Existing comment:
Safety and Survival:
Huge ocean liners of the early twentieth century were considered so safe that British Board of Trade regulators had not been updated to require lifeboat seats for everyone. Titanic's original plans called for sixty-four lifeboats. That dropped to sixteen, plus four Engelhardt boats with collapsible canvas sides. Twenty boats met the board's rules, based on tonnage, although they only had room for half of the people aboard. Still, Titanic's lifeboats launched with more than 400 empty seats. Some passengers refused to board, believing the ship unsinkable for two long. Many, especially in Third Class, never made it to the Boat Deck. A few stayed behind for personal reasons. Ida Straus of First Class exited a lifeboat when ship's officers refused to let her husband join her. She returned to the ship and both died.
Odds of an adult male passenger's survival depended on his choosing a port or starboard boat. Captain Smith ordered "Women and children first" into the boats. To port, Second Officer Charles Lightoller, highest-ranking officer to survive, interpreted the order to exclude men. To starboard, First Office William Murdoch chose to load boats with available women and children, then put men in unused seats. Those lucky enough to board a lifeboat in the chaos had to be lowered approximately 60 feet from the boat deck to the waterline. |