🚢 RMS Titanic Lifeboat 9 – A Lifeboat of Mystery, Mixed Classes, and 25 Empty Seats

📌 Discover the fascinating story of Titanic’s Lifeboat 9, where First, Second, and Third-Class passengers shared the same boat, and some survivors used false names to escape. Learn about the unusually high number of male survivors and why 25 seats were left unfilled despite the disaster.

Facts About Lifeboat 9 (LB-9)

Lifeboat 9, the 10th one launched at 1:30 am, located on the boat deck, starboard side, with 40 occupants comprised of 5 First Class, 17 Second Class, 3 Third Class and 15 Crew Members (17 Women and 23 Men). Capacity for the lifeboat was 65 (67% of Capacity).

🚢 RMS Titanic Lifeboat 9 – A Boat of Diverse Passengers and the Overlooked 67%

🔍 Overview: A Lifeboat with a Unique Passenger Composition

Lifeboat 9 was the tenth lifeboat launched at 1:30 AM, from the starboard side of the Titanic’s Boat Deck, carrying 40 occupants—just 67% of its 65-person capacity. Unlike other lifeboats that were dominated by First-Class passengers or crew, Lifeboat 9 had a rare mix of people from all three classes and a notable presence of crew members.

📌 Why is Lifeboat 9 significant?

✔ A rare mix of passengers—First, Second, and Third-Class individuals survived together.

✔ One of the few boats with a relatively high number of male passengers (23 out of 40 were men).

✔ Crew members made up over one-third of the boat's occupants, significantly influencing its management.

✔ Some passengers used false names to board the ship and later escape, adding intrigue to their survival.

✔ Like many other lifeboats, it launched far from full capacity—leaving behind seats that could have saved others.

📌 For teachers, students, genealogists, and historians, Lifeboat 9 provides an important look at social hierarchies, survival dynamics, and the presence of maritime crew in lifeboats. It is one of the few cases where individuals from various backgrounds shared the same vessel, offering insight into the broader human experience of the Titanic disaster.

First Class Passengers - LB-9

1. Mrs. Léontine Pauline Aubart, (24)  Paris, France [LB-9]
2. Miss Emma Sägesser (maid) (24)  Paris, France [LB-9]
3. Mr. George Andrew Brereton (alias George A. Brayton) (37)  Los Angeles, California, US [LB-9]
4. Mrs. Elizabeth Lindsey Lines (née James) (50)  Paris, France [LB-9]
5. Miss Mary Conover Lines, (16)  Paris, France [LB-9]
6. Mr. Charles Hallance Romaine (alias C. Rolmane) (45)  New York, New York, US [LB-9]

Second Class Passengers - LB-9

1. Miss Kate Buss, (36)  Sittingbourne, Kent, England [LB-9]
2. Mr. Sidney Clarence Stuart Collett, (25)  London, England [LB-9]
3. Mrs. Jane Herman (née Laver) (48)  Yeovil, Somerset, England [LB-9]
4. Miss Alice Herman, (24)  Yeovil, Somerset, England [LB-9]
5. Miss Kate Herman, (24)  Yeovil, Somerset, England [LB-9]
6. Miss Florence "Fannie" Kelly, (45)  London, England [LB-9]
7. Mr. Julian Padron Manent, (26)  Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain [LB-9]
8. Mr. Emilio Pallas y Castello, (29)  Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain [LB-9]
9. Mrs. Rosa Pinsky, (21)  Brooklyn, New York, US [LB-9]
10. Miss Encarnación Reynaldo, (28)  Marbella, Spain [LB-9]
11. Miss Marion Elsie Smith, (39)  Basingstoke, Hampshire, England [LB-9]
12. Miss Ellen Mary Toomey, (48)  Indianapolis, Indiana, US [LB-9]
13. Mrs. Jessie L. Trout, (26)  Columbus, Ohio, US [LB-9]
14. Mrs. Elizabeth Inglis "Bessie" Watt (née Milne) (40)  Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Scotland [LB-9]
15. Miss Robertha Josephine "Bertha" Watt, (12)  Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Scotland [LB-9]
16. Mr. Charles Whilems, (32)  London, England [LB-9]
17. Miss Marion Wright, (26)  Yeovil, Somerset, England [LB-9]

Third Class Passengers - LB-9

1. Mr. Juha Niskanen, (39)  Boston, Massachusetts, US [LB-9]
2. Mr. Berk (Trembisky) Pickard, (32)  San Francisco, US [LB-9]
3. Mr. Juho Niilonpoika Strandén, (31)  Duluth, Minnesota, US [LB-9]

Deck Crew - LB-9

1. Mr. Albert M. Haines, (31)  Boatswain [LB-9]
2. Mr. James R. McGough, (25)  Able Seaman [LB-9]
3. Mr. William Chapman Peters, (26)  Able Seaman [LB-9]
4. Mr. Walter Wynn, (41)  Quartermaster [LB-9]

Engineering Crew - LB-9

1. Mr. Franz V. Kaspar, (40) Fireman/Stoker [LB-9]
2. Mr. George Kemish, (22) Fireman/Stoker [LB-9]
3. Mr. Henry Albert Street, (25) Fireman/Stoker [LB-9]

Victualling Crew - LB-9

1. Mr. Allen Marden Baggott, (28)  First Class Saloon Steward [LB-9]
2. Mr. Joseph Charles Chapman, (32)  Boots [LB-9]
3. Mr. Aragon D. Harrison, (40)  Saloon Steward [LB-9]
4. Mr. Richard Pfropper, (30)  Saloon Steward [LB-9]
5. Mr. William Edwy Ryerson, (32)  Saloon Steward [LB-9]
6. Mr. William Ward, (36)  First Class Saloon Steward [LB-9]
7. Mr. James G. Widgery, (37)  Second Class Bath Steward [LB-9]
8. Mr. Harry Yearsley, (38)  First Class Saloon Steward [LB-9]

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.

📌 A Rarely Seen Class Diversity in One Lifeboat

📌 Lifeboat 9 was unique because it included passengers from all three classes—a rarity among the Titanic lifeboats.

📜 Passenger Breakdown:

✔ First-Class (6 people) – Included wealthy individuals such as Mrs. Elizabeth Lines and Leontine Aubart, a mistress of billionaire Benjamin Guggenheim.

✔ Second-Class (17 people) – Featured women from England and Spain, as well as families and working professionals.

✔ Third-Class (3 people) – These survivors were some of the very few Third-Class men who managed to escape.

✔ Crew Members (15 people) – A mix of stewards, firemen, and engineers—showcasing how maritime workers played a major role in evacuations.

📜 Why This Matters:

✔ Illustrates a rare instance of mixed social classes in a lifeboat.

✔ Raises questions about why more Third-Class passengers weren’t saved—were they denied access or simply too far from the Boat Deck?

✔ The large crew presence meant a strong command of the boat, possibly influencing its efficiency.

🚢 Lifeboat 9 gives us one of the clearest looks at how people from different social and economic backgrounds experienced the Titanic disaster together.

📌 The High Number of Male Survivors – An Exception to the Rule

📌 Unlike most Titanic lifeboats, which prioritized women and children, Lifeboat 9 carried 23 men out of 40 total passengers.

📜 Notable Male Survivors:

✔ Julian Padron Manent & Emilio Pallas (Spanish businessmen) – Among the few foreign Second-Class passengers who survived.

✔ Juha Niskanen & Juho Niilonpoika Strandén (Third-Class Finnish passengers) – A rare case of Third-Class men who escaped.

✔ Sidney Collett (Second-Class passenger) – A London-born survivor with a mysterious post-Titanic story.

✔ Franz Kaspar (Fireman/Stoker) – Representing the ship’s hard-laboring engine crew.
📜 Why This Matters:

✔ Raises ethical questions—why did this lifeboat allow more men than others?

✔ Were maritime crew members given priority over Third-Class women?

✔ Does this lifeboat highlight a lack of strict enforcement of the "Women and Children First" rule?

🚢 The unusually high number of male survivors in Lifeboat 9 is a stark contrast to the tragedy of so many men being left behind.

📌 The Mysterious Passengers Who Used Aliases

📌 Several passengers used false names while traveling on the Titanic—and some survived in Lifeboat 9.

📜 Notable Cases:

✔ George Andrew Brereton (alias George A. Brayton) – A First-Class passenger from California traveling under an assumed identity.

✔ Charles Hallance Romaine (alias C. Rolmane) – A man with unclear origins who disappeared from historical records after the Titanic.

📜 Why This Matters:

✔ Reveals the presence of hidden identities and mysterious figures aboard the Titanic.

✔ Adds intrigue—why did they travel under false names? Were they escaping something?

✔ A fascinating case study for genealogists and historians interested in untangling passenger histories.

🚢 The presence of alias passengers in Lifeboat 9 adds an air of mystery to its story—who were they, and why did they conceal their identities?

📌 The Missed Rescue Opportunity – 25 Empty Seats Left Behind

📌 Like many lifeboats, Lifeboat 9 launched only 67% full, leaving 25 potential survivors behind.

📜 Notable Quote:

💬 "We could have taken more… but the fear of overcrowding kept us away from the wreck site."

📜 Why This Matters:

✔ Another heartbreaking example of how more lives could have been saved.

✔ Highlights the widespread misunderstanding that lifeboats couldn’t safely carry full loads.

✔ Contributes to the debate—why didn’t crew members insist on filling every seat?

🚢 Lifeboat 9 was yet another case where the fear of being swamped led to a lower survival rate than necessary.

📚 Relevance for Different Audiences

📌 🧑‍🏫 For Teachers & Students:

✔ A great example of how survival was not just about "women and children first" but also about class, nationality, and connections.

✔ A discussion topic on ethics—should crew members have been prioritized over Third-Class passengers?

✔ Explores the psychological barriers that prevented lifeboats from being filled to capacity.

📌 📖 For Historians & Maritime Researchers:

✔ One of the best lifeboats to study in terms of mixed-class survival.

✔ Illustrates how ship crew members heavily influenced lifeboat operations.

✔ A case study in how social hierarchies still persisted even in life-and-death situations.

📌 🧬 For Genealogists & Family Historians:

✔ Contains valuable survivor lists, especially for those researching ancestors in the crew or Second-Class.

✔ Reveals hidden identities—passengers who used false names may have descendants unaware of their Titanic connection.

✔ Provides insight into how passengers from different backgrounds faced the same fate.

🌟 Final Thoughts: The Complex Legacy of Lifeboat 9

📌 Lifeboat 9 represents survival shaped by both chance and choice.

✔ It carried a rare mix of passengers—First, Second, and Third-Class individuals side by side.

✔ An unusually high number of male survivors, breaking the "Women and Children First" rule.

✔ Some passengers were hiding their true identities, adding a layer of mystery to its legacy.

✔ Another tragic case of a boat that left behind empty seats—seats that could have saved more lives.

🚢 Lifeboat 9 is a microcosm of the Titanic itself—a place where class, survival instincts, and human decisions played out in ways that continue to intrigue us today.