Lifeboat 6 approaching RMS Carpathia
Lifeboat 6 was one of Titanic's port side lifeboats, located at the forward end of the ship. It is well known for being the lifeboat in which Margaret “Molly” Brown was rescued in. The boat is usually stated to have been the first boat to leave the port side of the ship, and it is included as such in the lifeboat launching sequence noted at being launched at 12:40 A.M, just a few minutes before lifeboat 3.
Second Officer Lightoller ordered Quartermaster Robert Hichens to command the boat and also ordered Lookout Frederick Fleet to get in. While the boat was being lowered, Robert Hichens is said to have called out; “I cannot manage this boat with only one seaman", resulting in Lightoller halting the lowering to find another seaman; with no other crew member appearing to be free, a First Class passenger, Major Arthur Peuchen, offered to go to help. After Major Peuchen stated that he was a yachtsman, Charles Lightoller agreed to let him go as long as he was “sailor enough” to climb down the falls and into the boat. As Major Peuchen landed in the boat, his wallet fell out of his pocket and landed in the sea. His wallet was eventually found and recovered from the wreck site in 1987.
The passengers aboard the boat were mostly First Class woman; there was also a male passenger that Frederick Fleet and Major Peuchen said was a “stowaway”, who had hidden in the boat and only appeared after the boat started to move away from the ship; although Helen Candee said that in fact he was ordered in by Captain Smith after the captain had been told that they had no seamen in the boat. As he had a broken arm or wrist, he was unable to row.
Lifeboat 6 and the empty lifeboat 4
Despite the fact it was designed to hold 65 people, in total there were only 23 people aboard as the boat pulled away from the ship.
Some of the other passengers aboard lifeboat 6 were critical of Robert Hichens' behavior in the boat, in their opinions, accusing him of refusing to help with the rowing, having a rude and negative attitude, and refusing to return to help those in the water.
Some of the women aboard the boat, including and encouraged by Molly Brown, who said that she was only in lifeboat 6 after a crew member suddenly grabbed her and dropped her 4 feet into the already lowering boat, helped with the rowing.
During the night, after the sinking, lifeboat 6 come alongside and lashed together to lifeboat 16. The two lifeboats drifted until Molly Brown decided that they should separate so that they could start rowing again to keep warm. When Robert Hichens tried to stop them, Molly Brown threatened to throw him overboard. To help with the rowing a fireman from lifeboat 16 was transferred to lifeboat 6.
All aboard Lifeboat 6 were rescued by Carpathia at around 6 A.M. in the morning. Lifeboat 6 is often featured more than any of the other boats in many of the films and documentaries that have been made about Titanic. Special attention is often given to Molly Brown, who became well known for her actions in the boat.
Occupants[]
- Robert Hichens ------------------Quartermaster (in charge)
- Frederick Fleet ------------------ Lookout
- Miss R. Bowker ------------------ First Cashier
- Miss M.E. Martin ------------------Second Cashier
- Ellen Barber --------------------- Maid of the Cavendish Family
- Mrs. Helene Baxter --------------- First Class Passenger
- Elsie Edith Bowerman ------------ First Class Passenger
- Margaret 'Molly' Brown ------------First Class Passenger
- Helen Churchill Candee -----------First Class Passenger
- Mrs. Julia F.S. Cavendish --------- First Class Passenger
- Edith Martha Chibnall ------------ First Class Passenger
- Mrs. Suzette Douglas* ------------ First Class Passenger
- Miss Rose Amélie Icard ----------- First Class Passenger
- Sigrid Lindstrom ----------------- First Class Passenger
- Berthe Antonine Mayné ----------- First Class Passenger
- Mrs. Leila Meyer ------------------ First Class Passenger
- Marjorie Anne Newell* ------------- First Class Passenger
- Miss Madeleine Newell* ------------First Class Passenger
- Arthur Godfrey Peuchen ---------- First Class Passenger and sailor (Lightoller gave him permission)
- Mrs. Elizabeth L. Rothschild ------- First Class Passenger
- Mary Eloise Smith -----------------First Class Passenger
- Mrs. Marie Spencer* ---------------First Class Passenger
- Mrs. Maid Spencer* ---------------First Class Passenger
- Mrs. Martha E. Stone-------------- First Class Passenger
- Fahīm Rūḥānā al-Za'innī ---------- Third Class Passenger
*= not certain
Popular Culture[]
Fictional Occupants[]
Titanic (1953)[]
In the 1953 film, Richard Sturges brought Julia, Annette and Norman to lifeboat 6. When the boat is being loaded on A-Deck, an old woman approaches but is denied passage due to the lifeboat being full. Due to this, Norman gives his place to her, and when Julia does not see him, one of the women tells her that he left the boat so she starts crying and screaming for Norman's name, worrying for her son while the boat continues to lower.
The women in boat 6 look on in fear as Titanic's is in her final moments, and a sudden explosion speeds up her sinking, leaving the surviving Sturges' in sorrow over their husband, child, father and brother.
A Night to Remember (1958)[]
In A Night to Remember, lifeboat 6 first appears when Molly Brown says they can't row with just one sailor and Arthur Peuchen sets out to row, later Margaret convinces the women to row with Robert Hitchens making a fuss about not leaving a woman to in charge of the helm, when the Titanic finishes sinking, Hitchens refuses to return and Molly threatens to throw him overboard and come to help them from the Carpathia.
S.O.S Titanic (1979)[]
Lifeboat 6 appears when Molly Brown asks Berthe Mayné to get into the boat and Molly is forced to climb aboard. In a deleted scene she can be seen rowing her oar and calling out Hichens as a coward as he refused to go back and helping the passengers.
1996 Miniseries Titanic[]
Lifeboat 6 appears first loading and Molly Brown is forced to board the boat by Lightoller. The boat reappears when the Carpathia arrives in the area and Molly threatens Hitchens with throwing him overboard and they all prepare to row to reach the Carpathia.
Titanic (1997)[]
Lifeboat 6 appears just before 1:00 A.M., loading whilst Titanic's bow is deep in the water, and Ruth DeWitt Bukater hopes the boat isn't gonna be crowded. Her daughter Rose DeWitt Bukater gets angry by her statement, trying to get her mother to realise what will happen to half of the people but nevertheless her fiance tries to be funny by saying that it's the better half who will survive, and that Jack's painting will be worth a lot more by the next day (because the value of paintings will go up if the artist dies).
Rose wasn't expecting him to be this evil and looks at him with bewildered eyes. Nevertheless Cal tries to move her to get in as well after Molly Brown and Ruth, but Rose refuses to get on the lifeboat, walks away and spits at Cal who tries to hold her when he realises she's going to Jack, but she breaks free, leaving her mother Ruth and Caledon in shock, and Ruth is in absolute panic to see her child run away from her, and tries to beg the officers to hold the lowering of the boat.
Later the boat reappears when it moves away while the ship's bow is under water. Molly says: "Now there's something you don't see every day".
At Titanic's final moments, with her stern rose high in the air, Ruth looks on, horrified and is worried and sad over her child. Molly cannot believe what she is seeing either, and exclaims: "God Almighty".
When the Titanic has sunk completely, Molly Brown tries to go back to pick up more people although Hitchens threatens her if she doesn't shut up. Molly in her frustration doesn't understand why he acts like this.
After Rose is rescued, Molly and Ruth are seen in the shot of the survivors in all the boats, they look sad and sought comfort at eachother.
This boat had several scenes cut out of the final version, one where Molly remarks that Fred Fleet looks like a duck with a broken wing, and he admits he hasn't been taught how to row, so Molly proceeds to take an oar and show how its done. Another deleted scene has Captain Smith with a megaphone, Thomas Andrews and Officer Wilde standing near the bridge and calling out for boat 6 to return, which Hichens refuses to do because he fears for the suction, and Molly protests, but he insists their lives matter more, upon which Smith and Andrews look at them in disbelief and anger, with Smith exclaiming: "The fools..." Meanwhile the ship's entire forecastle has sunk.
The Legend of the Titanic (1999)[]
In The Legend of the Titanic, Maltravers, Rachel, Geoffrey and their sister get on this lifeboat, He reappears when they watch the sinking and descent of the Lifeboats and Geoffrey is ordered to Row and get lost in the Atlantic North. There were many inaccuracies, boat 6 had Twenty-two people when the Titanic was abandoned, not four as seen in the movie and the boat managed to arrive as the last lifeboat and was not lost in the North Atlantic as seen in the movie.
Ghosts of the Abyss (2003)[]
In Ghosts of the Abyss there is a flashback scene when Captain Smith is calling lifeboat 6 to return to the ship, but Robert Hitchens refuses.
2012 Miniseries Titanic[]
Dorothy Winifred Gibson and her mother leave in this lifeboat (they actually left Lifeboat 7) and the Chief Steward (dressed as a woman). Lady Manton doesn't want to board in the boat, because Dorothy is carrying a brandy bottle with her. It is revealed that Lightoller gave her the bottle to give to people that were pulled out of the water. Georgiana Grex nearly enters the boat, but is frightened by the height from the boat deck to the water and decides to stay on board.
After the Titanic has sunk; Fifth Officer Lowe gathers his lifeboat, Emergency Lifeboat 2, 5, and 6 so they can transfer people over so he can rescue people from the water. It is during the transfer of passengers that Lowe discovers the Chief Steward in his disguise. Lowe is able to pull three people out of the water; Paolo (who is dead), Hugh, Earl of Manton, and an unidentified survivor. The Earl is fading fast, but Dorothy rushes into the boat with the bottle of brandy and gives it to the Earl who recovers from his ordeal.
Source[]
- 'Titanic' ©1996 (second print, 1998) Edward P. De Groot
Videos[]
Gallery[]
.png "Lifeboat 6 in The Legend of the Titanic (1999).png (1.53 MB)")
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