17

ADRIFT ON THE OCEAN

The Titanic was gone. The largest, finest and most luxurious ship ever to sail the seas was now at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. Many of those who had survived and were now in the lifeboats had watched the ship's demise. But some survivors, like Bruce Ismay, turned away as the Titanic sank. Ismay could not bear to watch as his dream ship disappeared beneath the water.

Those who watched did so with awe and fear. Those in the first lifeboats to be launched had watched the whole drama unfold. They had seen the ship with all its lights blazing lying still in the water. It seemed unscathed. Only the bow, now that little bit deeper in the water, gave any indication of the terminal wound the hull had received in the collision.

Over the next hour and a half they had watched the ship, still ablaze with light, slowly succumb to the power of nature. All the while, music drifted on the night air along with the shouts and cries of those on board. In those last moments, when the music stopped and the lights went out and the Titanic split in two and sank, they felt utterly helpless in the face of such a tragedy.

On the Californian, Stone and Gibson had also watched the tragedy and its end. They had even remarked to each other that ships did not usually fire rockets for no reason. They had also noted that the ship did not appear to sit correctly in the water.

But despite conveying their thoughts and worries to Captain Lord he did not take any action. Eventually the ship disappeared and both men thought it had sailed over the horizon. Again this information was conveyed to Lord but again he merely listened, turned over in his bunk and went to sleep.

But although the Titanic had now sunk, the tragedy was far from over. Those lucky enough to be in a lifeboat were already suffering from the bitter cold. Many were wet, and all were frightened and uncertain of their future.

But they were still the lucky ones. For those who were now in the water, wearing life-jackets or clinging onto bits of wreckage, the future was bleak. The water was below freezing point and no one could survive for long in that situation. Most of those in the water would be dead in 30 minutes or so from the cold. Even if they were rescued within 30 minutes, their chances of survival in an open boat, soaking wet and with no protection or warmth were poor.

They swam about or clung to wreckage, calling out for help. Their pitiless cries rang out starkly in the darkness. There were prayers too and entreaties to God to help them. But no help was forthcoming.

The two boats nearest to the disaster area were Collapsible Boats A and B. The stronger of the swimmers made their way to those two boats. Many climbed on board A until it drifted away and those in the water were no longer able to swim.

Officer Lightoller made it to upturned Collapsible Boat B and climbed onto the keel. Colonel Gracie had earlier swum to this boat and had also managed to clamber onto the keel. Harold Bride had become trapped beneath the boat and was desperately gasping for the little amount of air still trapped there.

Aware that he could not survive for much longer, he took one large breath, and kicked out with all his might. He escaped what would have been his tomb, surfaced and clambered onto the keel.

Eventually 30 men clambered on, threatening to overturn or sink the boat with their weight. One swimmer drew close and asked if he could climb on. He was told that one more might sink the boat and drown everyone.

‘That's all right, men,’ he said. Then he swam off, but not before calling out: ‘Good luck, God bless you.’ Another swimmer who was close by kept calling out encouragement but made no attempt to get onto the keel nor did he ask for help. After a while he grew silent. Later, one of the men on the boat claimed that the man was none other than Captain Smith.

Whether it was or not no one can ever know. Someone else claimed that they saw Captain Smith rescue a child from the water. When he had placed the child in a boat, he then swam away. Again this story can never be confirmed.

The men on the upturned boat decided they should pray. Having many different religious beliefs, they eventually agreed that they would recite the Lord's Prayer. Their voices mingled with the cries of those still struggling for survival in the water.

While those on the upturned boat clung on for life and prayed, those already in the lifeboats were not much better off. Most were suffering from shock and exposure. Many of the crew from the stricken ship who were put on board to row and command the boat failed to carry out their duty. Either they too were in shock, or were not properly trained or prepared.

Or, perhaps, they were aware that from the moment the Titanic sank, they were no longer employees of the White Star Line. In fact their later wage slips would show that their employment ceased the moment the Titanic sank beneath the waves.

Almost all the lifeboats refused to return to the scene of the disaster to try and pick up survivors. Many people could have been saved if they had done so because most of the boats were only half full. But both crew and survivors were frightened to return. They feared that the hundreds of people who were in the water would swamp the boats and all would be lost.

On those boats, where the crew were ineffective, the passengers took charge. That night the Countess of Rothes behaved in an admirable fashion. She organised the women in the boat to row and she took the tiller herself. She also offered comfort to those who were in distress at the loss of their husbands or other loved ones.

Margaret Brown, ‘The Unsinkable Molly Brown’, also behaved admirably that night. This boat contained Quartermaster Hitchens and the yachtsman, Major Peuchen. Rivalry developed between the two men when Hitchens insisted he was in charge. As a major used to giving orders, Peuchen thought he should be in charge.

Arguments broke out when Hitchens refused to return to pick up survivors. Instead the boat headed for the lights of the vessel which had been seen on Titanic’s bow earlier that night. But when the lights disappeared, Hitchens declared that they were all lost. Peuchen too gave up.

Molly Brown now rallied the women on board to take over the oars. Hitchens pointed out that they had no compass and so could not plot a course. At this, Molly Brown pointed to the North Star. They would plot their course by the stars as sailors had done since man first took to the sea.

Hitchens, not happy at having his authority questioned, ordered the rowers to stop and allow the boat to drift. Molly Brown now threatened to throw him overboard if he did not shut up and cease his interference. Hitchens did shut up and the rowing continued with Molly Brown now in charge. The rowing not only occupied the women but also helped to keep them warm in the bitter cold.

In other boats too the physical exercise of rowing helped to keep the occupants warm. In one boat a women rowed all that night with her feet in freezing cold water.

Of all the lifeboats on the sea that night, only one returned to try and pick up survivors. This was lifeboat Number 14 under the command of Officer Lowe. He had eventually rounded up some of the boats and tied them together. Then he shared out his survivors among these boats and headed back to the disaster area.

It was now nearly 3am and any survivors had been in the water for nearly 50 minutes. For Lowe and his crew, it was a terrible experience rowing among the dead and dying, and the debris of the wreck. They called out again and again in the dark but there was hardly any response.

In the end they picked up four people who were still alive, yet nearly all the lifeboats had room for many more.

By 3am the desperate cries of those in the water had ceased. A terrible silence hung over the sea. High above there was a tremendous display of shooting stars. The saying that each time a star falls a soul goes to heaven came to the mind of some of the survivors. They could not have known then that over 1,500 falling stars would be required on this tragic night.

There were 705 survivors, and 1,503 (the figure given at the inquiry into the disaster) died. It was the worst loss of life in a single ship disaster in the history of seafaring. Even in its demise, the Titanic was setting new records. But for those 705 who were still alive, their only thoughts were of continuing survival.