Randy Bryan Bigham
Member
Many believe boat #8 left BEFORE #6 rather than after, which is in the official record, there's evidence that #C left later as well, and some (like me)believe that #1 left later too.
#8 - apart from Gracie's evidence and others already cited in past threads, steward Burke has an interesting take. He testified that when he reported to his boat station, #1, that the boat had gone. He says he then went over to port and helped to lower #8. This shows these boats did not go off simultaneously at 1:10 AM as the official record reflects. Obviously #8 went after. However Burke says after seeing #8 lowered he went to help launch #10, which went off at 1:20. Why didn't he go to #6 if it was still on deck as Gracie believes?(Gracie implies #6 went off after #10 at about 1:25). Either Gracie was mistaken or, as I think, #6 was not on the boat deck BUT WAS on its way down, possibly suspended mid-ways which is why Burke didn't see it and went aft. It must have been at this interval that Peuchen slid down the fall to fill in for the crew in #6. This delay would have allowed #8 to get down into the water first. Meantime #10 had either already put down or was touching the water simultaneously as #6.
#1 - I've already gone into this on other threads but I'll repeat briefly that because of #1's getting caught up on its way down it probably really was not successfully launched till 1:15 or 1:20. But I do think it was prepared for initial lowering at the accepted 1:10 time.
#C - There seems to have been extraordinary delay in getting this boat off. Hugh Woolner's testimony is very specific on the point that #C was STILL on board while #D was being fitted into its davits. He surely was in a position to know as he was in the vicinity all during this time and was in fact on A Deck when the water came over the forward railings and he and others jumped headlong into #D, then on its way down. He says he estimated the gap between the deck and the gunwale of #D was nine feet which, if true, shows there was a fairly severe port list which may well be the reason why #C, high on the starboard side, had such a hard time getting off. George Behe has estimated that #C therefore was not launched till round 2 AM.
Are there any other lifeboat launching discrepancies?
#8 - apart from Gracie's evidence and others already cited in past threads, steward Burke has an interesting take. He testified that when he reported to his boat station, #1, that the boat had gone. He says he then went over to port and helped to lower #8. This shows these boats did not go off simultaneously at 1:10 AM as the official record reflects. Obviously #8 went after. However Burke says after seeing #8 lowered he went to help launch #10, which went off at 1:20. Why didn't he go to #6 if it was still on deck as Gracie believes?(Gracie implies #6 went off after #10 at about 1:25). Either Gracie was mistaken or, as I think, #6 was not on the boat deck BUT WAS on its way down, possibly suspended mid-ways which is why Burke didn't see it and went aft. It must have been at this interval that Peuchen slid down the fall to fill in for the crew in #6. This delay would have allowed #8 to get down into the water first. Meantime #10 had either already put down or was touching the water simultaneously as #6.
#1 - I've already gone into this on other threads but I'll repeat briefly that because of #1's getting caught up on its way down it probably really was not successfully launched till 1:15 or 1:20. But I do think it was prepared for initial lowering at the accepted 1:10 time.
#C - There seems to have been extraordinary delay in getting this boat off. Hugh Woolner's testimony is very specific on the point that #C was STILL on board while #D was being fitted into its davits. He surely was in a position to know as he was in the vicinity all during this time and was in fact on A Deck when the water came over the forward railings and he and others jumped headlong into #D, then on its way down. He says he estimated the gap between the deck and the gunwale of #D was nine feet which, if true, shows there was a fairly severe port list which may well be the reason why #C, high on the starboard side, had such a hard time getting off. George Behe has estimated that #C therefore was not launched till round 2 AM.
Are there any other lifeboat launching discrepancies?
