordon bribed their way onto a boat and like Bruce Ismay suffered lifelong disgrace.

Rumors abounded that these well-off individuals refused to row back to save others, when the ship finally descended to the icy depths of the Atlantic. The ‘unsinkable Molly Brown’ a nouveau riche society woman tried to influence her fellow passengers in lifeboat 6 to return to help those in the sea.

Most third-class women perished along with their husbands and children, and this was the fate of many second-class women as well. They did not join the ranks of first-class widows who arrived in New York in a state of shock and disbelief. At least they had financial security to continue alone.

Unhappy Survivors

But even these apparently fortunate women who survived, did not live on to have happy lives. The shadow of the Titanic cast a long shadow. The echoes of that night reverberated forever. Many reported that over seventy years later, that they still suffered nightmares and heard the screams from those in the water. The Shadow of the Titanic follows the ongoing lives of the survivors of that terrible night. Interestingly, most of them lived sad lives and many died young and even quite soon after the event.

The audio memory of the screams of those dying in the icy water, then the silence that followed haunted many survivors. This was the predominant Some women went insane, committed suicide or just suffered, not only as widows but as remarried women. Many had survivor-guilt and questioned the meaning of life.

Child survivors had similar memories and distress throughout their life. Maybe it was better to drown with your husband and children, than live on as a survivor? Being a third-class widow would have been a difficult role in life in 1912. So many factors compounded to cause the tragedy. There are a lot of ‘if only ifs’ that make this such a human tragedy involving not just nature at work but human nature with all its frailty.

Titanic in Literature

The ill-fated Titanic is the subject of many books such as the definitive A Night to Remember by Walter Lord (1956) and Titanic, An Illustrated History by Don Lynch (1992). The ship features in Stephen Weir’s book, History’s Worst Decisions and is the inspiration for a children’s book called Polar, the Titanic Bear, about the actual teddy bear of a little boy who survived the sinking. The little boy who owned the teddy bear died in a family car crash within a year and is just one example of the long shadow that the Titanic cast over people’s lives.

Some folks never recovered from family losses, while others bore survivor’s guilt that prevented their happiness. Because of my obsession with this tragedy, I included the Titanic tragedy in my own historical fiction novel Piano Tuner’s daughters set around 1912. It is now part of the Sister’s Time Trilogy, a three-part historical series 1900 to 1950 based on the true lives of two young sisters.

Read other history articles like this on my blog https://joniscottauthor.com

Joni Scott is an Australian author with five published novels, three historical and two contemporaries. website https://joniscottauthor.com.

The Titanic Band Played on

By Joni Scott | September 16, 2024

As the doomed Titanic neared its final moments, the Titanic Band Played on. As they boarded the glamorous unsinkable liner, never did these young musicians consider this seaboard work assignment would be their last. They were all still young men. Wallace Hartley, the bandmaster was only 33 years old, from Yorkshire and engaged to be married. Hartley and the other band members boarded as second-class passengers assigned to E deck. There were two rooms each for five musicians next to the potato washroom. But only eight bandsmen boarded. Edwina Troutt, survivor enjoyed hearing them practice. She was also on E deck.

The Titanic band played as the rich ate

Although their quarters were far from glamorous, the band dressed in suits and ties. They played in the First-Class lounges where the cream of New York and Philadelphia society gathered. The talented band could play anything and well. There repertoire extended to over 300 pieces which they had to know by heart. Protocol did not permit music sheets. Divided into a deck trio and a saloon orchestra, the men played throughout the meals and soirees of the five-day voyage. The quintet played at luncheon in the First-Class Dining Saloon at the foot of the Grand Staircase. There was a grand piano there for this purpose. Double doors opened from the staircase into the lovely saloon room.

Palm Court musicians

Women wore the Paris fashions of the day and men wore the standard black evening suit even at lunch. The quintet would not be visible as the rich passengers entered for lunch. As paid servants rather than celebrity players they were required to play discreetly from behind palm fronds of the potted plants. This gave rise to the expression Palm Court Musicians. Music onboard ships was a tradition dating from the 1850s when White Star and its rival Cunard arranged entertainment aboard their ships. In the afternoons, the quintet band played brisk polkas, waltzes and ragtime in the lounge and in the reception area outside the Dining Saloon after dinner.

For those in peril on the sea.

The trio which included one of the pianists mainly played for First Class in the A la Carte restaurant and the Cafe Parisien. Their music was more continental in flavour due to the French cellist and the Belgian violinist. Both the trio and quintet were very popular with the passengers. They requested pieces and songs for them to play. The quintet also played for the Sunday church service onboard. Survivors remember the hymns, Oh God Our Help in Ages Past and Eternal Father, Strong to Save. The last line of this one is ‘For those in peril on the sea.’

A last-minute assignment to Titanic

Wallace Hartley, the bandmaster had not wanted to come onboard the Titanic. He had just left the Mauretania and wanted to go home to see his family and fiancée, Maria Robinson. But fate would have it that the Titanic bandmaster had just become a father and was not sailing on the Titanic maiden voyage. he went home to meet his new child instead. White Star Line asked Wallace Hartley to fill his position for the trip. It was an honour to be bandmaster on the biggest ship in the world, especially for its first voyage. So why did Wallace hesitate?

Hartley hesitated about boarding Titanic

A few reasons. Wallace was happy working on the Mauretania where he knew and liked the other ‘boys.’ Secondly, getting to the Titanic on time would be a rush, allowing no leave with his family. Also, the train fare to Southhampton was expensive and not subsidized by the company. Over the next day, Hartley decided to accept the position. Perhaps the shipping line offered some money to entice him? His musician friend Ellwand Moody felt nervous about travelling on such a big ship and said, ‘No, thanks.’ The men said goodbye in Liverpool.

Wallace Hartley made his way to Southhampton alone and sailed on the ill-fated Titanic the next day. He had never met any of his fellow bandsmen before. Wallace was a violinist and there were two others both in their early twenties. One of them had never played on a ship before but had spent six years studying at the Conservatoire in Liege. There were two pianists. One had just transferred from the Carpathia which would later come to Titanic’s rescue but too late. There were two cellists and a bass player also making his first Atlantic crossing.

Rivalry for the Atlantic passenger market.

Some passengers and the public had been nervous about a ship so big. But the media of the time and the White Star Line who built her, promoted her as unsinkable. However, anyone with a scientific or engineering background could see there was a limit to the size of ships. Bigger and bigger was not always the answer to supremacy of the seas. The Cunard and White Star Lines were competing for the Atlantic passenger market. There were no airlines in those days. The only way to get from Europe to America was by ship. The Titanic had everything a ship could have. Except a pair of binoculars and enough lifeboats. But nobody was focusing on these. Instead, they marvelled at the Grand Staircase, the restaurants, the gymnasium, the Turkish Baths and the swimming pool. And the food.

The last evening onboard the Titanic

Dinner the last evening was as sumptuous as ever. First Class enjoyed oysters, filet mignon, Waldorf Pudding and ice cream which was a treat back then. There were no doubt other courses of soup and fish, but survivors remembered these first items. The binoculars were onboard for the lookout, but in a locked cupboard. The officer with the key transferred at the last minute to another ship. Fortunate man. Without these Frederick Fleet had to peer into the inky blackness of the night. When he suddenly saw a huge grey shape looming ahead, his response was too slow. He was in shock. This last-minute turn to port, resulted in the entire starboard of the ship scraping along the iceberg.

The ship was going too fast in an ice field. The Titanic captain ignored ice warnings by telegram from other ships. Much of an iceberg is submerged and this hidden bulk is what did the damage to the Titanic. A 300-foot gash opened on the side of the mighty liner. The sea gushed in and quickly flooded the first five compartments.

Titanic is doomed

Watertight compartments did not go all the way to the top so as each compartment filled it flowed over into the next. The doomed ship listed towards the bow and starboard side. Boilermen and mail workers drowned as the sea rushed in. It was 11.40pm, 14 April 1912. The realisation was slow to sink in both for the crew and passengers. Denial is the first stage of shock.

At 12.05am Captain Smith reluctantly ordered the lifeboat deployment. He knew the boats were only enough for half of the people on board. The passengers did not know. Only after the ship’s motors stopped and the boat developed a lean did they start to worry.

The band played on as Titanic sank

The band kept playing despite the lack of passengers on deck. Many were already in bed or below deck. It was a very cold moonless night. The musicians always wore their blue tuxedo suits with green lapels and White Star badges. At 12.45 am as lifeboats were hauled over the side, the quintet and trio played together. One pianist sat out as there was only one piano in the lounge area. Later they moved outside as that is where passengers were gathering and later panicking. The pianists could not play as the piano was inside. As the night was very cold, the remaining musicians donned their overcoats to play.

As the ship listed the cellists and bass player could not sit to use their instruments. It was the three violinists who continued. Distress signals had reached a few ships. Carpathia was on the way but would take four hours at top speed. Lifeboats left half empty. Women of the Titanic were either fearful of the long drop to the sea or did not want to leave their husbands and sons. Only at 12.30 did anyone consider third class passengers. There were no assigned lifeboats for them. neither could they easily access the first- and second-class boat decks where the boats were being loaded.

By 12.45 am it was obvious to all onboard that the ship was sinking. The water had reached C deck. Yet the band played on.

The band were heroes of the sinking

At 2.05am, the last lifeboat left. Some people had jumped into the sea in a desperate attempt to swim and reach the lifeboats as many had few onboard. The only third-class woman to survive the jump reported still hearing music. Other survivors report hearing music at 2.10 am. By then the deck was steep as the stern rose and bow sank as well as a severe lean to starboard or right side. The selflessness of the band did not go unnoticed. They emerged as heroes of the sinking. None of the band survived to tell their story or set the record right as to their last tune played.

Band played Nearer my God to Thee

Legend has it that it was Nearer my God to Thee, a favourite hymn of Walaace Hartley. Others maintain it was the soothing tune, Autumn. Despite their dedication to duty, some say until the water reached their knees, the band made an attempt to save themselves in the dying moments of the ship. Wallace Hartley strapped his beloved violin to his chest and either jumped or went down with the ship. The cries of the 1500 people without a lifeboat to save them lasted an hour. Only thirteen of them made it into a lifeboat. The rest died not from drowning, but from the cold of the water. Nearly all the bodies had life buoys attached that kept the bodies afloat for the rescue and recovery boats.

The retrieval shipmen recovered Wallace Hartley’s body and returned it via three forms of transport to his grieving family. Wallace had a hero’s funeral in his hometown and remained a hero of the undying Titanic legend. A memorial fund erected a statue to the bandmaster in his native Colne in Yorkshire. Maria, Wallace’s fiancée, never married. She tended his grave and cherished his violin for the rest of her life.

If you like this post, find more detail in the book, A Hymn for Eternity by Yvonne Carroll.

Joni Scott is an Australian author with five published novels. Three are historical fiction forming the Sister’s Time Trilogy set 1900 to 1950 in Sydney, Australia and France. The first, The Piano Tuner’s Daughters is set at the time of the Titanic sinking. Joni also writes a history blog with posts like this on her website. She has written three others on the Titanic sinking.

See more at joniscottauthor.com.

Women and children of the Titanic

By Joni Scott | August 2, 2023

As panic rose about the fate of the damaged Titanic, crew started to load the lifeboats. Why weren’t women and children first? Only 53% of the 706 survivors were women and children. 157 women and 56 children, exactly half of the children, perished that night. What happened to the ‘women and children first’ policy?

That terrible night, April 14, 1912, the stricken Titanic liner that had been deemed unsinkable was already sinking and had a distinct lean to the starboard and bow. The collision with an iceberg had caused a 300-foot gash to its starboard side, leading to five out of five front watertight compartments filling one after the other as seawater poured in.

In less than two hours, the sinking bow caused the massive ship’s stern to rise out of the water, breaking the ship in two. As this occurred, the four giant funnels crashed, and the bow and stern sank separately to the icy depths of the North Atlantic.

This final act abandoned 1517 passengers to the minus 2-degree sea, over two hundred of them women and children. A few would manage to survive these conditions by clawing onboard a lifeboat, if allowed by those already onboard. Yet 332 men lived to tell the tale of their survival, many with shame.

The brand new $ 7.5 million Titanic, pride of the White Star Line, the largest man-made object ever afloat, would lie on the ocean floor for 74 years with her cargo of passengers, undiscovered until 1986. Titanic never completed her maiden voyage from Southhampton to New York.

What happened? Titanic had everything, didn’t it?

The Titanic had everything but enough lifeboats and a functional pair of binoculars on the lookout bridge. For the 2223 people onboard, the Titanic had only enough lifeboats for 1178 people and only if the 20 boats were filled to capacity of 65. Four of the boats, the collapsible ones, took less.

So, you would think that the loading of these boats would be supervised with nautical command to ensure women and children boarded first. But there seemed no one in command. Even though Captain Smith was well aware of the dilemma he and his ship were in, he opted out of delivering orders. Survivors said he wandered around like a lost soul rather than taking command. It was not the glorious last voyage before retirement that he had envisioned.

Instead, an assortment of crew took command. Lifeboats 1 to 8 were located on the first-class decks at the bow end. As such, they were accessible by first class passengers who were willing to board. But many were not. Women especially feared boarding one. There had been no drill beforehand to allay passenger fears.

The Titanic was unsinkable after all, why bother the passengers? Because the Titanic was viewed as unsinkable, the number of lifeboats had been reduced in the first place. They would clutter the decks and look unsightly. They were not considered essential at the time of fitting the luxury ship.

What about women and children first?

This was the creed dictated by the chivalrous Edwardian society. Women had few other rights and privileges. They could not vote, own a business or home or even a passport. Women were just considered home bodies who occupied a small domestic sphere in life.

At best, they were decorative, submissive and pleasant company for men and provided a man with a family life. At best, men opened doors for them and surrendered their seats in vehicles and boats to them, the fairer delicate sex. Women and children first.

Men, in 1912, were the providers, the protectors, the decision makers. Given this role description, one would expect that all the lifeboats be filled with women and children. And this should have been easy as there were only 555 women on board and 1692 adolescent boys and men. This included the huge number of crew; 899 with just 23 female crew. The Titanic carried mostly men and boys.

Depending on which crew supervised the loading, adolescent boys as young as 13 could be rejected and classed as men. Many such lads went down with their fathers to the bottom of the Atlantic. On the first-class deck, where the first boats were loaded, the ‘women and children rule’ was not enforced well. Neither was the ‘fill the boats’ rule.

Women were reluctant to board the lifeboats and descend the huge drop to the sea below. Even getting into the boat was tricky when you were wearing a nightgown or ball gown and it was after midnight and freezing on deck. Many women preferred to wait in the warmth and comfort of their nearby cabins and stay with their husbands and sons.

Women who should have been first missed the boat

So, not understanding the urgency of the situation, these women literally missed the boat. The first 8 boats lowered with only about 20 or less people onboard. Quite a high proportion of men and crew hopped in as women were not visible on deck. These starboard boats launched from first class boat deck were occupied by mostly men.

One, to his later shame, was Bruce Ismay, the owner of White Star Line. He had urged the full speed ahead command into the ice fields because he wanted the ship to impress people by getting to New York a day early. Most passengers would have just preferred to arrive there as promised.

In second class, the lifeboats, 9 to 16, were aft of the bow, and accessible if passengers ascended from their cabins in D, E, F and G decks. By the time loading began here, more passengers were alert to the situation so more women boarded. But these boats for the second class were also filled with first class women who now decided to board.

145 of the 156 first class women thus managed to save themselves and 104 of the 128 second class women. So only 35 of first- and second-class women died that night. Some, admittedly, by their own choice, elected to stay with their family onboard. Only one first class child died. Little 3-year-old Lorraine Allison died with her parents as they stayed behind to search for baby Trevor and the maid. But, unbeknown to the family, the maid had boarded a boat earlier with the baby and was saved.

Why didn’t the boats save all the women?

So, these statistics don’t explain the damning fact that of those saved only 53% were women or children and 157 women died with half the children onboard. What went wrong? The answer lies in the prejudice of the class system at the time. The site, Titanic Demographics, unpacks the stats on the situation. Firstly, there were no lifeboats provided for third class or steerage passengers. None at all. These people, the most numerous of any class, the 710 of them, mostly men, had to fend for themselves.

As they occupied F and G deck cabins, third class had no easy access to lifeboats or even news of what was happening. No staff urged them to go up to the decks or informed them of impending chaos. Instead, crew who were still in the corridors told them to stay put.

Even if the third-class people wanted to go up to see what was happening, they couldn’t as gates prevented them from accessing first or second-class spaces where the lifeboats were.

Steerage passengers considered vermin

This was a health precaution. Steerage passengers were considered vermin by he upper classes. As these paying steerage passengers boarded, they and they only, were checked for lice and other possible contagion. Hence the separation onboard and disregard for their well-being.

Only 25% of the women and children of this class managed to survive and only by boarding the last of the boats or diving into the sea. As the boat slowly sank, the lower cabins filled with water drowning their occupants. Even trying to escape was difficult due to the list of the corridors. It was almost impossible to walk along them as they were steep and flooded.

3rd class woman, Rhoda Abbott, free of her cabin, jumped at the last moment into the sea with her two young sons. She made it to a lifeboat, but her sons did not. Similar tragedies occurred onboard the fated Andrea Dorea in the 1950’s.

Most of the third-class men died too, 417 of the 486. It is a wonder any of the third class made it to safety. Perhaps, if they made it up on deck or out to the sea, they were better swimmers, fitter, younger than their upper-class contemporaries. This class was multinational, single men or families off to start a better life in America. Filled with hope, they could never have foreseen this outcome on a brand-new ship deemed unsinkable.

Policy, not women first, but class first

Admittedly, being a man onboard Titanic did skew the chance of survival due to the ‘women and children first’ policy, but this policy only worked in the favor of first- and second-class women. 70% of first class and 90 % of second-class men died. Of the crew, mostly men, 78% men perished. Those that survived were most likely rowers of the lifeboats or had easy access to boats on deck. They hopped in when no women were available nearby to board.

Women and children as Survivors

Of the 23 women crew, only 3 died. Most had boarded lifeboats to show other women it could be done or had saved themselves by swimming to a collapsible in the sea. Young Violet Jessop survived three crashes on White Star liners. First the collision of the Olympic sister ship, then the Titanic then on board the Britannic as it hit a mine in WWI.

As illustrated in this article, the ‘Women and children first’ policy only operated to an extent in the upper classes of society. Third class women passengers did not have the same treatment. Really, survival was not dictated by gender but by class.

If you like such history articles visit Joni Scott, the author’s website for more. She has also written a historical trilogy 1900 to 1950. The first book, The Piano Tuner’s Daughters includes the Titanic tragedy as part of the plot.

Category: The Piano Tuner’s daughters