The Six Mystery Crewman

Arun Vajpey said:
Between 01:45am and 01:50 am in Lifeboat#2? I find that almost impossible to believe.
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That was after he came around to the starboard side in the boat. Probably some time after 2am. I personally don't believe much of what he said in 1962 anyway.
 
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Samuel Halpern said:
That was after he came around to the starboard side in the boat. Probably some time after 2am. I personally don't believe much of what he said in 1962 anyway.
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C'mon Sam, give the man a break; we know that many (well, at least one) former Marine Accident Investigators believe that Boxhall was truth and reliability personified ;). He probably meant that he saw the "mob" standing at the open gangway door underwater. After all, the Titanic's lights were still working by then and it would not have been too much to expect the people at the gangway door to swim up to the surface when they saw the lifeboat pass.
 
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FYI, from the testimony of Edward Wilding:
20479. (The Commissioner.) I do not remember that; it has escaped me. (To the Witness.) What do you say to that? - Mr. Lightoller did not convey to my mind that he had given any very distinct order, that is any order that made itself clear which door was intended; but there was evidence that the boats were told to go round to the after door which was the door where this accommodation ladder was provided, and which would be the natural door to go to.
20480. (Mr. Rowlatt.) Is there any ladder for the forward door? - There is none.
20481. If they had gone there and the ladder had been shipped could people have gone down the ladder and stepped into the boats? - Very easily. It is like a yacht or warship accommodation ladder.
 
Samuel Halpern said:
The aft gangway doors were not submerged.
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But by the time Lifeboat #2 came around to the starboard side, the stern had started to rise significantly and so would it have been possible for Boxhall's "mob", even if they had been there, to get down to the lifeboat easily?


Samuel Halpern said:
20481. If they had gone there and the ladder had been shipped could people have gone down the ladder and stepped into the boats? - Very easily. It is like a yacht or warship accommodation ladder.
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IMO that statement seems a bit too generalized to me. I can understand trained crew shimmying up and down ladders but could elderly men like Mr Straus or large ones like Dr Frauenthal have done so? Not to mention ladies in their awkward skirts and children, already a bit off balance by the bulky life vests.

IMO, loading passengers though Gangway doors would have been unacceptably slow, difficult and dangerous - and would have posed no practical advantage. It would also have needlessly used up some of the already dwindling crew members needed on the boat deck.
 
Arun Vajpey said:
But by the time Lifeboat #2 came around to the starboard side, the stern had started to rise significantly and so would it have been possible for Boxhall's "mob", even if they had been there, to get down to the lifeboat easily?



IMO that statement seems a bit too generalized to me. I can understand trained crew shimmying up and down ladders but could elderly men like Mr Straus or large ones like Dr Frauenthal have done so? Not to mention ladies in their awkward skirts and children, already a bit off balance by the bulky life vests.

IMO, loading passengers though Gangway doors would have been unacceptably slow, difficult and dangerous - and would have posed no practical advantage. It would also have needlessly used up some of the already dwindling crew members needed on the boat deck.
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it is advantageous (to use the gangways) in the sense that, if lightoller (or whoever) feels that the boat cannot support more people while on the davits, because of the thought of davits (or ropes) not being able to withstand the weight, yet perhaps they feel it would be acceptable for the boat to handle more people once its in the water.

It is very clear that none of the crew understood the capacity of the boats while on the davits, except for maybe murdoch toward at the end as he began loading the boats nearly full, probably because of the urgency, and because he had already loaded many boats so he had more knowledge of what they could take in terms of weight.
 
Samuel Halpern said:
Just how do you think the survivors got aboard Carpathia?
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D'accord. But the Carpathia was not steadily flooding towards eventual sinking, had no list and was not going down by the head. Also, with Carpathia they were not pressed for time as they were with the sinking Titanic. All available crewmen could be deployed as necessary and helping the survivors in the lifeboats was the main operation.

Therefore IMO, the slowness and difficulty involved were not major issues in getting the survivors on board the Carpathia (and with that, the danger of injury or accident was also reduced significantly) when compared with getting them off the sinking Titanic into lifeboats.

Also, is it not true that some passengers who were unable to climb ladders were hoisted onto the deck of the Carpathia? I might be wrong, but I seem to recall reading that somewhere.
 
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