Would You Have Wanted to Be On Titanic?

[Hannah]

Would you have wanted to be on Titanic?

[Susan]

The benefit of hindsight is a great thing, isn't it?! I suppose that, were you travelling at that time, and you could afford it, Titanic would be the ship you would choose to travel on. It was the maiden voyage, had every luxury and was considered an extremely safe and comfortable way to cross the Atlantic. If you are asking would you have wanted to be on Titanic, knowing what happened, then no. Even if you did make it onto a lifeboat, I cannot imagine the sound of those people dying - young children among them - could be one you would ever forget or get over. I remember reading that another ship, passing soon after the tragedy, were told they were passing the place where Titanic sunk. Rushing to the side to see, the passengers were initially excited and then greeted with the sight of bodies floating in the water...

[Hannah]

My interest in Titanic makes me really want to be on the ship... But to experience the sinking would probably make me have nightmares, but I think I'd still want to be on it.
I heard an Australian millionaire (or billionaire can't quite remember) is going to remake the Titanic and sail it from Southampton to New York. I would really like to be on that sailing!

[Susan]

Yes, I also heard they are planning to have the ship followed on it's maiden voyage - just in case!

[Margaret]

I admit it, if I could choose how I die...yes, I'd want to go down with that ship even though I despise anything remotely connected with winter, like icebergs, hypothermia, etc. I love Titanic!

[Susan]

Wow, that's devotion Margaret! I love the ship, but I'd skip on the drowning bit if possible...

[Hannah]

In a way it might have been better to die, because then you wouldn't be haunted by all those horrid memories.
If I was on the ship, I don't think I'd care what happened to myself. I would only want to make sure the young children in third class that died, and Loraine Alyson (The only first class child to die) would get on a lifeboat.
I agree with Margaret... I love the ship, but I wouldn't want to drown. I think hypothermia would be better than drowning. Drowning seems more painful, but I'm not sure.

[Susan]

Again, that require hindsight though, doesn't it? If you knew what was going to happen, it would be ideal - one bump and you would be able to round up all the children safely. I imagine the reality was a great deal more confused, especially as many were asleep and others unwilling to leave the 'safety' of the ship for the lifeboats. It would also involve you getting to third class and there was no access between the different classes on the ship, except for staff. Perhaps it would be best to be a staff member? Assuming you knew what would happen, what would either of you say to Mr Ismay?

[Hannah]

Another thing is that many passengers didn't even feel the ship hit the iceberg.
A staff member would probably be better in a way, at least then you could help the passengers and afterward wouldn't feel guilty about doing nothing (I have an extremely guilty conscious, I could find some way to blame myself)
I have heard numerous things about Mr Ismay, what exactly do you mean, Susan, about "what would you say to Mr Ismay"?

[Susan]

Well, with hindsight, what would be your advice as he was about to step into the lifeboat? Would you say something like, "there ARE women and children, but just not on this deck, hold on and I'll go and get them" or would you just let him climb aboard, knowing the abuse that would be heaped on him later.

[Hannah]

I would probably pull him back and give him some kind of lecture and then make him come with me to go get the third class people.
I wouldn't have let him just climb aboard, that would make me feel responsible for some of the deaths.

[Susan]

Good answer. I would have tried to make sure the lifeboats were at least full. Whether anyone would listen to us is another point though, but still I agree with you.

[Hannah]

Same... I would try to make sure the lifeboats were full too, though like you mentioned, they might not listen. Some people were probably only thinking about if they would live, not about the other people, while others were the exact opposite. It would probably be a mix and some kind of argument would happen about whether or not to wait for more people.

[Susan]

Do you think people like the Duff Coopers realised what they were doing when they left in a lifeboat less than half full? Do you think they simply accepted their five star treatment as their due, or do you think they would never have left without at least filling their boat had they known what would happen?

[Hannah]

Well I'm not sure who the Duff Coopers are, but by what you said I can guess they were first class. I really think it depends on the person. People who only care about themselves would've care, but then others would've waited for more people had they known what would happen. There were probably people on the ship who were shocked that they didn't fill up the boats. So again, it just depends on the person. What about you?

[Susan]

Duff Cooper was a politician (and a wonderful writer) and his wife the beauty of the day. They were probably the most famous British couple of board. On hearing what was happening, Duff Cooper's wife was smart enough to get all her party up on deck and make sure that her, her husband and, to be fair to her, all their female staff were on the first lifeboat and off the ship before anyone else. I think only 18 people were on that lifeboat - I may be wrong and I haven't re-checked, but it was a small number. After the disaster they were heavily criticised, but Lady Duff Cooper averted criticism from her husband, saying she would not have left without him, she virtually dragged him on board etc and then WWI came along and he was able to redeem himself.

Actually, I suspect that even were I on board, in whatever capacity, there is little anybody could have done to change what happened - save fill the lifeboats more if you were in a position to tell the boats to wait (ie senior staff member - and you could be on both sides of the ship at once). Who can truly criticise anyone in that position? It was late at night, it was certainly unexpected, people were afraid, they were shocked, most were asleep, they were waiting for direction which didn't come and it was cold.

[Margaret]

I don't know who the Duff Coopers are either but from what you've described they sound like the Duff Gordons, Sir Cosmo and Lady Duff Gordon? Lady Duff Gordon was a fashion designer...I forget what Cosmo did though. And the Duff Gordons did leave in a lifeboat with only 12 in it.

Sorry, I'm just confused about that, it all.

[Susan]

Yes, that sounds like them. The books I have by him are under the name Duff Cooper - but perhaps Gordon was her name.

[Ellie]

Would I have wanted to be on Titanic? Yes, if I could have got off at Queenstown like Father Browne!

[Margaret]

LOL Ellie! I still choose the martyr's death. Go with the ship! :)

[Susan]

Ellie has the best idea I think - how amazing to have left the ship before that happened.

[Ellie]

Glad you think so!

[Susan]

I'm not too keen on the martyrdom idea to be honest! I'd rather keep my feet dry :)

[Hannah]

I would have wanted to die... Or at least, not get into a lifeboat and just hope that a lifeboat would pick me up before it was too late.
Like I've mentioned above, I would try and make sure the lifeboats got filled and that the third class passengers got a better chance of survival.