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Rare Historical Photos of the Survivors and Aftermath of the Titanic Tragedy

The R.M.S Titanic was a symbol of human’s industrial achievements. Unfortunately, it sank on its maiden journey along with fifteen hundred passengers. People heard lofty stories about the most luxurious ship, its comfortable voyage, and above all the ‘unsinkable lifeboat’, and then it went down to the bottom in its first journey.

The construction of Titanic was started on March 31, 1909, by Messrs. Harland and Wolf at their shipbuilding works at Queens’ Island in Belfast, side by side with her sister ship the Olympic. The construction was completed after two years and after passing its trails Titanic arrived at Southampton on April 5 and sailed the following Wednesday.
On April 10, 1912, the Titanic made its maiden voyage to New York City with 2,208 passengers and crew. The journey was never completed and it collided with an iceberg on Sunday at 11:45 PM and sank two hours and a half later. A total of 1,503 people died including 815 passengers and 688 crew members and 705 were rescued.

When the Titanic was struck by an iceberg, the fight for rescue boats was started because they were only 20 boats for 2,208 passengers. These boats were launched below capacity, the first lifeboat to leave Titanic had the capacity for 65 people, but held only 25 when it launched. After the ship sank people returned to search for the survivors, but most of them were frozen to death in the icy waters and some of them were rescued.

The survivors were rescued by Carpathia at around 4:00 am, on 15 April. When the Carpathia arrived at Pier 54 in New York, some 40,000 people were standing on the wharves, alerted to the disaster by a stream of radio messages from Carpathia and other ships. People gathered outside the White Star offices in Southampton for news of their loved ones. Belfast, churches were packed, and shipyard workers wept in the streets. The heaviest losses were in Southampton, homeport to 699 crew members and also home to many of the passengers.

Here below are some historical photos that show the aftermath and the survivors of the Titanic.

#1 A sketch of the sinking drawn by John B. Thayer while he was on a capsized lifeboat, and filled in by P.L. Skidmore aboard the Carpathia.

#2 Survivors are greeted by relatives upon their return to Southampton.

#3 A nurse holds newborn Lucien P. Smith, Jr. His mother Eloise was pregnant with him while returning from her honeymoon aboard the Titanic. Lucien’s father died in the disaster.

A nurse holds newborn Lucien P. Smith, Jr. His mother Eloise was pregnant with him while returning from her honeymoon aboard the Titanic. Lucien’s father died in the disaster.

Eloise later married a fellow survivor, Robert P. Daniel

#8 Survivors huddle for warmth on the deck of the Carparthia.

#9 People wait for news outside the offices of the White Star Line in New York.

#10 The Titanic’s lifeboats are returned to the berth of the White Star Line in New York.

#11 Crowds stand in the rain awaiting the arrival of the Carpathia in New York.

#12 Crowds await the arrival of the Carpathia in New York.

#13 The lifeboats sit in their davits on the Titanic soon before the ship set off, April 1912.

#14 A rescue boat full of survivors makes its way trough the water following the Titanic sinking. April 15, 1912.

#15 J. Hanson, seated right, district secretary of the National Sailors and Firemen’s Union, awards shipwreck pay to survivors.

#16 Relatives wait on a railway platform as survivors of the Titanic arrive at Southampton.

#18 Relatives wait for the surviving crew to come ashore at Southampton.

#21 A surviving crew member kisses his wife upon arriving at Plymouth.

#22 Surviving stewards line up outside a first-class waiting room before being called in for questioning by a board of inquiry.

#25 The four Pascoe brothers, crew who survived the sinking, return to Southampton.

#26 Michel, 4 and Edmond Navratil, 2. To board the ship, their father assumed the name Louis Hoffman and used their nicknames, Lolo and Mamon.

#27 Edmond and Michel Navratil are reunited with their mother.

#28 Wireless operator Harold Thomas Coffin is questioned by a Senate committee at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York.

#29 A newspaper boy sells copies of the Evening News telling of the Titanic sinking outside the off ice of the White Star Line

#30 Crowds wait outside the White Star Line office in order to hear the latest news on the disaster. New York. Circa April 15-18, 1912.

#31 The Navratil brothers, one seated with a toy boat similar to the Titanic, arrive in port (presumably New York) aboard a rescue ship. April 18, 1912.

#32 A crowd awaits the return of survivors of the Titanic sinking in Southampton, England, April 1912.

#33 Survivors of the Titanic sinking sit at Millbay Docks in Plymouth, England upon their return home, May 1912.

#34 US Senate inquiry into the RMS Titanic sinking, 1912. The hearings took place in New York and Washington between April 19 and May 25.

#35 Surviving crew of the Titanic.

Surviving crew of the Titanic.

From left to right, first row: Ernest Archer, Frederick Fleet, Walter Perkins, George Symons, and Frederick Clench. Second row: Arthur Bright, George Hogg, John Moore, Frank Osman, and Henry Etches.

#36 A crowd in Devonport gathers to hear a survivor tell his story.

#37 The Titanic sits near the dock at Belfast, Northern Ireland soon before starting its maiden voyage. Circa April 1912.

#38 The oldest and youngest Titanic survivors with William MacQuitty.

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Written by Benjamin Grayson

Former Bouquet seller now making a go with blogging and graphic designing. I love creating & composing history articles and lists.

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