Lifeboat question...flares

[Steven Christian]

I've seen seen scenes in movies and documentaries where they show survivors in the lifeboats waving around flares. Did they have flares in the lifeboats? I read an article that said there were no flares and that a few of the survivors who hand taken lamps or flashlights were told to turn them off so people in the water wouldn't attempt to swamp the boats. I haven't been able to verify this. Anybody know anything about it?

 

[Ioannis Georgiou]

I've seen seen scenes in movies and documentaries where they show survivors in the lifeboats waving around flares. Did they have flares in the lifeboats?

4th Officer Boxhall took with him into emergency boat No. 2 green flares which he used as a signal. Carpathia saw the green light and steamed toward it.
(Flares were not provisions for lifeboats).
In the movie by James Cameron it is 5th Officer Lowe who had and used them, one of the facts he changed a little.

I read an article that said there were no flares and that a few of the survivors who hand taken lamps or flashlights were told to turn them off so people in the water wouldn't attempt to swamp the boats. I haven't been able to verify this. Anybody know anything about it?

The article which is only a theory can be found on ET. I completely disagree with it, there is no single proof for such a claim. At last 4 lifeboats had a lantern, in other boats people use whatever they had (flashlight, pocket watch light, matches, cigar lighter etc.). No one mentioned that they turned them off or out.

 

[Steven Christian]

Ok thanks for that info. The article I read wasn't on ET. It was very short and brief. I will try to find the one you mentioned.

 

[Robert T. Paige]

There is a legend, myth (or whatever you want to call ii ...LOL) that one lady in a lifeboat had a straw hat that was set on fire and waved to get attention.

 

[Steven Christian]

I haven't heard that before. Of course there's so many legends/myths about Titanic they are hard to keep up on. The reason I was asking about the flares was because I was thinking (always dangerous..*L*) that if somebody was waving a flare and if as some have claimed that California was only 10 miles away would it be possible for someone on the bridge using binoculars to have seen any lights. Just rank speculation of course. I believe California was further away than that.

 

[robert warren]

Mrs. Ella White had a cane with a built in electric light at the tip. She apparently was waving it around so much, confusing people in surrounding boats, that one crew member told her to knock it off or he'd throw the damn thing overboard.

 

[Aaron_2016]

There is a legend, myth (or whatever you want to call ii ...LOL) that one lady in a lifeboat had a straw hat that was set on fire and waved to get attention.

Collapsible C
Miss Devaney - "I burned a large straw hat trying to attract the attention of a vessel."

Lifeboat 13
Mr. Beesley
"We did not know what sort of a vessel was coming, but we knew she was coming quickly, and we searched for paper, rags, anything that would burn. We were quite prepared to burn our coats if necessary. A hasty paper torch was twisted out of letters found in some one's pocket, lighted, and held aloft by the stoker standing on the tiller platform. The little light shone in flickers on the faces of the occupants of the boat, ran in broken lines for a few yards along the black oily sea."


.

 

[Robert T. Paige]

This is shown in a scene at 1:57 of 2:02 in ANTR.

 

[Ioannis Georgiou]

In several boats different things were burned like straw hats, pieces of clothes and ropes, newspapers, handkerchiefs etc.