Life Boat Photographs

Hi everyone, I'm new here, so please be patient... I would like to know if anyone has ever seen a photograph of the Identity Plates that were used aboard the Life Boats and if any are known to exist... Thank You, Andy
 
Andy,

There are a few surviving examples, most of which were pried off the boats while on Carpathia, as souvenirs. The examples that I have been using as templates for some reproduction plaques I am making come from both private collections and museums (although I'm working mainly off the dimensions of some of the plaques in the Empire Bar in Belfast), donated by the family of the Titanic survivor who originally had them.

You will occasionally see pictures of both burgee and nameplate plaques in some of the Titanic books. Even a couple of the lifeboat numerals were salvaged...the Countess of Rothes was presented with the lifeboat numeral "8" in a proper frame after returning to England, as a momento. I have never seen any surviving round 'weights' plaques, however.

Parks
 
as extensive as Titanic has been researched, would anyone know if anybody has put the effort in to go as far as to attempt to identify the victims in the lifeboat photographs as they approached the Carpathia ?
 
Richard and all,

Very interesting question. I too have wondered if anybody has been identified in the various lifeboat shots.

Which other lifeboats were photographed, by the way, apart from boats 14, D, and 6?

Some time ago somebody sent me a copy of a photo featured in Captain Rostron's article for Scribner's Magazine and said they believed it was boat 1. Although taken from some distance, the boat in the picture does look fairly sparsely filled but I've never given serious thought to its being no. 1 since I've always believed it was one of the first ones to get to the Carpathia, meaning it got there just as dawn was breaking. This picture shows full daylight.

Has anybody any ideas on the identities of people in the boats and which boats were pictured? And which boat is in the Rostron piece?

Randy
 
Lowe and Hichens are identified in their respective lifeboats - they're fairly conspicuous figures. Randy, working from memory (at work at the moement) doesn't the Liberty magazine article by Rene Harris have one of the 'D' photos, indicating which figure was Harris?

~ Ing
 
Hi all,

As there were only four men in boat #6, which was one of the boats photographed by the Carpahia, (p. 155 of "Titanic, An Ilustrated History"), one can naturally infer that QM Robert Hitchens is the man at the tiller, Major Arthur Peuchen is the man on the right holding an oar (with a moustache, scarf and cloth cap) and lookout Frederick Fleet is the bloke leaning towards the bow.

Also, QM Bright is almost certainly the man at the stern of collapsible D, young Michael Joseph (3rd class) is staring back at the camera, and I believe I can spot Bjornstrom-Steffanson in the centre looking away from the boat.

Randy - I believe boat #12 (including the collapsible B occupants) was photographed being hoisted aboard Carpathia.

Hope this helps,

Ben
 
Family tradition has it that ABS Thomas Jones, (Lifeboat Number 8)presented the identity plate from the boat to the Countess of Rothes.

(She presented him with watch, money and paraffin lamps for his local chapel in Anglesey North Wales, UK.)
 
I am a new member to the board and have a few questions regarding the life boat plaques/flags.

1. Did all White Star ships use the plaques/flags?
2. From what time period were the plaques/flags used?
3. Who was the manufacturer?
4. Were all plaques/flags cast from the same mold?
5. I have seen photographs that show some of the plaques/flags were never painted, while others were painted red. Is there any significance to this difference?
6. Again, I have seen photographs that show varying number of screw holes across the top of the flag, bottom of the flag and staff. Is there any significance to the difference in number of screw holes?
7. Exactly how many flags, name plates, port plates and capacity plates are known to exist from the Titanic life boats?

I would appreciate any information and photographs members can provide.
 
Does anyone know if there are high resolution scans available? I know that there are some at the USA Library of Congress, but am looking for other sources. Thank you kindly.
 
Back
Top