Arun Vajpey
Member
I have read Bill Wormstedt's article about re-evaluation of launching times of various lifeboats from the Titanic on that fateful night. I found the article extremely well researched and compiled and feel that we have to look seriously at the likelihood that Lifeboat #10 was launched later than originally thought from the aft port side, probably as late as 01:48 am, only a couple of minutes before #4.. Mr Wormstedt mentions several convincing survivor accounts - both passengers and crew - to support this theory; that said, there are also some conflicting reports, notably those from Baker Joughin. All that made me wonder if #10 was actually lowered in 2 stages - first, partially filled from the boat deck to the A deck while #16, #14 and #12 were still being loaded on the boat deck and second, from the A-deck to the water a bit later after the other 3 aft port boats had been completely lowered.
Going what appears to be chronologically, Joughin reportedly told the British Enquiry that #10, which he helped to load, was the first aft port boat to be lowered. This would mean that he saw all 4 port aft boats at some stage and saw #10 being 'lowered' while the other 3 were still on their boat deck davits. At some stage (later?), Joughin also helped to load #10, describing how he ‘threw’ children and even some adults across the gap between the ship’s side and the lifeboat. This was also the time when a female passenger nearly fell through that gap between the lifeboat and the ship while boarding.
That ‘gap’ could only mean that the Titanic’s port list was significant by then, something that did not seem so obvious when #16.#14 and #12 were lowered. Joughin himself mentioned that port list in his report; Crew members Evans & Buley as well as passengers Nellie O’Dwyer, Ada Ball (who recalled Joughin’s ‘throwing’ actions) and Gretchen Longley, all of whom escaped on #10, made statements to allude that #10 was the ‘last boat’ on their side. Of course, they could not have seen #4 from their vantage point and so must have meant the last of the port aft boats.
There are also conflicting reports about the officer involved in loading #10. Evans stated that he helped lower #12 to the sea, saw it row away and then went to help lower #10 to the boat deck for further loading while Murdoch supervised. But Joughin is supposed to have mentioned Wilde near #10, although that report is not substantiated. If Joughin really was periodically ‘fortifying’ himself by quick visits below decks, could he have made a time error in his later reports?
That is what made me wonder about the possibility of a 2-stage lowering of Lifeboat #10 that night. Could events have happened something like this?
***Sometime after 01:00 am Wilde briefly stops near #10 and orders the partially filled boat to be lowered from the boat deck to A-deck. Joughin sees this initial lowering with the other three port aft boats still on boat deck. He also notices Wilde.
***Joughin goes below for one of his fortification trips and while he was there, #16. #14 and #12 were lowered. (Poingdestre said that there were “hundreds of passengers around those 3 boats and Lowe reported that those 3 boats were very quickly lowered one after another; Joughin himself said that he did not see #16, #14 or #12 being lowered and so it all fits in.)
***When Joughin comes back up, #10 is on A-deck now and the port list is swinging the lifeboat away from the side of the ship as noted by Joughin himself as he helped to load additional passengers. Evans and Buley are also working on the boat and this time Murdoch is around controlling the loading as noted by Evans in his report. The boat is eventually lowered just before #4 further forward (both parties not in direct line of vision).
I am not claiming any evidence for this 2-stage lowering but just asking about the possibility of that happening to tie in with almost all survivor statements related to #10. It would explain Joughin seeing lowering of #10 (albeit only as far as A-deck) before other aft port boats, his seeing Wilde near #10, the ‘gap’ between #10 and the ship as it was further loaded (later), Evans, Buley and some passengers’ report that #10 left after the other aft boats and Evans seeing Murdoch in charge of lowering #10. But it would also have to suppose that Joughin was misunderstood or got mixed-up about being on the boat deck near #10 initially and a bit later on A-deck helping to load the lifeboat; and also that when Evans reported lowering #10 from the ‘boat deck’ onto the water, he really meant the A-deck.
Going what appears to be chronologically, Joughin reportedly told the British Enquiry that #10, which he helped to load, was the first aft port boat to be lowered. This would mean that he saw all 4 port aft boats at some stage and saw #10 being 'lowered' while the other 3 were still on their boat deck davits. At some stage (later?), Joughin also helped to load #10, describing how he ‘threw’ children and even some adults across the gap between the ship’s side and the lifeboat. This was also the time when a female passenger nearly fell through that gap between the lifeboat and the ship while boarding.
That ‘gap’ could only mean that the Titanic’s port list was significant by then, something that did not seem so obvious when #16.#14 and #12 were lowered. Joughin himself mentioned that port list in his report; Crew members Evans & Buley as well as passengers Nellie O’Dwyer, Ada Ball (who recalled Joughin’s ‘throwing’ actions) and Gretchen Longley, all of whom escaped on #10, made statements to allude that #10 was the ‘last boat’ on their side. Of course, they could not have seen #4 from their vantage point and so must have meant the last of the port aft boats.
There are also conflicting reports about the officer involved in loading #10. Evans stated that he helped lower #12 to the sea, saw it row away and then went to help lower #10 to the boat deck for further loading while Murdoch supervised. But Joughin is supposed to have mentioned Wilde near #10, although that report is not substantiated. If Joughin really was periodically ‘fortifying’ himself by quick visits below decks, could he have made a time error in his later reports?
That is what made me wonder about the possibility of a 2-stage lowering of Lifeboat #10 that night. Could events have happened something like this?
***Sometime after 01:00 am Wilde briefly stops near #10 and orders the partially filled boat to be lowered from the boat deck to A-deck. Joughin sees this initial lowering with the other three port aft boats still on boat deck. He also notices Wilde.
***Joughin goes below for one of his fortification trips and while he was there, #16. #14 and #12 were lowered. (Poingdestre said that there were “hundreds of passengers around those 3 boats and Lowe reported that those 3 boats were very quickly lowered one after another; Joughin himself said that he did not see #16, #14 or #12 being lowered and so it all fits in.)
***When Joughin comes back up, #10 is on A-deck now and the port list is swinging the lifeboat away from the side of the ship as noted by Joughin himself as he helped to load additional passengers. Evans and Buley are also working on the boat and this time Murdoch is around controlling the loading as noted by Evans in his report. The boat is eventually lowered just before #4 further forward (both parties not in direct line of vision).
I am not claiming any evidence for this 2-stage lowering but just asking about the possibility of that happening to tie in with almost all survivor statements related to #10. It would explain Joughin seeing lowering of #10 (albeit only as far as A-deck) before other aft port boats, his seeing Wilde near #10, the ‘gap’ between #10 and the ship as it was further loaded (later), Evans, Buley and some passengers’ report that #10 left after the other aft boats and Evans seeing Murdoch in charge of lowering #10. But it would also have to suppose that Joughin was misunderstood or got mixed-up about being on the boat deck near #10 initially and a bit later on A-deck helping to load the lifeboat; and also that when Evans reported lowering #10 from the ‘boat deck’ onto the water, he really meant the A-deck.
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