15 Mind-Blowing Facts You Didn't Know About The Titanic

5. The Staff Were Clueless About What To Do If The Ship Actually Sank

Two thirds of the staff perished on board the Titanic. On the day that the Titanic sank, there was supposed to be a lifeboat drill for staff and passengers, so that in the cases of an emergency, everyone knew how to get into the lifeboats safely, and the staff knew how to lower them down into the water. Whilst it is unknown as to why the drill was cancelled, theorists have considered the cancellation as a request from the passengers who thought it was unnecessary on an 'unsinkable ship.' The deck space was already cluttered enough with lifeboats that weren't needed and could only fit in half of the people on board. So when the ship did sink, whose lives were considered to be more important? Women and children were given priority but because the staff had no idea on the capacity of the lifeboats, they were people who died because of this lack of knowledge. In one boat that could have filled forty people, there was a grand total of twelve, seven being crew members and five passengers. Others had the capacity of sixty five and officers were only allowing twenty four people to get in. Don't worry though, because some dogs were also saved from the sinking ship. The Third Class passengers really didn't have a chance.
In this post: 
Titanic
 
Posted On: 
Contributor

Lover of Tolkien's world, Harry Potter and baked goods. A camel once put his head on my shoulder and it was the best day ever. sara@whatculture.com