🚢 Titanic’s Lifeboat 14 – The Only Lifeboat to Return for Survivors

Fifth Officer Lowe Towing Canvas Collapsible Lifeboat Towards the Carpathia. The Truth About the Titanic (1913) p. 158-a. GGA Image iD # 1071d50494

🚢 Titanic’s Lifeboat 14 – The Only Lifeboat to Return for Survivors

🔍 Overview: A Lifeboat That Defied the Odds

Lifeboat 14 stands out as the only standard lifeboat to return to the wreck site after the Titanic’s final plunge, a decision made by Fifth Officer Harold Lowe. Launched at 1:25 AM, this lifeboat was under the command of one of Titanic’s bravest officers, who showed unparalleled leadership and decisiveness.

📌 Why is Lifeboat 14 historically significant?

✔ One of the few lifeboats filled to a high capacity (66%).

✔ The only lifeboat to return to the sinking site in search of survivors.

✔ Officer Lowe had to fire his revolver to prevent the boat from being swamped.

✔ Survivors included Eva Hart, whose detailed account became one of the most famous Titanic testimonies.

✔ Photographed towing Collapsible D to the Carpathia, showing the extent of Titanic’s lifeboat mismanagement.

📌 For teachers, students, genealogists, and historians, Lifeboat 14 provides an extraordinary case study of leadership, survival, and the harrowing choices faced during one of history’s greatest maritime disasters.

Facts About Lifeboat 14 (LB-14)

Lifeboat 14, the 9th one launched at 1:25 am, located on the boat deck, port side, with 43 occupants comprised of 5 First Class, 24 Second Class, 5 Third Class, 1 Deck Officer, and 8 Crew Members (24 Women and 19 Men). Capacity for the lifeboat was 65 (66% of Capacity).

Interesting Discoveries About Lifeboat 14

• Before he boarded Lifeboat 14, Lowe had worked with First Officer William Murdoch to load Lifeboats 1, 3, 5, and 7.
• Lifeboat 14 was crammed tightly with 60 women and children.
• Photograph taken on the moming of April 15 of Titanic lifeboat 14 towing collapsible "D" to the Carpathia. Standing at the tiller of Number 14 is Fifth Officer Lowe.
• There were 58 women and children in Lifeboat 14 with Madge and Charlotte, including Eva Hart and her mother, and an eight-man crew with Officer Lowe in charge.
• Only lifeboat #14, under the command of Fifth Officer Lowe, actually returned to the area the Titanic sank and he waited about an hour.
• In Lifeboat 14, Fifth Officer Lowe had to fire his revolver along the side of the Titanic to stop any more getting in and swamping his packed vessel. At about 2.0 a.m., the ship tilted dramatically.

First Class Passengers - LB-14

1. Mrs. Mary Eliza Compton (née Ingersoll) (64)  Lakewood, New Jersey, US
2. Miss Sara Rebecca Compton (39)  Lakewood, New Jersey, US
3. Mr. William Fisher Hoyt (42)  New York, New York, US
4. Mrs. Lillian E. Minahan (née Thorpe) (37)  Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, US
5. Miss Daisy E. Minahan (33)  Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, US

Second Class Passengers - LB-14

1. Mrs. Elizabeth Catherine Brown (née Ford) (40)  Cape Town, South Africa, UK
2. Miss Edith Eileen Brown (15)  Cape Town, South Africa, UK
3. Miss Clear Annie Cameron (35)  London, England, UK
4. Mrs. Ada Maria Clarke (28)  Netley Abbey, Hampshire, England
5. Mrs. Charlotte Annie (née Tate) Collyer (31)  Bishopstoke, Hampshire, England
6. Miss Marjorie Charlotte "Lottie" Collyer (8)  Bishopstoke, Hampshire, England
7. Mrs. Selena Cook (née Rogers) (22)  Oxford, Oxfordshire, England
8. Mrs. Elizabeth Agnes Mary Davies (née White) (48)  St. Ives, Cornwall, England
9. Master John MorganDavies Jr. (8)  St. Ives, Cornwall, England, UK
10. Mrs. Esther Ada Hart (née Bloomfield) (48)  Ilford, Essex, England
11. Miss Eva Miriam Hart (7)  Ilford, Essex, England
12. Mrs. Juliette Marie Louise Laroche (née Lafargue) (22)  Paris, France
13. Miss Simoné Marie Anne Andrée Laroche (3)  Paris, France
14. Miss Louise Marguerite Laroche (1)  Paris, France
15. Mrs. Amelia "Milley" Lemore (née Hunt) (34)  Chicago, Illinois, US
16. Mrs. Alice Adelaide Louch (née Slow) (42)  Weston-super-Mare, North Somerset, England
17. Mrs. Elizabeth Anne Mellinger (née Maidment) (41)  Wimbledon, London, England
18. Miss Madeleine Violet Mellinger (13)  Wimbledon, London, England
19. Mr. Emilio Ilario Giuseppe Portaluppi (34)  Milford, New Hampshire, US
20. Miss Ellen "Nellie" Wallcroft (36)  Maidenhead, Berkshire, England
21. Mrs. Addie Dart Wells (née Trevaskis) (29)  Heamoor, Cornwall, England
22. Miss Joan Wells (4)  Heamoor, Cornwall, England
23. Master Ralph Lester Wells (2)  Heamoor, Cornwall, England
24. Mr. Charles Eugene Williams (23)  Harrow, London, England

Third Class Passengers - LB-14

1. Mr. Fang Lang (26)  New York City
2. Mrs. Beila Moor (29)  Chicago, Illinois, US
3. Master Meier Moor (7)  Chicago, Illinois, US
4. Mr. Edward Ryan (24)  Troy, New York, US
5. Mrs. Thamini Khoury Fa'ud "Thelma" Tannous (16)  Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania, US

Officers - LB-14

1. Sub-Lieutenant Harold Godfrey Lowe, RNR (29) Fifth Officer

Deck Crew - LB-14

1. Mr. William Harder (39)  Window Cleaner
2. Mr. Joseph George Scarrott (33)  Able Seaman

Engineering Crew - LB-14

1. Mr. Frederick Harris (34)  Fireman/Stoker
2. Mr. Thomas Threlfall (38)  Leading Fireman

Victualling Crew - LB-14

1. Mr. George Frederick Crowe (30)  Saloon Steward
2. Mr. Frank Herbert Morris (28)  Bathroom Steward
3. Mr. Harold Charles William Phillimore (23)  Saloon Steward
4. Mr. Alfred Pugh (20)  Steward

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.

📌 Officer Lowe – The Only Officer to Go Back for Survivors

📌 As Titanic sank, most lifeboats rowed away, fearing suction. Officer Lowe, however, made a historic decision to return.

📜 Why This Story Matters:

✔ Lowe transferred passengers between lifeboats to make space for potential survivors.

✔ He waited until the water calmed before rowing back to search for people in the freezing ocean.

✔ He and his crew only found four men still alive, including one clinging to a wooden door.

✔ His decision remains one of the most debated acts of the night—should more lifeboats have followed his lead?

🚢 A rare moment of courage in an otherwise tragic night.

📌 The Night Eva Hart Never Forgot

📌 Seven-year-old Eva Hart was one of Lifeboat 14’s most well-known survivors.

📜 Why This Story Matters:

✔ She vividly described hearing the screams of the dying and later spoke against the White Star Line’s failure to provide enough lifeboats.

✔ Eva's survival and later activism made her one of Titanic’s most famous voices.

✔ Her mother, Esther Hart, was one of the lucky women who made it into a lifeboat before the final plunge.

🚢 Eva’s testimony remains one of the most heart-wrenching accounts of Titanic’s sinking.

📌 Fifth Officer Lowe Fires His Revolver to Prevent Overcrowding

📌 As desperate passengers tried to board Lifeboat 14, Lowe fired shots in the air to restore order.

📜 Why This Story Matters:

✔ Lifeboat 14 was already near capacity and risked capsizing.

✔ Lowe had to make an impossible decision: protect the people already aboard or risk sinking everyone.

✔ His leadership ensured Lifeboat 14 remained functional and could return for survivors.

🚢 A dramatic moment that underscores the chaos of Titanic’s final minutes.

📌 Towing Collapsible D to Safety

📌 Photographs show Lifeboat 14 towing Collapsible D towards the Carpathia.

📜 Why This Story Matters:

✔ Collapsible D was an emergency boat and was barely seaworthy.

✔ The image of Lifeboat 14 pulling another vessel shows Lowe’s determination to save as many as possible.

✔ One of the few photographic records of Titanic’s lifeboats at sea.
🚢 A haunting image of survival amid devastation.

📚 Relevance for Different Audiences

📌 🧑‍🏫 For Teachers & Students:

✔ A study in crisis leadership and decision-making under extreme conditions.

✔ First-hand survivor accounts, such as Eva Hart’s, make history personal.

✔ Highlights the importance of safety regulations in maritime history.

📌 📖 For Historians & Maritime Researchers:

✔ Lifeboat 14’s return challenges the common narrative that rescue was impossible.

✔ Officer Lowe’s leadership sets him apart from other officers that night.

✔ Visual documentation of the boat adds credibility to survivor testimonies.

📌 🧬 For Genealogists & Family Historians:

✔ Survivor lists help families trace ancestors who escaped on Lifeboat 14.

✔ Includes notable passengers such as Eva Hart and the Laroche family.

✔ Provides insight into the experiences of second-class and third-class survivors.

🌟 Final Thoughts: The Lifeboat That Refused to Abandon Hope

📌 Lifeboat 14’s story is one of courage, calculated risk, and humanity in the face of tragedy.

✔ Officer Lowe was the only officer to organize a rescue effort after Titanic sank.

✔ He risked capsizing his lifeboat by taking on additional survivors.

✔ His actions contrast sharply with other lifeboats that rowed away without looking back.

✔ Survivor Eva Hart’s chilling memories make this one of Titanic’s most haunting stories.

🚢 Lifeboat 14 is a powerful symbol of leadership and bravery in one of history’s greatest maritime disasters.