Mr Robert John Hopkins

Mr Robert John Hopkins was from Belfast.

Hopkins was assigned to lifeboat 13. At around 1.40 a.m. the boat was lowered but when it reached the water Hopkins and Fred Barrett had to work quickly to cut the boat free from the falls as it drifted under lifeboat 15 which had begun its descent.

After his arrival in New York Hopkins left the White Star Line, and applied to the American Red Cross for relief as reported in a newspaper of the time (see articles). The somewhat inaccurate remarks attributed to Hopkins reflect the confusion generated in the rush to get first-hand accounts of the sinking.

Duff Gordon and the others actually left in lifeboat 1. Whether he attempted to bribe the crew of that boat to row away from the Titanic remains a matter for debate. The steerage passenger mentioned in the article was Eugene Daly who had also sought relief from the Mayor.

Articles
Evening World, 22nd April, 1912, Two Survivors Call on Mayor to Ask Relief

References
John P. Eaton & Charles A. Haas (1994) Titanic: Triumph & Tragedy, 2nd ed. Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 1 85260 493 X
Don Lynch & Ken Marschall (1992) Titanic: An Illustrated History. London, Hodder & Stoughton. ISBN 0 340 56271 4
The Evening World April 22, 1912