The Crew

The Titanic had over 900 crew members. This page gives an overview of the experience for the crew aboard the ship and general information about each crew category (officers, deck crew, engineers, victuallling crew, and additional staff).

During the sinking, almost all crew members continued working on their jobs either due to their own sense of duty to protect the passengers or due to the misinformed belief that the boat was not about to sink. Many were under a somewhat reasonable impression that by preventing the flow of water in the boat and getting passengers to safety they would have time to have everyone rescued with the Carpathia on the way and the non-respondent Californian nearby.

List of which crew survived or died

Video on crew breakdown

The Crew Experience On Board

Most of the crew slept along Scotland Road, the long corridor on the E-deck that allowed 3rd class and crew to get around the ship (nicknamed by the crew, many of whom were from Liverpool). Generally, they slept in a dormitory-style setting with pretty plain accommodations with 30+ to a room sometimes. Stewardesses had cabins closer to passengers and specialized crew such as officers, wireless, purser, etc. had their own cabins near their workspaces.

The Crew was paid a pre-determined rate for any single voyage that ranged from £35 ($175) for the Chief Engineer down to £2 ($10) for the bellboys. Based on the length of trans-Atlantic trips this would usually make up the wages for these crew for about a month. In today’s money, this would be about $5,700 for the higher-up crew to $325 for the bellboys.

Read about a day in the life here

Everyday

The Victualling Crew was composed of 421 men and women who provided all services for the occupants of the ship including food, housekeeping, laundry, room service, etc.

The victualling crew included 322 stewards and 20 stewardesses (Some were bedroom stewards some bathroom stewards, all separated by class), 50 bellboys, boots (shoe shiners), glory-hole stewards (cleaned crew rooms), linen stewards, 63 galley and kitchen staff (including chefs, cooks, bakers, butchers, and scullions who cleaned), 13 storekeepers, 4 life attendants, the purser and their 4 clerks. This was the only department on the ship with female staff, all of whom either worked as stewardesses for female passengers or restaurant cashiers.

For more on the victualling staff click here

During Disaster

Most of the staff likely spent the sinking directing passengers to lifeboats or attempting to make their own way to the lifeboats as news of the disaster probably came to them either while cooking or asleep in their quarters. Titanic’s chief baker, Charles Joughin, and his team were ordered to distribute bread to the lifeboats.

Only 60 male stewards and 17 stewardesses survived the disaster alongside about 50 kitchen staff members and a few storekeepers. Most of the other crew was lost in the sinking including all 50 bellboys, many other stewards, the purser and clerks, and the rest of the victualling staff.

Learn more about how alchohol may have saved the baker

To learn more about the cooks during the sinking click here

The Titanic had some additional staff aboard who helped with important tasks on the ship many of whom were employed outside of the White Star Line.

The À La Carte Restaurant staff consisted of 69 people managed by A. P. Luigi Gatti who owned the restaurant. Of this group, only 1 male clerk and 2 female cashiers survived. There were 3 barbers on board who were self-employed and worked for tips (2 for 1st class, 1 for 2nd class), only one of the men survived. The Guarantee Group was on board to aid in fixing problems and documenting changes for future ships, the group included Thomas Andrews, a plumber, 2 electricians, 1 draftsman, 1 joiner, and 3 fitters, all of whom passed. The eight-member orchestra was contracted to White Star by the Liverpool firm C.W. & F.N. Black traveled as second-class passengers and included violinist and bandleader Wallace Hartley, plus a pianist, 2 other violists, 3 cellists, and 1 bassist.

Two radio operators were employed by the Marconi Company and assigned to the victualling department as they sent passenger messages, the duo spent the disaster attempting to send out distress calls until the power went out and only one would survive scrambling onto the upturned Collapsible B. 5 postal clerks supervised and processed all of the mail on the ship, during the sinking they all attempted to save the 200 mail sacks by hauling them upstairs in the case of rescue coming. All five mail clerks passed.

Article on the "Ritz" resturaunt staff

Titanic and Marconi

More on the musicians here

Everyday

The engineers on the Titanic operated, maintained, and repaired the engineering plant (boiler rooms, engine rooms, coal bunkers, etc.).

The engineering crew was composed of 25 engineers, 2 boilermakers, 33 greasers, and 8 electricians who ensured the inner workings of the ship remained in great function. Also in the engineering crew were 163 firemen (stokers) and 13 leading firemen (stoker foremen) who were supported by a staff of 73 trimmers (who shoveled coal from the bunkers to the boilers). All of this staff was fed by just six mess hall stewards, two served the firemen and 4 served the engineers. Their daily tasks were the most physically strenuous on the ship and many members of the engineering crew had some of the worst salaries of all the staff. Each fireman was assigned one boiler and three furnaces, each leading fireman watched 10 to 15 men across two of the six boiler rooms. The shifts were 4 hours on and 8 hours off, the heat often exceeded 120 F so a four-hour shift was incredibly demanding and most men would work in their underclothes.

Click here for more on the engineers

During Disaster

During the sinking, almost all of the engineering crew remained in the engine and boiler rooms fighting a losing battle to keep the ship afloat by operating the pumps and keeping steam up in the boiler room to prevent boiler explosion on contact with the water. Others kept the generators running to maintain power and lights throughout the Titanic up until two minutes before the ship sank. It is speculated that their actions were some of the most heroic during the disaster, delaying the sinking for over an hour and allowing for nearly all of the lifeboats to be launched.

The engineering crew was one of the staff groups with the worst survival chances due to their position on the boat. All 25 engineers, both boiler makers, all 8 electricians, 10 leading firemen, 118 firemen, 53 trimmers, 29 greasers, and 5 mess hall stewards passed in the disaster. The only staff to survive this crew was one mess hall steward, 4 greasers, about 20 trimmers, 3 leading firemen, and 45 firemen survived. Many of the firemen who made it to the lifeboats were still in their undershirts and shorts as they sailed away from the wreck in freezing temperatures.

Click here to learn more about the heros of the boat

Everyday

The deck crew managed deck lines, cranes, winches, lifeboats, etc. throughout the course of the journey and aided the officers in keeping the ship sea-ready.

This group was primarily composed of 29 seamen who were trained to operate and man the lifeboats and use all of the equipment on the deck. They were led by two men titled the boatswain and boatswain's mate. Additionally, the deck crew included two masters-at-arms who (along with First Officer Murdoch) had keys to the firearms on board, two doctors (one surgeon and one asst. surgeon), seven quartermasters who worked on the bridge steering the ship under captain and officer orders, two window cleaners, two carpenters, one lamp trimmer, and six lookouts who would work in duos at the crow's nest for two hours at a time.

During Disaster

During the sinking most of the deck crew aided in the launching of the lifeboats particularly by manning the boats once they were launched, each crew member had been pre-assigned to a boat in case no officer was present, and almost all departed in the lifeboats rowing the passengers to safety. Some rushed downstairs during the disaster to check that all of the watertight bulkheads were closed and began manning the pumps in a futile attempt to keep water out of the ship’s compartments. The additional crew completed a range of jobs during the sinking including checking on the boat and helping get passengers to safety.

Due to the deck crew being the main people responsible for manning the lifeboats after they were lowered some of them had a chance to survive. 19 of the seamen and 1 of their boatswains lived as well as 1 master-at-arms, all seven quartermasters, 1 window cleaner, the lamp trimmer, and all six lookouts. Unfortunately, 10 other seamen, 1 of their boatswains, 1 master-at-arms, 1 window cleaner, and both carpenters would perish in the sinking.

Everyday

During Disaster

The officers spent their time overseeing all crew on the ship in addition to inspecting the ship, navigating, and sailing. To some extent, the top officers' job was to delegate jobs among the crew but much of their time was spent on the bridge directing whatever quartermaster was at the wheel and they were all tasked with the responsibility for the lives on board, particularly the Captain.

Every officer would take turns doing a four-hour watch and at switch off would inform the next what had occurred during his watch, weather reports, etc. The newly arrived officer would likely check the ship’s progress and track it on their map, then they would make any necessary changes to route or speed per the Captain or Chief Officer's orders. In addition to these tasks, the Captain was expected to inspect the boat, oversee course and speed, and maintain contact with the passengers (for ex. Going to dinner with passengers or inviting some to his quarters for a private meal).

The Officers aboard the ship were:

Captain Edward John Smith

Chief Officer Henry Wilde

First Officer William McMaster Murdoch

Second Officer Charles Lightoller

Third Officer Herbert Pitman

Fourth Officer Joseph Boxhall

Fifth Officer Harold Lowe

Sixth Officer James Moody

To learn more about each officer click here

Much discussion has been had about the men launching the boats and their possible use of firearms to control the crowds (as well as a possible officer suicide using one of the ship's pistols).

To learn about the use of arms on the ship click here

Learn more about the possible officer suicide here

Officer Murdoch was in charge of the bridge when the Titanic collided with the iceberg. It was his decision to attempt to turn the boat before impact, a decision which would later be criticized as some speculate hitting the iceberg head-on would have made less of an impact. Captain Smith quickly arrived on the bridge and the duo ensured the watertight doors were shut and the warning bell had rung. From there Captain Smith gave orders to all necessary crew on how to keep the ship afloat for as long as possible, to assess the damages, for the telegraph operators to communicate distress signals, and for passengers to be brought to holding areas with lifevests on. While it was very clear to all officers that the damage was severe enough that they would likely sink, there has been speculation that Captain Smith did not give clear enough orders or explanations to the receiving staff, and misinformation was spread around the boat that they may not sink, causing many not to act as swiftly as they may have.

Officer Murdoch and Officer Lightoller were the main men responsible for launching lifeboats during the sinking. Murdoch was stationed starboard and Lightoller on the port side. Both would do an honorable and impressive job launching lifeboats with speed but Lightoller would face criticism for his interpretation of the rule “women and children first” as only often denying men spots and launching lifeboats that were not full because no women or children were in the area. The other officers also aided in the launching of the boats and accessing the damage. Half of the officers would not survive but Lightoller, Lowe, Boxhall, and Pitman would manage to survive. Each of these men commanded a lifeboat with Lowe returning in his boat to pick up passengers in the water, Lightoller saving men on an upturned collapsible, Boxhall attempting to return to the gangway doors to save passengers, and Pitman intending to go back and rescue people from the water (sadly the other occupants of the lifeboat refused which he deeply regretted). Captain Smith and Officers Murdoch, Wilde, and Moody would die aboard the ship with the Captain likely going down still inside the bridge, Murdoch and Wilde launching boats till the very end, and the youngest officer, Moody, refusing every chance to board a boat insisting Lowe go instead as he attempted to calm passengers before himself passing at sea.