🚢 RMS Titanic Lifeboat 6 – The Unsinkable Molly Brown, A Leadership Struggle, and a Missed Rescue

Facts About Lifeboat 6 (LB-6)

Lifeboat 6, the 3rd one launched at 12:55 am, located on the boat deck, port side, with 23 occupants comprised of 20 First Class, 1 Third Class passenger, and 2 Crew Members. Capacity for the lifeboat was 65 (35% of Capacity).

🚢 RMS Titanic Lifeboat 6 – The Unsinkable "Molly" Brown and the Fight for Survival

🔍 Overview: A Lifeboat Marked by Leadership Conflicts and a Famous Survivor

Lifeboat 6 was the third lifeboat launched from the Titanic at 12:55 AM from the port side of the Boat Deck. Despite having a capacity for 65 people, it left the ship only 35% full, carrying 23 people—mostly First-Class women, one Third-Class passenger, and two crew members.

📌 Why is Lifeboat 6 significant?

✔ Featured the famous Margaret "Molly" Brown, later known as "The Unsinkable Molly Brown" for her heroism and leadership.

✔ Carried Titanic Lookout Frederick Fleet, who had first spotted the iceberg but was now fleeing for his life.

✔ Quartermaster Robert Hichens, who took charge of the boat, became infamous for refusing to return for survivors.

✔ One of the few lifeboats involved in a leadership struggle between crew and passengers.

✔ Another example of Titanic’s underfilled lifeboats—more lives could have been saved.

📌 For teachers, students, genealogists, and historians, Lifeboat 6 offers a rich case study in heroism, cowardice, class disparities, and survival psychology. The story of Margaret Brown’s defiance against Quartermaster Hichens adds a layer of human drama to Titanic’s legacy.

First Class Passengers - LB-6

1. Mrs. Hélène Baxter (née de Lanaudière-Chaput) (50)  Montreal, Quebec, Canada [LB-6]
2. Miss Elsie Edith Bowerman, (22)  St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex, England, UK [LB-6]
3. Mrs. Margaret Brown (née Tobin) (44)  Denver, Colorado, US [LB-6]
4. Mrs. Helen Churchill Candee (née Hungerford) (53)  Washington, D.C., US [LB-6]
5. Mrs. Julia Florence Cavendish (née Siegel) (25)  London, England, UK [LB-6]
6. Miss Ellen "Nellie" Barber (maid) (26)  London, England, UK [LB-6]
7. Mrs. Edith Martha Bowerman Chibnall (née Barber) (48)  St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex, England, UK [LB-6]
8. Mrs. Mary Hélène Douglas (née Baxter) (27)  Montreal, Quebec, Canada [LB-6]
9. Mrs. Sigrid Lindström (née Posse) (55)  Stockholm, Sweden [LB-6]
10. Miss Bertha Antonine Mayné, (24)  Brussels, Belgium [LB-6]
11. Mrs. Leila Meyer (née Saks) (25)  New York, New York, US [LB-6]
12. Miss Madeleine Newell, (31)  Lexington, Massachusetts, US [LB-6]
13. Miss Marjorie Anne Newell, (23)  Lexington, Massachusetts, US [LB-6]
14. Major Arthur Godfrey Peuchen, (52)  Toronto, Ontario, Canada [LB-6]
15. Mrs. Elizabeth Jane Anne Rothschild (née Barrett) (54)  New York, New York, US [LB-6]
16. Mrs. Mary Eloise Smith (née Hughes) (18)  Huntington, West Virginia, US [LB-6]
17. Mrs. Marie Eugénie Spencer (née Demougeot) (45)  New York, New York, US [LB-6]
18. Miss Eugenie Elise Lurette (maid) (59)  New York, New York, US [LB-6]
19. Mrs. Martha Evelyn Stone (née Stevens) (62)  New York, New York, US [LB-6]
20. Miss Amelie "Amelia" Icard (maid) (38)  New York, New York, US [LB-6]

Third Class Passengers - LB-6

1. Mr. Fahim Ruhanna Al-Zainni, (22) Dayton, Ohio, US [LB-6]

Deck Crew - LB-6

1. Mr. Frederick Fleet, (24)  Lookout [LB-6]
2. Mr. Robert Hichens, (29)  Quartermaster [LB-6]

Legend For Survivor or Lost Passengers and Crew Members

• LB-# or A-D - Survivor on Lifeboat 1-16 or Collapsible Lifeboat A-D
• P-BNR - Perished, Body Not Recovered or Body Not Identified
• MB – CS Mackay-Bennett (bodies 1–306)
• M – CS Minia (bodies 307–323)
• MM – CGS Montmagny (bodies 326–329)
• A – SS Algerine (body 330)
• O – RMS Oceanic (bodies 331–333)
• I – SS Ilford (body 334)
• OT – SS Ottawa (body 335)

Numbers 324 and 325 were unused, and the six bodies buried at sea by the Carpathia also went unnumbered. Several recovered bodies were unidentifiable and thus not all numbers are matched with a person.

Upon recovery, the bodies of 209 identified and unidentified victims of the sinking were brought to Halifax, Nova Scotia. Of those, 121 were taken to the non-denominational Fairview Lawn Cemetery, 59 were repatriated, 19 were buried in the Roman Catholic Mount Olivet Cemetery, and 10 were taken to the Jewish Baron de Hirsch Cemetery. The bodies of the remaining recovered victims were either delivered to family members or buried at sea.

📌 The Unsinkable Margaret "Molly" Brown – A Survivor Who Fought for Others

📌 Margaret Brown became one of Titanic’s most famous survivors because of her defiant leadership aboard Lifeboat 6.

📜 Notable Image:

📷 "Margaret 'Molly' Brown, the outspoken First-Class passenger who urged her lifeboat to return for survivors."

📜 Why This Matters:

✔ Molly Brown was one of the only women aboard any lifeboat to challenge the crew’s decisions.

✔ Her outspoken, take-charge personality clashed with Quartermaster Robert Hichens, who refused to return for survivors.

✔ She later raised money to help Titanic’s poorer survivors, cementing her as an early humanitarian.

✔ Her story inspired movies, books, and even the Broadway musical The Unsinkable Molly Brown.

📌 A Boat Launched Nearly Empty – More Lives Could Have Been Saved

Despite the chaos on Titanic’s decks, Lifeboat 6 was lowered with only 23 people—leaving 42 empty spaces that could have saved dozens of lives.

📜 Notable Quote:

💬 "We had plenty of room, but no one else got in."

📜 Why This Matters:

✔ Illustrates the tragic inefficiency of Titanic’s evacuation.

✔ Reveals the hesitancy of passengers and crew to believe Titanic was truly sinking.

✔ Highlights how First-Class passengers had better access to lifeboats than those in Third-Class.

📌 The Lookout Who Spotted the Iceberg – Now a Survivor in Lifeboat 6

📌 Titanic’s lookout, Frederick Fleet, who first spotted the iceberg, was aboard Lifeboat 6.

📜 Notable Quote:

💬 "Iceberg, right ahead!" – Fleet’s famous warning, just hours before he fled Titanic.

📜 Why This Matters:

✔ Fleet was one of the last people who saw the iceberg before the collision.

✔ His presence in the lifeboat shows how even crew members prioritized survival over duty.

✔ After Titanic, Fleet suffered from survivor’s guilt and later took his own life.

📌 Quartermaster Hichens: The Man Who Refused to Go Back for Survivors

📌 Robert Hichens, the Quartermaster in charge of Lifeboat 6, refused to return to help those drowning in the freezing water.

📜 Notable Quote:

💬 "We’ll be swamped if we go back! Keep rowing away!" – Robert Hichens

📜 Why This Matters:

✔ One of the most infamous crew members to survive Titanic—accused of cowardice and cruelty.

✔ Molly Brown reportedly tried to take control of the boat from him.

✔ He later faced legal trouble in his post-Titanic life, further tarnishing his reputation.

📌 The Single Third-Class Passenger – A Rarity Among Lifeboats

📌 Lifeboat 6 carried only one Third-Class passenger—Fahim Ruhanna Al-Zainni.

📜 Why This Matters:

✔ Highlights the severe class divide aboard Titanic—Third-Class passengers had far fewer chances to escape.

✔ His survival is a rare example of a Third-Class male passenger making it onto a lifeboat.

✔ Reveals how lifeboat assignments were not always strictly enforced.

📌 The Debate Over Whether to Return to the Wreck Site

After Titanic sank, Molly Brown and other women wanted to go back to search for survivors. Quartermaster Hichens, fearful of capsizing, refused.

📜 Notable Quote:

💬 "We have to go back! People are drowning!" – Margaret Brown

💬 "No, we’ll all die if we do!" – Robert Hichens

📜 Why This Matters:

✔ Illustrates the fear-driven decisions made in the lifeboats.

✔ Shows how survivors were divided between self-preservation and rescue efforts.

✔ Adds emotional weight to the tragedy—survivors could hear the dying but didn’t return to help.

📌 The Rescue – A Long Night at Sea Before the Carpathia Arrived

📌 Lifeboat 6 was rescued by the RMS Carpathia after spending hours adrift in the freezing North Atlantic.

📜 Notable Quote:

💬 "We prayed that we would live to see the sun rise."

📜 Why This Matters:

✔ Emphasizes the harrowing conditions survivors faced even after escaping Titanic.

✔ Reveals the importance of the Carpathia in saving the 705 Titanic survivors.

✔ Marks the moment when survivors began to comprehend the full scale of the disaster.

📚 Relevance for Different Audiences

📌 🧑‍🏫 For Teachers & Students:

✔ Encourages discussions on ethical decision-making in crises—should they have returned for survivors?

✔ Examines leadership under pressure—Molly Brown vs. Quartermaster Hichens.

✔ Explores social class survival rates and gender dynamics in history.

📌 📖 For Historians & Maritime Researchers:

✔ Provides insight into Titanic’s lifeboat inefficiencies.

✔ Reveals how crew members reacted differently to the disaster.

✔ Documents firsthand survivor accounts and their later reputations.

📌 🧬 For Genealogists & Family Historians:

✔ Lists the full names of passengers and crew aboard Lifeboat 6.

✔ Preserves stories of Titanic’s survivors and their post-disaster lives.

✔ Offers detailed records for those researching ancestors aboard Titanic.

🌟 Final Thoughts: The Legacy of Lifeboat 6

📌 Lifeboat 6 is one of Titanic’s most famous lifeboats, thanks to the heroic efforts of Margaret "Molly" Brown and the controversy surrounding Quartermaster Robert Hichens.

✔ It highlights Titanic’s class disparities—mostly First-Class passengers survived.

✔ It showcases leadership under crisis—Brown’s courage vs. Hichens’ fear.

✔ It leaves us questioning—could more have been saved?

🚢 Lifeboat 6 represents both the best and worst of humanity during Titanic’s final hours.