Titanic Survivors: Who They Are, What Happened to Them After

A very famous movie called “Titanic” with Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet came out in 1997. It made a lot of money, around $2.2 billion at the movie theaters, and was the most successful film for a while. But before it became a huge hit and made the actors super famous, it was based on a sad real-life event where more than 1,504 people lost their lives.

As of now, “there are no more living titanic survivors”. The last survivor Millvina Dean, who was just 2 months old at the time “Titanic Sank”, passed away in 2009 at the age of 97. But, for many years, people have been trying really hard to gather all the stories and information from the people who were on the Titanic and those who were saved.

Night That Changed Everything

Even though it’s been over 100 years since the Titanic sank, people still remember that tragic night. Over 1,500-plus people died, including famous people like John Jacob Astor IV, Benjamin Guggenheim, and the owners of Macy’s, Isidor and Ida Strauss. But there were also around 700-plus survivors who were lucky enough to escape on lifeboats. Some of them were haunted by the experience forever, while others became famous or even heroes for their actions.

How many survived the Titanic Sinking?

According to the reports, The Titanic was like a giant bathtub with 16 separate sections meant to keep water out. People thought even if 4 sections filled up, the ship would still float! But when it hit the iceberg, more than 4 sections took on water, causing the Titanic to sink and over 1,000 people to die.

Out of 2,224 people on the Titanic, only around 706 were saved on lifeboats. This terrible event of “Titanic Sinking” where so many people died, was marked as one of the worst boat accidents in history.

Even though it happened a long time ago, there’s still some debate about how many people really died when the Titanic sank. The U.S. Senate Committee has said it was 1,517 people, but the British Board of Trade says it was 1,503. So, different people have different numbers in mind when they think about how many lives were lost in that tragic event.

Titanic Survivors List

According to most records, 706 people managed to survive the Titanic sinking, with a majority of them being women and children. There’s still some disagreement about the exact number of survivors from the Titanic tragedy.

Here is a list of some of the well-known survivors from the Titanic sinking:

1. Molly Brown – A famous American socialite known for her bravery and philanthropy.
2. J. Bruce Ismay – The highest-ranking official from the White Star Line on board the Titanic.
3. Cosmo Duff-Gordon – A British baronet and Olympic fencer.
4. Lucy Duff-Gordon – A famous British fashion designer and the wife of Cosmo Duff-Gordon.
5. Millvina Dean – The last survivor of the Titanic, who died in 2009.
6. Elsie Bowerman – A survivor who later became a barrister, suffragette, and co-founder of the Women’s Voluntary Services.
7. Elizabeth Shutes – The governess to the Graham family, who was traveling in first class.
8. Laura Mabel Francatelli – A secretary and assistant to Lucy Duff-Gordon.
9. Charlotte Collyer – Traveled second class with her husband and daughter, surviving the disaster.
10. Lawrence Beesley – An English science teacher, journalist, and author who wrote about his experiences on the Titanic.
11. Madeleine Astor – The young widow of millionaire John Jacob Astor IV, who perished in the disaster.
12. Michel Navratil and Edmond Navratil – Two young brothers known as the “Titanic Orphans,” who were reunited with their mother after the sinking.
13. Violet Jessop – A stewardess and nurse who survived the Titanic and other maritime disasters.
14. Charles Lightoller – The second officer on the Titanic and a key witness at the inquiries into the sinking.
15. Dorothy Gibson – A silent film actress who survived the Titanic and later starred in a film about the disaster.
16. Lucy Noel Martha, Countess of Rothes (Lucy Noel Leslie) – Noted for her leadership and helpfulness during the sinking.
17. Karl Behr – An American tennis player who survived the disaster.
18. Eva Hart – A survivor who later became a prominent critic of the ship’s lack of lifeboats.

Lets see their lifestyle and how they managed to survive in detail:

Molly Brown

Margaret Brown, also known as “the Unsinkable Molly Brown,” was a brave lady who survived the Titanic disaster. She was born on July 18, 1867, in Hannibal, Missouri.

• Titanic Survivor: Margaret’s tale of survival aboard the Titanic made her famous.
• Champion for Change: She dedicated herself to advocating for women’s rights, workers’ rights, and education post-Titanic.
• Political Engagement: Margaret didn’t stop there; she even ventured into politics to further her causes.
• Lasting Impact: Though Margaret Brown passed away on October 26, 1932, her legacy as a symbol of strength and compassion endures.

J. Bruce Ismay

J. Bruce Ismay, the owner of the Titanic. Despite being unfairly labeled a coward in the media and depicted as a villain in the 1997 movie Titanic, his great-grandson, Malcolm Cheape, believes he was unjustly targeted by false stories.

• Media Backlash: Ismay faced unjust criticism, with false reports suggesting he fled on the first lifeboat or disguised himself as a woman.
• Acts of Bravery: Ismay claimed he only entered a lifeboat after ensuring the safety of others, particularly women and children. He was later cleared of any wrongdoing.
• Retreat from Public Eye: Despite being cleared, Ismay retreated from public life, likely due to the stress and trauma he endured.
• Family Struggles: The Titanic tragedy deeply affected Ismay’s family, adding to their hardships.
• Legacy: J. Bruce Ismay passed away in 1937 at age 74, leaving behind a complex legacy shaped by the events of the Titanic disaster.

Millvina Dean

The last survivor of the Titanic, Millvina Dean, died in 2009 at 97 years old. She was only 2 months old when the Titanic sank.

Elsie Bowerman

Elsie Bowerman. Alongside Molly Brown, she made her mark on history. Elsie was a strong supporter of women’s suffrage, both before and after the Titanic tragedy.

• Titanic Experience: She vividly recounted the eerie silence as the ship’s engines stopped and the urgency of being lowered into lifeboats.
• Post-Titanic Adventures: Elsie served as a nurse during World War I and witnessed the Russian Revolution firsthand.
• Legal Trailblazer: After women gained voting rights in England, she made history as the first female barrister to practice at London’s famous Old Bailey.
• World War II Service: During the Second World War, Elsie joined the Women’s Royal Volunteer Service and played a key role in organizing the United Nations’ Commission on the Status of Women.
• Legacy: Elsie Bowerman passed away in 1973 at the age of 83, leaving behind a legacy of bravery, activism, and pioneering achievements.

Cosmo and Lucy Duff-Gordon

A married couple, the Duff-Gordons, survived the Titanic, but they faced criticism because Cosmo Duff-Gordon got on a lifeboat meant for women and children. Both of them were on Lifeboat number 1.

• Near Miss: Interestingly, Lucy was also meant to be on the Lusitania, which sank in 1915, but she changed her plans last minute, narrowly avoiding another tragedy.
• Debate: While Cosmo claimed there were no women and children nearby when they launched the lifeboat, some reports suggested he may have paid crew members to secure a spot. This led to debates and further scrutiny.

Madeleine Astor

Madeleine Astor, who was pregnant and on her honeymoon with John Jacob “JJ” Astor when the Titanic sank, lost her husband in the tragedy.

• She got rescued and had their son later. But she never wanted to talk about the Titanic and said it inconvenienced her when people asked.
• She passed away in 1940 at 46 years old.

Eva Hart

Eva Hart, who was just seven years old when the Titanic tragedy occurred. She later received the prestigious Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) award.

• Memories: Throughout her life, Eva shared her vivid recollections of that fateful night, often expressing her belief that more lifeboats could have saved everyone.
• Movie Inspiration: Some believe that Eva’s parents inspired a scene in the Titanic movie, where a character hides a diamond necklace in a coat pocket for a survivor.
• Legacy: Eva Hart passed away in 1996 at the age of 91, leaving behind her memories and insights into one of history’s most tragic events.

Charlotte Collyer

Collyer was in the second-class on the Titanic and she survived. She was 31 years old then. She later told the sad story of how she got separated from her husband.

Michel and Edmond Navratil

Michel and Edmond Navratil, known as “the Titanic orphans,” were just four and two years old when the Titanic sank. They were traveling with their father, who put them in the last lifeboat and said goodbye before he didn’t make it.

• When they arrived in New York as the only children rescued without a parent, their mother came to claim them. Edmond passed away in 1953, and Michel, the older brother, died in 2001 at the age of 92. He became a philosophy professor in France and talked philosophically about the Titanic tragedy that took his father’s life.

Elizabeth Shutes

A New York native, Shutes was acting as governess to Mr. William Thompson Graham’s teenage daughter, Margaret, while aboard the Titanic.

• The three of them—all first-class passengers—were sailing back to America where Shutes would continue as Margaret’s governess in Connecticut.

Violet Jessop

Violet Jessop was a stewardess who faced multiple maritime disasters. First, she was on the Olympic when it collided with another ship in 1911.

• Then, she survived the Titanic and got on Lifeboat number 16. Later, in 1916, she was on the Britannic, the Titanic’s sister ship, when it hit a German mine.
• Despite these three ship disasters, Violet kept working on ships until she passed away in 1971 at the age of 84.

Charles Lightoller

Lightoller spent most of the sinking assisting passengers into lifeboats and lowering them down. Despite the danger, he chose to remain on the ship until it went down, showing incredible courage.

• Survival: After the Titanic sank, Lightoller managed to find safety by climbing onto an upside-down lifeboat and waited to be rescued.
• Legacy: Lightoller lived until 1952, leaving behind a legacy of bravery and selflessness that continues to inspire.

Dorothy Gibson

• Dorothy Gibson, a silent film actress, was on the Titanic with her mother. She even acted in the first-ever movie about the Titanic sinking, called “Saved From the Titanic.” But she left the movie business and went back to Europe.
• During World War II, she faced more hardships when she was put in a concentration camp. She survived the camp but sadly passed away in 1946 at the age of 56.

Lucy Noel Leslie

The Countess of Rothes, known as Leslie, didn’t just survive the Titanic; she played a heroic role by helping row Lifeboat 8 to safety.

• A crewman named Able Seamen Thomas Jones said, “She had a lot to say, so I put her to steering the boat.”
• After that, she worked as a nurse during World War I and continued to do charitable work.

Karl Behr

The touching story of Karl Behr, a professional tennis player, and Helen Newsom, who found love during the Titanic disaster.

• Unexpected Connection: Karl met Helen while she was vacationing with her family aboard the Titanic.
• Act of Bravery: When the ship hit an iceberg, Karl woke up Helen and her family, ensuring they all made it onto Lifeboat number 5.
• Survival and Romance: Remarkably, Karl, Helen, and her family all survived. Afterward, Karl and Helen tied the knot and went on to have four children together, showcasing their love story born from tragedy.

Why did a lot of people die when the Titanic sank?

The Titanic didn’t have enough lifeboats. It had 16 regular lifeboats and four collapsible ones, which could carry a total of 1,178 people. However, there were as many as 2,224 people on board. This shortage of lifeboats led to the first-ever “International Convention for Safety of Life at Sea” in 1913. They made it a rule that every ship must have enough lifeboats for everyone on board.

Life of Titanic Survivors

After surviving the Titanic disaster, the survivors had to start a whole new part of their lives. But it wasn’t easy because the world they came back to had been greatly affected by the tragedy.

They also had to deal with the emotional and mental pain from what they had been through.

Conclusion

The Titanic survivors’ experience shows how strong people can be when faced with tough times. Their stories remind us that even when things seem impossible, we can still find a way to survive. Even though the Titanic sank more than a hundred years ago, the stories of the people who made it through that disaster still amaze and interest us today.

Titanic Survivors – FAQs

What happened to the survivors after the Titanic sank?

After the Titanic sank, survivors were rescued by the RMS Carpathia and brought to New York for medical care. They faced the emotional toll of losing loved ones, participated in investigations, and some pursued legal action. The sinking left a lasting impact on their lives, with many becoming advocates for maritime safety and contributing to the Titanic’s legacy through their stories and memorials.

What happened to the people left on the Titanic?

Unfortunately, the people who couldn’t get on lifeboats when the Titanic sank did not make it. The ship didn’t have enough lifeboats for everyone, so over 1,500-plus people lost their lives in the cold ocean. It was a very sad and tragic event for those who couldn’t get to safety.

Were bodies recovered from Titanic?

Yes, they found some of the people who died on the Titanic in the ocean. After the ship sank, they looked for bodies and brought them back. They couldn’t find everyone, and some couldn’t be identified. They buried the bodies they found in different places, and some were given to their families. This sad event led to new rules to make ships safer in the future.