🚢 Titanic’s Lifeboat 13 – The Lifeboat That Nearly Got Crushed in a Last-Second Escape

📌 Discover the incredible escape of Titanic’s Lifeboat 13, which was nearly crushed under Lifeboat 15. Learn how 12-year-old Ruth Becker survived alone, how steerage passengers snuck aboard in defiance of orders, and how an untrained crew managed to row to safety.

Ruth Elizabeth Becker, a 12-Year-Old Second Class Passenger On Board the Titanic and a Survivor in Lifeboat 13 (1912). GGA Image ID # 10dc78b55f

🚢 Review & Summary: Titanic’s Lifeboat 13 – A Narrow Escape & a Moment of Terror

🔍 Overview: A Lifeboat Nearly Crushed at Sea

Lifeboat 13 was the 13th lifeboat launched from Titanic’s starboard side at 1:40 AM with a near-full capacity of 64 occupants. Unlike earlier lifeboats, which left the ship half-empty, Lifeboat 13 was packed with a diverse mix of second-class, third-class, and crew members.

📌 Why is Lifeboat 13 historically significant?

✔ One of the last standard lifeboats launched before Titanic’s final plunge.

✔ Survivors narrowly avoided being crushed by Lifeboat 15, which was lowered directly above them.

✔ Carried notable survivors, including 12-year-old Ruth Elizabeth Becker, second-class teacher Lawrence Beesley, and financier Washington Dodge.

✔ Crewed mainly by stewards and cooks, many of whom had never rowed before.

✔ Arrived at Carpathia at 4:45 AM, ensuring all its passengers survived.

📌 For teachers, students, genealogists, and historians, Lifeboat 13 provides a dramatic case study in survival, near disaster, and the scramble for escape as Titanic was in its final moments.

Facts About Lifeboat 13 (LB-13)

Lifeboat 13, the 13th one launched at 1:40 am, located on the boat deck, starboard side, with 64 occupants comprised of 1 First Class, 12 Second Class, 29 Third Class and 22 Crew Members (27 Women and 37 Men). Capacity for the lifeboat was 65 (98% of Capacity).

Interesting Discoveries About Lifeboat 13

• Saved in "lucky" lifeboat 13, Beesley and his fellow occupants endured a moment of terror when it seemed lifeboat 15 would fall on top of them as it was lowered from the Titanic.
• As the Titanic foundered, Dr. Washington Dodge, a millionaire financier and the City of San Francisco's assessor, saw his wife, Ruth, and son, Washington, safely into Lifeboat 7. He then managed to make it himself into Lifeboat 13.
• The occupants of Lifeboat 13 put Barrett in command. At 4:45 a.m. Barrett brought his boat and its occupants safely to the side of the rescue ship Carpathia.
• The crew of Lifeboat 13 was made up of cooks and stewards, the white jackets of the former showing up in the darkness as they pulled away, two to an oar. They had not done much rowing before, and their oars crossed and clashed often.
• Ellen Shine may have escaped in lifeboat 13, which was located as the second-last boat on the starboard side, towards the stern. Eugene Daly frankly confesses that he was a steerage passenger who climbed into a lifeboat in defiance of Orders.
• The Sandström's were in lifeboat 13, one of the last to leave the sinking ship and one of the few to be loaded to its full capacity. As soon as the lifeboat entered the water, the sailors began to row in order to get as far away as possible from the sinking Titanic.

First Class Passengers - LB-13

1. Dr. Washington Dodge, (52) San Francisco, California, US [LB-13]

Second Class Passengers - LB-13

1. Mr. Edward Beane, (32)  New York City [LB-13]
2. Mrs. Ethel Beane (née Clarke) (19)  Norwich, Norfolk, England [LB-13]
3. Miss Ruth Elizabeth Becker, (12)  Guntur, Madras Province, British India [LB-13]
4. Mr. Lawrence Beesley, (34)  London, England, UK [LB-13]
5. Mr. Albert Francis Caldwell, (26)  Bangkok, Siam[note 5] [LB-13]
6. Mrs. Sylvia Mae Caldwell (née Harbaugh) (28)  Bangkok, Siam [LB-13]
7. Master Alden Gates Caldwell, (10 mo.)  Bangkok, Siam [LB-13]
8. Miss Mary Davis, (28)  London, England, UK [LB-13]
9. Mrs. Mary Dunbar Hewlett (née Kingcome) (56)  Lucknow, British India, UK[note 3] [LB-13]
10. Mr. Percy Thomas Oxenham, (22)  London, England [LB-13]
11. Miss Lucy Ridsdale, (50)  London, England [LB-13]
12. Miss Hilda Mary Slayter, (30)  Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada [LB-13]

Third Class Passengers - LB-13

1. Mrs. Leah Aks (née Rosen) (18)  Norfolk, Virginia, US [LB-13]
2. Mr. Johan Charles Asplund, (23)  Minneapolis, Minnesota, US [LB-13]
3. Miss Bridget Delia Bradley, (22)  Glen Falls, New York, US [LB-13]
4. Mr. Daniel Buckley, (21)  New York City [LB-13]
5. Miss Katherine "Kate" Connolly, (22)  New York City [LB-13]
6. Mrs. Anna de Messemaeker (née de Becker) (36)  Tampico, Montana, US [LB-13]
7. Miss Elizabeth Dowdell, (31)  New York City [LB-13]
8. Miss Jennie Dropkin, (24)  New York City [LB-13]
9. Miss Virginia Ethel Emanuel, (6)  New York City [LB-13]
10. Miss Mary Agatha Glynn, (19)  Washington, DC, US [LB-13]
11. Mr. Bernt Johannes Johannesen, (29)  New York City [LB-13]
12. Mr. Einar Gervasius Karlsson, (21)  Brooklyn, New York, US [LB-13]
13. Miss Aurora Adelia Landergren, (22)  New York City [LB-13]
14. Mr. Fridtjof Arne Madsen, (24)  Brooklyn, New York, US [LB-13]
15. Miss Bridget Delia McDermott, (31)  Chicago, Illinois, US [LB-13]
16. Miss Mary McGovern, (22)  New York City [LB-13]
17. Miss Anna F. "Annie" McGowan, (16)  Chicago, Illinois, US [LB-13]
18. Miss Helmina Josefina Nilsson, (26)  Joliet, Illinois, US [LB-13]
19. Miss Anna Sofia Nysten, (22)  Hackensack, New Jersey, US [LB-13]
20. Miss Hanora "Nora" O'Leary, (16)  New York City [LB-13]
21. Master Arthur Carl Olsen, (9)  Brooklyn, New York, US [LB-13]
22. Miss Hannah Riordan, (18)  New York City [LB-13]
23. Mrs. Agnes Charlotta Sandström (née Bengtsson) (24)  San Francisco, US [LB-13]
24. Miss Marguerite Rut Sandström, (4)  San Francisco, US [LB-13]
25. Miss Beatrice Irene Sandström, (1)  San Francisco, US [LB-13]
26. Miss Julia Smyth, (17)  New York City [LB-13]
27. Mr. Johan Cervin Svensson, (14)  Beresford, South Dakota, US [LB-13]
28. Mr. Gunnar Isidor Tenglin, (25)  Burlington, Iowa, US [LB-13]
29. Mr. Dawud Vartanian, (22)  Brantford, Ontario, Canada [LB-13]

Deck Crew - LB-13

1. Mr. Robert John Hopkins, (40)  Able Seaman [LB-13]
2. Mr. Reginald Robinson Lee, (41)  Lookout [LB-13]
3. Mr. Philip Francis Vigott, (32)  Able Seaman [LB-13]

Engineering Crew - LB-13

1. Mr. Frederick Barrett, (28)  Leading Fireman [LB-13]
2. Mr. George William Beauchamp, (24)  Fireman/Stoker [LB-13]
3. Mr. James Crimmins, (21)  Fireman/Stoker [LB-13]
4. Mr. Albert Ernest Fryer, (26)  Trimmer [LB-13]
5. Mr. William Major, (32)  Fireman/Stoker [LB-13]

Victualling Crew - LB-13

1. Mr. Percy Ball, (19)  First Class Plate Steward [LB-13]
2. Mr. Alfred Burrage, (20)  Plate Steward [LB-13]
3. Mr. E. Joseph Colgan, (33)  Scullion [LB-13]
4. Mr. William C. Foley, (26)  Steward [LB-13]
5. Mr. George Knight, (44)  Saloon Steward [LB-13]
6. Mr. Alexander James Littlejohn, (40)  Saloon Steward [LB-13]
7. Mr. F. Martin, (29)  Scullion [LB-13]
8. Mr. Henry Neal, (25)  Baker [LB-13]
9. Mr. Frank Port, (32)  Steward [LB-13]
10. Mr. Frederick Dent Ray, (32)  Saloon Steward [LB-13]
11. Mr. Horace Leopold Ross, (36)  Scullion [LB-13]
12. Mr. Alfred E. Wildebank, (39)  Asst. Cook [LB-13]
13. Mr. Walter J. Williams, (28)  Second Class Saloon Steward [LB-13]
14. Mr. William Wright, (40)  Glory Hole Steward [LB-13]

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.

📌 Titanic’s Lifeboat 13 – A Close Call with Lifeboat 15

📌 As Lifeboat 13 reached the water, the much heavier Lifeboat 15 was being lowered directly above it.

📜 Why This Story Matters:

✔ The passengers of Lifeboat 13 screamed in terror, realizing they might be crushed.

✔ Crew members frantically cut the ropes to free the boat from the Titanic’s side.

✔ Just in time, they managed to push the boat away as Lifeboat 15 splashed into the water beside them.

✔ This near-disaster highlights how rushed and chaotic the evacuation became.

🚢 A last-second escape that could have ended in catastrophe!

📌 12-Year-Old Ruth Elizabeth Becker’s Harrowing Escape

📌 Ruth Becker, a second-class passenger, was separated from her family and had to flee in Lifeboat 13 alone.

📜 Why This Story Matters:

✔ Her story highlights how the disaster tore families apart.

✔ Ruth’s mother and siblings were forced into another lifeboat.

✔ Ruth survived alone and later became a teacher, living to tell her tale.

🚢 Her experience remains one of the most touching accounts of young survivors.

📌 A Boat Filled to Capacity – And Full of Crew

📌 Unlike many lifeboats, Lifeboat 13 was packed with 64 people, nearly at its limit.

📜 Why This Story Matters:

✔ Many of its rowers were stewards and cooks who had little experience handling oars.

✔ Passengers had to adjust their seating to balance the weight.

✔ The lack of trained seamen made navigating in the dark even more difficult.

🚢 A rare Titanic lifeboat that was actually filled close to its maximum limit.

📌 Steerage Passengers Defying Orders to Escape

📌 Some third-class passengers, including Eugene Daly, openly admitted sneaking onto Lifeboat 13.

📜 Why This Story Matters:

✔ Many steerage passengers were held back and struggled to get on lifeboats.

✔ Some, like Daly, knew they would die if they didn’t take matters into their own hands.

✔ His account gives insight into the desperation of Titanic’s poorest passengers.

🚢 A story of survival and defiance amid a class-divided disaster.

📌 A Crew of Untrained Rowers – And A Fireman in Charge

📌 Fireman Frederick Barrett was put in command, despite being a stoker, not a sailor.
📜 Why This Story Matters:

✔ Barrett had no formal training in handling lifeboats but had to take charge.

✔ The boat's crew, mostly cooks and stewards, struggled with the oars.

✔ Despite inexperience, they made it safely to Carpathia.

🚢 Titanic’s disaster forced people into unexpected roles—and they rose to the challenge.

📚 Relevance for Different Audiences

📌 🧑‍🏫 For Teachers & Students:

✔ Examines disaster response under extreme conditions.

✔ Focuses on real survivor stories, like that of Ruth Becker.

✔ Highlights the class divisions aboard Titanic.

📌 📖 For Historians & Maritime Researchers:

✔ Shows how lifeboats were mismanaged, proving Titanic could have saved more lives.

✔ One of the few lifeboats nearly filled to capacity.

✔ Provides insight into last-minute escapes.

📌 🧬 For Genealogists & Family Historians:

✔ Features third-class survivors who built new lives in America.

✔ Contains key records for anyone tracing Titanic ancestry.

✔ Highlights the survival of multiple family groups.

🌟 Final Thoughts: A Lifeboat That Beat the Odds

📌 Lifeboat 13’s story is one of close calls, desperate escapes, and unlikely heroes.

✔ It was nearly crushed under another lifeboat upon launching.

✔ It carried a mix of second-class, third-class, and crew members—one of the most diverse groups of survivors.

✔ Despite untrained rowers, it made it safely to Carpathia.

✔ It was the final escape for people like Ruth Becker and Eugene Daly.

🚢 A lifeboat that encapsulates the chaos, tragedy, and triumph of Titanic’s final hours.