🚢 Titanic’s Collapsible Lifeboat C – A Tale of Controversy, Courage, & Class Struggle

Some of the Titanic’s Lifeboats on the Deck of the Carpathia. Harper's Weekly (27 April 1912) p. 36a. GGA Image ID # 109dd0500d

📌 Collapsible Lifeboat C was among Titanic’s last to launch, carrying J. Bruce Ismay, terrified third-class families, and a tense standoff as First Officer Murdoch fired warning shots. Discover the gripping true story of one of Titanic’s most controversial lifeboats.

Facts About Lifeboat C (LB-C)

Collapsible Lifeboat C, the 17th one launched at 1:50 am, located on the officers' deck, starboard side, with 47 occupants comprised of 2 First Class, 39 Third Class, and 6 Crew Members (26 Women and 8 Men). Capacity for the lifeboat was 49 (96% of Capacity).

🚢 Review & Summary: The Controversial Escape of Titanic's Collapsible Lifeboat C

🔍 Overview: A Lifeboat Marked by Chaos & Controversy

Collapsible Lifeboat C holds a notorious place in Titanic’s history—not just because it was one of the last to launch, but because of the controversial escape of J. Bruce Ismay, Titanic's owner, and First Officer Murdoch’s dramatic use of a firearm to prevent a passenger riot.

📌 Why is Collapsible Lifeboat C historically significant?

✔ One of the last lifeboats launched—at 1:50 AM—just 30 minutes before Titanic disappeared.

✔ J. Bruce Ismay, the chairman of the White Star Line, left in this boat—sparking decades of controversy.

✔ First Officer Murdoch reportedly fired a pistol to stop a desperate rush for seats.

✔ Unlike most lifeboats, this one contained mostly third-class passengers.

✔ It was one of the few boats nearly filled to capacity.

📌 For teachers, students, genealogists, and historians, this lifeboat’s story highlights the immense class disparities aboard Titanic, the ethical dilemmas faced in crisis, and the moral outrage surrounding Ismay’s escape.

Interesting Discoveries About Collapsible Lifeboat C

• six-year-old Sarah Roth was one of the third-class women who had reached the Boat Deck and was allowed into the lifeboat.
• Collapsible Lifeboat C was launched with much difficulty at 02:00 and was one of the last lifeboats to leave the Titanic
• On the starboard side of the ship, purser Herbert McElroy took charge of loading Collapsible Boat C.
• Bruce Ismay leaves in collapsible boat C.
• Twenty-one women, two men, fourteen young children and six crew were given seats: fortythree passengers so far in a boat which allowed for a maximum of forty-seven.
• Chief Officer Wilde ordered Collapsible C to be lowered.
• only Lifeboat 11 and Collapsible C contained a majority of women and children.
• Collapsible boat C was already two-thirds full when a group of passengers tried to storm it.
• First Officer Murdoch fired his pistol to drive away a large crowd of men gathering round collapsible C
• Bruce Ismay arrived in Collapsible Boat 'C at 6.30am. and went straight to the ship's doctor's cabin and remained there.
• Englehardt collapsible boat "C"
• collapsible C, launched from all the way forward on the starboard side
• C was the last to be launched. Four crewmen and 45 passengers got in

First Class Passengers - LB-C

1. Mr. William Ernest Carter (36)  Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, US
2. Mr. Joseph Bruce Ismay (49)  Liverpool, Merseyside, England, UK

Third Class Passengers - LB-C

1. Mrs. Mary Sophie Halaut Abrahim (née Easu) (18)  Greensburg, Pennsylvania, US
2. Mrs. Mariyam Assaf (née Khalil) (45)  Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
3. Miss Bannurah Ayyub Dahir (15)  Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada
4. Miss Emily Louisa Badman (18)  Skaneateles, New York, US
5. Mrs. Mariyam Latifa (née Qurban) Baqlini (24)  Brooklyn, New York, US
6. Miss Mariya Katarin Baqlini (5)  Brooklyn, New York, US
7. Miss Eujini Baqlini (4)  Brooklyn, New York, US
8. Miss Hileni Barbarah Baqlini (9 mo.)  Brooklyn, New York, US
9. Mrs. Katarin Butrus-Youssef (née Rizk) (24)  Detroit, Michigan, US
10. Miss Marianna Butrus-Youssef (2)  Detroit, Michigan, US
11. Mr. Chip Chang (32)  New York City
12. Mr. Foo Cheong (32)  New York City
13. Miss Margaret Delia Devaney (19)  New York City
14. Mrs. Emily Alice Goldsmith (née Brown) (31)  Detroit, Michigan, US
15. Master Frank John William Goldsmith (9)  Detroit, Michigan, US
16. Miss Hilda Maria Hellström (22)  Evanston, Illinois, US
17. Miss May Elizabeth Howard (27)  Albion, Michigan, US
18. Mr. Solomon Abraham Hyman (34)  Springfield, Massachusetts, US
19. Mrs. Shaniini Jirjis (née Whabee Abi-Saab) (22)  Youngstown, Ohio, US
20. Mr. Ali Lam (37)  New York City
21. Mr. Bing Lee (32)  New York City
22. Mrs. Amanah Fa'ud Mubarik (née Iskandar) (24)  Houtzdale, Pennsylvania, US
23. Master Gerios Mubarik (7)  Houtzdale, Pennsylvania, US
24. Master Halim Gonios Mubarik (4)  Houtzdale, Pennsylvania, US
25. Mrs. Fatimah Muslamani (22)  Michigan City, Indiana, US
26. Mr. Sahid Nackid (20)  Waterbury, Connecticut, US
27. Miss Waika "Mary" Nackid (née Mowad) (19)  Waterbury, Connecticut, US
28. Miss Maria Nackid (1)  Waterbury, Connecticut, US
29. Miss Jamilah Niqula-Yarid (14)  Jacksonville, Florida, US
30. Master Ilyas Niqula-Yarid (12)  Jacksonville, Florida, US
31. Miss Velin Öhman (22)  Chicago, Illinois, US
32. Miss Sarah A. Roth (26)  New York City
33. Miss Anna Kristine Salkjelsvik (21)  Proctor, Minnesota, US
34. Miss Amy Zillah Elsie Stanley (24)  New Haven, Connecticut, US
35. Mrs. Hanna Youssef Touma (née Razi) (27)  Dowagiac, Michigan, US
36. Miss Marianna Youssef Touma (9)  Dowagiac, Michigan, US
37. Master Gerios (George) Youssef Touma (8)  Dowagiac, Michigan, US
38. Mrs. Silanah Fa'ud Yasbak (née Iskandar) (15)  Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, US
39. Qiyamah, Miss Adal "Jane" Zajib (15)  Brooklyn, New York, US

Deck Crew - LB-C

1. Mr. George Thomas Rowe (32)  Quartermaster

Engineering Crew - LB-C

1. Mr. Frederick Doel (22)  Fireman/Stoker
2. Mr. Albert Hunt (22)  Trimmer
3. Mr. Thomas Knowles (39)  Fireman's Messman

Victualling Crew - LB-C

1. Mr. Christopher Mills (51)  Butcher
2. Mr. Albert Victor Pearcey (32)  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.

📌 J. Bruce Ismay’s Controversial Escape

📌 Titanic’s owner and White Star Line chairman, J. Bruce Ismay, stepped into this lifeboat—one of the most controversial moments in Titanic history.

📜 Why This Story Matters:

✔ Did Ismay abandon ship cowardly—or was he simply another man following orders?

✔ Survivors later claimed he hid in a doctor’s cabin on Carpathia, avoiding others.

✔ Ismay spent the rest of his life haunted by accusations of cowardice.

🚢 A "billionaire’s" decision that would define his legacy.

J. Bruce Ismay’s career and reputation Post Titanic

J. Bruce Ismay’s career and reputation were never the same after he escaped aboard Collapsible C while hundreds of others perished. Though he was officially exonerated by both the British and American inquiries, public perception was far less forgiving.

What Happened to Ismay After Titanic?

🔹 Stayed with White Star Line—but behind the scenes: He resigned as chairman of the International Mercantile Marine (IMM) in 1913, barely a year after Titanic’s sinking. He still held financial interests in the company but played no active role in White Star Line’s operations.

🔹 Lived in near-seclusion: He retired to a quiet life in Costelloe Lodge, Connemara, Ireland, avoiding the public eye as much as possible.

🔹 Health deteriorated: Suffering from severe stress and medical issues, he underwent multiple surgeries later in life.

🔹 Died in 1937: He passed away at age 74, still haunted by Titanic’s legacy.
The Lifeboat Controversy🚤

One of the biggest post-Titanic scandals was that Ismay—White Star Line's managing director—secured a seat in Collapsible C while women and children still remained on board. Survivors and the press branded him a coward, comparing him unfavorably to Captain Smith, Thomas Andrews, and others who went down with the ship.

Though he defended his decision, stating there were no other passengers nearby when the lifeboat was launched, the fact that other men were turned away while he got in was damning.

Was His Career Over?

Yes—at least publicly. While he kept his wealth and IMM influence, he never held a leadership position again in White Star or any other maritime company. His name became synonymous with survival at the cost of honor—unlike Titanic's owner J.P. Morgan (who had missed the voyage entirely), Ismay became the villain in Titanic’s story.

Final Thought: Was Ismay a Villain or a Survivor?

Many historians believe that Ismay was neither a hero nor a villain, but a man who made a split-second decision to save himself—a decision that cost him his reputation forever.

What do you think? Did he deserve the lifelong shame, or was he just another survivor? 🚢💭

📌 First Officer Murdoch & The Gunfire Incident

📌 Murdoch, faced with desperate men trying to storm the boat, allegedly fired his pistol to maintain order.

📜 Why This Story Matters:

✔ One of the few documented cases of firearms being used during Titanic’s sinking.

✔ Did Murdoch fire warning shots—or take a life? Accounts conflict.

✔ It underscores the sheer panic and terror of Titanic’s final moments.

🚢 A lifeboat nearly taken by force.

📌 Third-Class Passengers: A Rare Chance at Escape

📌 Unlike most lifeboats, which were filled with first-class women and children, Collapsible C had 39 third-class passengers—an unusually high number.

📜 Why This Story Matters:

✔ This lifeboat provides one of the few documented cases where third-class passengers made it to the boat deck in time.

✔ Many were families, including young children.

✔ This shows that while barriers existed, some third-class passengers defied the odds.

🚢 A lifeline for those from steerage.

📌 A Lifeboat Nearly Filled to Capacity

📌 Collapsible C was one of the few boats to be almost fully loaded—holding 47 of its 49-person capacity.

📜 Why This Story Matters:

✔ Unlike earlier lifeboats, which left with empty seats, this one was packed.

✔ Did lessons from the earlier launches finally sink in?

✔ This marked a shift in urgency as the ship neared its final moments.

🚢 A rare case of a nearly full lifeboat.

📚 Relevance for Different Audiences

📌 🧑‍🏫 For Teachers & Students:

✔ Explores ethical dilemmas—should Ismay have stayed or left?

✔ A real-world case study in survival psychology and leadership.

✔ Demonstrates class disparities aboard Titanic.

📌 📖 For Historians & Maritime Researchers:

✔ One of the most well-documented Titanic lifeboats.

✔ Murdoch’s gunfire incident is widely debated among historians.

✔ Key example of how lifeboat loading procedures evolved over the disaster.

📌 🧬 For Genealogists & Family Historians:

✔ Includes a high percentage of third-class survivors—important for tracing family histories.

✔ Notable passengers include Titanic owner Bruce Ismay and families from diverse backgrounds.

✔ A mix of American, Middle Eastern, and European passengers, reflecting Titanic’s global passenger base.

🌟 Final Thoughts: A Lifeboat That Defined Titanic’s Most Infamous Escape

📌 Collapsible Lifeboat C was more than just another escape vessel—it symbolized Titanic’s last moments, class struggles, and one man’s fall from grace.

✔ J. Bruce Ismay, Titanic’s owner, left in this boat—forever tarnishing his reputation.

✔ First Officer Murdoch allegedly fired a pistol to maintain order.

✔ Third-class passengers, usually left behind, finally got a chance to escape.
✔ Unlike most lifeboats, this one was nearly filled to capacity.

🚢 A lifeboat of power, panic, and historic debate—one of Titanic’s most unforgettable stories.