Titanic Officers and a Gentleman

Book excerpt: The lives of eight deck officers and the chairman of the White Star Line were irrevocably changed when the Titanic collided with an iceberg. Four would not survive the night, and the other five could never escape being forever linked to those events which spanned just a few hours.While it is certainly true that their adrenaline-pumped actions of April 14-15, 1912, have become the focal points of their existences, far more can be said about them. Each of these nine men experienced a lifetime of events which are told here: childhoods, apprenticeships, family life, and what may have seemed like the most mundane work routines all contributed to their very essence of being. For those fortunate enough to have survived the sinking, their lives continued with further service linked to the sea, two world wars, personal relationships, and retirement activities.Clearly none of them wished to be defined solely by the Titanic disaster. This presentation of the nine men is a celebration of their fortitude as well as their personal journeys. Certainly life is more than the sum of its parts.