Not sure where else to ask

  • Thread starter Elizabeth Mae Catherine Caldwell
  • Start date
E

Elizabeth Mae Catherine Caldwell

Member
First, I heard this story second hand. According to my great aunts managed to get the following story out of my great-grandfather only twice. Both times he ended up sobbing.
He was aboard an (italian?) fishing ship nearish the Titanic when it went down. His ship was among the first to aid the survivors but they only had enough room for eight. He would start to describe the screaming and the people clawing at the side of the ship before breaking down in tears.
Does anyone know if there is any vality to this story?
 
Not true, the first ship to aid the survivors was the Carpathia. Although, he could have been on a boat that picked up bodies.
 
Elizabeth...To second what Chris said, there is absolutely no validity to this story whatsoever. If a fishing vessel had aided screaming passengers in the water that night it would have been very well documented by the occupants of the other lifeboats who certainly would have witnessed this activity. The crew of this vessel and the survivors it supposedly "picked up" also certainly would have been summoned to testify at both the American and British inquiries. As Chris said their is always a possibility that he may have been a crew member on one of the recovery ships such as the Mackay-Bennett or the Minia but keep in mind these passengers would have been long since deceased. More than likely this is just a case of family lore. Regards, Sean
 
Chris...You might be on to something there. Many fishing boats rushed to the Lusitania and pulled survivors from the water. Since Elizabeth mentioned that the story was second hand...it is quite possible that some of the details may have been changed. Regards, Sean
 
Back
Top