Timeline Article: Lifeboat 2 is the Fourteenth to be Launched

Monday, April 15, 1912
1:45am

Lifeboat 2 is the fourteenth to be launched.
Lowered by: Captain Smith, Chief Officer Wilde
Crew member in charge: 4th Officer Boxhall

Lifeboat 2 was launched from Titanic's forward port side. As the lifeboat was being filled with women and children, a large group of men climbed into the lifeboat. Captain Smith saw this and ordered the men out. Smith then called for 4th Officer Boxhall, who had been sending up distress rockets for about an hour, to take charge of the boat. Lifeboat 2 was then lowered down to the sea. Once afloat Boxhall heard a whistle and Captain Smith called down to him to come around and take on additional passengers through the starboard gangway doors.

4th Officer Boxhall

Boxhall obeyed orders and had the lifeboat rowed to the stern of Titanic. He rounded the ship and came along the starboard side. This proved to be quite difficult since he only had one sailor aboard. Boxhall had intended to come along side Titanic and lower people in through the gangway doors, but when he began to pull up next to the ship, he noticed some suction and was forced to pull away. The gangway doors were open and there were crowds of people standing in them, but Boxhall couldn't get close enough to the ship and the likelihood of the lifeboat being swamped would have been great. This proved to be an impossible task. So, Captain Smith's order was abandoned and the people in lifeboat 2 rowed away.

Lifeboat 2 left the Titanic with 17 out of 40 seats occupied.

Titanic has only 35 minutes to live.