Titanic's Lifeboats

Titanic’s Lifeboats: Disaster and Survival During the Great Liner’s Sinking recounts the extraordinary and often heartbreaking stories of the men, women and children who escaped the sinking of RMS Titanic in April 1912.

Through the experiences of survivors from each lifeboat, James W. Bancroft brings the night of the disaster vividly to life. From lifeboat No.11, where American fashion designer Edith Rosenbaum Russell soothed frightened children with the tune of her toy pig, to lifeboat No.13, where Bridget McDermott risked her life to retrieve her new hat before jumping fifteen feet to safety, each account reveals a different facet of courage and humanity.

The stories also include that of Charles Joughin, the ship’s head baker, who survived two hours in the freezing Atlantic thanks to his alcohol intake, and Masabumi Hosono, the only Japanese passenger aboard, whose rescue led to ostracism on his return home. Together they form a poignant portrait of survival against impossible odds.

With twenty lifeboats for more than two thousand people, only 706 survived the sinking. This book chronicles their journeys from despair to rescue, offering an intimate perspective on one of history’s most haunting maritime tragedies.

About the Author

James W. Bancroft has written over 100 books and articles on military and maritime history. He has contributed to The New Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, and his book Rorke’s Drift: The Zulu War, 1879 has been reprinted seven times. His private JWB Historical Library is one of the largest private collections of its kind.