Memories of the Titanic’s tragic sinking endure eternally. the British passenger liner embarked on its inaugural journey on April 10, 1912, carrying approximately 2,200 individuals.
The ill-fated night of April 14, 1912, remains imprinted in our collective memory, marking the demise of over 1,500 passengers and crew in the North Atlantic Ocean. Distinguished by its flawless design, the RMS Titanic stood out as an unparalleled vessel, boasting an apparent unsinkability that proved tragically false.
The total number of people who survived the Titanic sinking was 706. This included 492 passengers and 214 crew members. Out of the 900 crew members on board the Titanic, only 214 of them survived, resulting in a 76% fatality rate for the crew. The survivors were divided into different classes, with approximately 37% of passengers and 24% of crew members surviving the disaster
The irony of the Titanic’s perceived invincibility unfolded when it collided with an iceberg in the Atlantic Ocean, breaching its supposedly watertight compartments and sealing its doom.
While the Titanic’s narrative has been verbally relayed and cinematically portrayed, these accounts and visual renditions cannot alter the profound emotions experienced by those whose lives were abruptly extinguished on that fateful day.
Investigations revealed a hierarchy in the evacuation process, with first-class passengers given priority on lifeboats, followed by the second class, and lastly, the third-class passengers—the ordinary individuals who tragically lost their lives.
Also Read, 10 Titanic facts that will blow your Mind
10 Real Titanic survivor Stories – More than Miracle
The Titanic disaster is known for its harrowing survivor stories. Some of the noteworthy Titanic survivor stories include:
- Charles Joughin: A crew member who survived the disaster.
- E. Z. Taylor: A survivor who jumped into the sea just three minutes before the ship sank.
- Elizabeth Shutes: A survivor who lived a vibrant life after the tragedy and frequently spoke about the sinking of the Titanic.
- The “Navratil Orphans”: Two young boys who were among the survivors and were later reunited with their mother.
- The Story of Molly brown
- The youngest survivor was 7 Years old – Eva Hart
- Film Actress – Dorothy Gibson
- Story of Millvina Dean
- Violet Jessop – “Miss Unsinkable.”
These stories, among many others, capture the bravery, horror, and grief of the Titanic disaster, which left over 1,500 people dead in the North Atlantic in April 1912. The accounts of the survivors provide a vivid and compelling insight into the tragic events of that fateful night
1. Story of Charles Joughin: A crew member who survived the disaster
Charles Joughin was a crew member and the chief baker aboard the Titanic during its maiden and final voyage in April 1912. He survived the disaster and became famous for his remarkable survival story.
As the ship was sinking, Joughin calmly returned to his room and had a drink of liquor to fortify his spirits. He then made his way to his assigned lifeboat but instead of getting in, he jumped into the sea just three minutes before the ship sank.
Joughin spent nearly two hours floating in the freezing water before being rescued. He was the last person to leave the ship and survived in the frigid water for an exceptionally long time before being rescued.
Joughin’s character was later portrayed in the 1958 film A Night to Remember, the 1997 blockbuster Titanic, and the TV show Drunk History.
2. E. Z. Taylor: A survivor who jumped into the sea just three minutes before the ship sank.
E. Z. Taylor was a survivor of the Titanic disaster who jumped into the sea just three minutes before the ship sank. He was a first-class passenger from Philadelphia and was rescued, probably in boat 5 or 7, along with his wife.
Taylor told a graphic story of his survival as he came from the Carpathia. He described feeling an “awful shock” that made the boat tremble from stem to stern and then jumped into the ocean, where he was picked up by one of the boats.
Taylor never expected to see land again but was rescued and survived the disaster.
3. Story of Elizabeth Shutes
Elizabeth Shutes was a 40-year-old family governess who boarded the Titanic at Southampton as a first-class passenger and occupied cabin C-125. She served as a governess to Margaret Graham and was among the passengers quickly ordered to the Sun Deck after the ship hit an iceberg. Shutes was rescued in lifeboat 3 with Mrs. Graham and Margaret.
She later described the chaotic scene on the lifeboat shortly before they were rescued by the Carpathia, recounting the men’s struggles to row and the haunting cries of the drowning people.
Her story, like those of other survivors, provides a poignant and vivid account of the tragic events that unfolded during the Titanic’s fateful voyage
4. Navratil Orphans – Two young boys who were among the survivors and were later reunited with their mother
The Navratil Orphans, Michel and Edmond Navratil, were two young boys who survived the Titanic disaster. Their father, Michel Navratil, was a tailor and Slovak immigrant to France, and their mother, Marcelle Caretto, was an Italian.
The family was going through a divorce, and the boys were put into temporary care while judges decided who would get custody. On Easter Monday, the boys spent the day with their father, who decided to take them on the Titanic to America.
When the ship struck an iceberg, Michel Navratil Sr. entered his cabin with another unidentified man, and together they carried the boys to Collapsible D, the last lifeboat successfully launched from the ship. Their father died in the sinking, and his body was recovered by the rescue ship, Mackay-Bennett.
The boys were dubbed “Titanic Orphans” because they were the only children who remained unclaimed by an adult after being rescued from the disaster. They were taken in by Madeleine Astor, who was a first-class passenger on the Titanic.
The boys’ mother, Marcelle Navratil, later boarded the Oceanic and was reunited with her children at Margaret Hays’ before bringing them back to France.Michel Navratil Jr. and Edmond Navratil grew up to be brilliant students, with Michel becoming a French philosophy professor.
Their story was relayed around the world by the international press, and they were known as the “Titanic Orphans”
Also Read, 10 Movies like Titanic
5. The Story of Molly Brown
Margaret Brown was an American philanthropic socialite whose story as a Titanic survivor inspired more confidence than despondency.
Called Maggie by her friends and depicted as ‘Molly’ in various movies, Margaret Brown is remembered for her effort to exhort the crew in her lifeboat to search for more survivors. Brown was later called “The Unsinkable Molly Brown” posthumously.
More than her anecdotes of survival, Margaret Brown is associated with raising funds to help financially impoverished survivors. She is also remembered for her relief efforts during the First World War.
Margaret also established the Survivor’s Committee and raised almost $10,000 for needy survivors when the rescue vessel Carpathia reached New York harbour with Titanic survivors.
The life story of Margaret Brown was documented in a 1960 Broadway musical, The Titanic’s Molly Brown, based on her life and its 1964 film adaptation of the same title. Margaret Brown died from a brain tumour on October 26, 1932, at the Barbizon Hotel in New York City, New York.
Also Read, Best Titanic Quotes & Sayings worth Reading
6. The youngest survivor was 7 Years old – Eva Hart
Eva Miriam Hart was one of the youngest survivors of the sinking of the RMS Titanic. Eva was seven years old when she boarded the vessel with her parents.
Eva was sleeping when the accident occurred, and Eva’s father placed his wife and daughter in Lifeboat No. 14. Eva’s father didn’t survive, and his body, if recovered, was never identified.
The RMS Carpathia later rescued Eva and her mother. Eva later worked as a professional singer in Australia, a Conservative Party organizer, and a magistrate.
Eva Hart was one of the Titanic’s most outspoken survivors and criticised the vessel’s lack of sufficient lifeboats. She was also vocal against any salvage attempts on the Titanic, noting that it is a gravesite and should be treated as such.
7. Film Actress- Dorothy Gibson
Dorothy Winifred Gibson (1889-1946) was an American actress, socialite, and artist’s model, best known as a survivor of the Titanic disaster. She was born in New Jersey and began her career as a singer, dancer, and model.
In 1911, she started appearing in movies, gaining recognition for her natural acting style and comedic flair.
Notably, she starred in the film “Saved from the Titanic,” which was released in 1912 and was the first movie about the Titanic disaster.
Gibson’s personal life was also quite dramatic; she married and divorced twice, and after the Titanic disaster, she moved to France with her mother.
During World War II, she was suspected of spying for the Nazis and was arrested by the Gestapo in Italy, although she later switched her allegiance. She passed away in 1946 in Paris.
8. Story of Millvina Dean
Millvina Dean was the youngest passenger and the last living survivor of the Titanic disaster. She was only nine weeks old when the Titanic sank, and she was lowered into a lifeboat in a canvas mail sack.
Her father, Bertram Dean, did not survive the disaster, and her mother and brother were also on board. After the sinking, the family returned to England, and Millvina spent most of her life in Southampton.
She worked for the British government during World War II by drawing maps and later worked in the purchasing department of a Southampton engineering firm until she retired. Millvina Dean died on May 31, 2009, at the age of 97 at a nursing home near Southampton, England.
Also Read, 10 Titanic facts that will blow your Mind
9. Violet Jessop – “Miss Unsinkable.”
Violet Constance Jessop (1887–1971) was an Argentine-British ocean liner stewardess and nurse, best known for surviving the sinkings of both the Titanic in 1912 and the Britannic in 1916.
Born in Argentina to Irish immigrants, she overcame childhood tuberculosis, which doctors had predicted would be fatal.
After her father’s death, her family moved to England, where her mother worked as a stewardess on ships, and Violet attended a convent school.
Jessop began her career as a stewardess on the Royal Mail Line, and later joined the White Star Line, where she served on the Olympic, Titanic, and Britannic.
She was on board the Olympic when it collided with another ship in 1911, and she survived the Titanic disaster in 1912.
In 1916, she was serving as a nurse on the Britannic when it struck a mine and sank.
Jessop’s remarkable survival of these maritime disasters earned her the nickname “Miss Unsinkable.” She lived a long and eventful life, working as a stewardess and nurse, and her experiences have been the subject of various books and articles.
You may also like,
- 10 Movies like Titanic full of Adventure
- Best Titanic Quotes & Sayings worth Reading
- 10 Best Ship Movies Like Titanic you must See
- Top 10 Largest Ship Propellers In The World
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How many Titanic survivors are still alive?
There are no survivors left. The last survivor was Millvina Dean, who was just eight months old at the time of the tragic accident. She died in 2009 at the age of 97.
2. Are the bodies still in the Titanic?
After the Titanic sank, the search and rescue team recovered around 340 bodies. Thus, about 1500 people were killed in the accident, and about 1165 bodies are still lost.
3. How many children died on the Titanic?
Around 109 children were onboard when the Titanic sank. And about half of the number, around 59 to 60 children, died. Only one child travelling in first class died. The others were children of third-class passengers.
4. How many animals were on the Titanic?
There were 12 dogs, 4 hens, 4 roosters, 30 cockerels, a yellow canary and the ship cat Jenny were on board when the Titanic sank. Only three dogs survived, while all other animals died.
5. Why did third-class passengers suffer the most?
It was found that third-class passengers were treated harshly, were denied access to lifeboats, and many were left to die. It was a result of the socio-economic biases and prejudices against them.