Timeline Article: The Crew Struggles to Release Collapsibles A & B

Monday, April 15, 1912
2:12am

As the water floods the A deck promenade and begins to make it's way up to the boat deck, members of the crew struggle to release collapsible lifeboats A and B from the deck house roof. The deck houses where located on the boat deck, and collapsibles A and B were stationed on either side of the forward funnel on top of the roof of the officers quarters. The davits on the boat deck could not reach these lifeboats, so the lifeboats would have to be brought down to the boat deck and then connected.

Under the direction of 1st Officer Murdoch and 6th Officer Moody, collapsible A is slid down a makeshift ramp made out of oars. Due to the lifeboat's tremendous weight, the oars break and the lifeboat falls to the boat deck. 2nd Officer Lightoller, along with other crewmen, attempt to lower collapsible B from it's station on the deck house roof. The boat falls to the boat deck and lands upside down. Neither one of these collapsibles are connected to the davits.

Watch this clip from James Cameron's film Titanic, 

and see what is must have been like for the crew, while trying to prepare these lifeboats for launch...

Video Provided By: "Titanic" (1997)