A Titanic survivor narrated his experience of the iceberg collision, explaining how more lives could have been saved during the disaster.
Titanic survivor narrates tragical iceberg collision
Frank Winnold Prentice was just 23 years old when he boarded the Titanic as a crew member.
He signed on ten days before the ship’s tragic journey began.
On April 10, 1912, he set sail with the Titanic, unaware of the disaster that awaited them.
When the Titanic struck an iceberg, Prentice was on deck.
He described the moment of impact as similar to suddenly hitting the brakes in a car. There was no loud crash; instead, the ship just came to a halt.
Prentice remembered looking out from a porthole and seeing a clear sky filled with stars, which confused him. He could not understand why the ship had stopped.
“There was no impact as such, it was like jamming your brakes on your car and that was that, she stopped,” he said of the Titanic grinding to a halt after the collision.
“We had a porthole open, I looked out and the sky was clear, the stars were shining, the sea was dead calm and I thought ‘I don’t know’.
I couldn’t understand it so I came out of my cabin,” he narrated.
After the collision, Prentice rushed outside to help others.
He saw large chunks of ice on the deck and realized that the situation was serious.
Many passengers were frightened and unsure of what to do. He assisted people in getting into lifeboats, knowing that time was running out.
As the situation worsened, Prentice and two fellow crew members, Cyril Ricks and Michael Kieran, decided to jump into the icy water.
Before they leaped, Prentice discussed their options with Ricks and Kieran.
They felt it was better to take a risk than to stay on the sinking ship. As he jumped, he narrowly avoided the ship’s propellers.
After jumping into the water, Prentice struggled to survive.
He later recalled that he could not find Kieran, who was lost in the chaos.
“Ricks was injured when he hit the water, and I stayed with him until he passed away.
“This was a heartbreaking moment for me, as I realized how many lives were being lost,” Prentice said.
Fortunately, Prentice was rescued by Lifeboat 4. This lifeboat had remained close to the Titanic to pick up survivors.
One of the passengers, Virginia Estelle Clark, gave him a cloak. Earlier, he had helped her put on a lifejacket and encouraged her to get into the boat.
“I believed that her actions and the cloak probably saved my life.”
Titanic survivor explained why chances to save more lives missed.
In later years, Prentice spoke about his experience with the Titanic. He indicated that the night could have saved many more lives.
He noticed that the first lifeboats launched did not carry many passengers.
“People were scared and did not believe the ship would sink. Many thought they would be safe if they stayed on board,” Prentice said.
Prentice stated that if more people had boarded the lifeboats, they could have saved many lives.
“The Titanic had enough lifeboats to hold over 1,000 people, but only 705 survived the sinking.
This number was far less than it could have been if everyone had acted quickly.”
He emphasized that fear played a big role in the tragedy. Passengers were hesitant to leave the safety of the ship, thinking it was unsinkable.
This belief cost many their lives that night.