Collapsible A “Research” Master Sheet

Timeline

2:05-2:06 AM

• After the completion of lowering Collapsible C, First Officer Murdoch, Sixth Officer Moody, and Chief Officer Wilde prepare Collapsible A on the roof of the officers quarters.

2:11-2:12 AM

• Collapsible A is pushed down with oars set up so she doesn’t capsize or become damaged.  The puloy cables for lowering the boat from the guy wires were considered, but the room containing the equipment was already underwater on C deck.
• Because the hull is flat, she slides down the boat deck bow first, scraping the officers quarters due to the port list.
• The crew and passengers are now attempting to push her “uphill”, so they can attach her to the davits.
• The crew recoils the falls and then cranks back the davits.
• Murdoch instructed to crank back in the davits mainly because he thought he had time.  My hypothesis on why he did this is likely because when he looked down the stairs, he saw that B deck was still dry on the starboard side.
• Sixth Officer Moody suggested to float Boat A off instead, but Murdoch insisted on launching the boat as he thought there was time to do so.
• As a large number of steerage passengers find their way up to the decks, they either run to the stern or go to Boats A and B, there are more people by Boat A due to Chief Officer Wilde's order to go to the starboard side.  Plus, it's the more “safer” side of the ship.

2:13 AM

• They succeed in pushing the collapsible upward.*
• As more people crowd by Boat A, Chief Officer Wilde pulls out his Webley revolver to prevent people from rushing the boat.
• The boat is pushed halfway in, the bow is by the bulwark while the stern is facing the officers quarters.  The guy wire and motor sounding machine are preventing her from being pushed in completely.  Murdoch is pondering on how to get the boat through.
• Thomas Andrews and Captain Smith could be seen together at the bridge (on the starboard side), after that they separate, with Smith staying in the bridge while Andrews walks aft past the large crowd.
• There is such a large crowd forming by Boat A that one or two people are pushed overboard.

2:14 AM

• The crew finishes cranking back the davits and connects the boat to the falls on the front and aft ends.
• As the crowd becomes even more restless, two men try to rush and get on the boat, but are shot and killed by Wilde.  The first man was genuinely trying to get on the boat, but it's likely the second man was accidentally pushed forward.  The chaos and panic briefly stops after the second man is shot.  He tries to get himself up by clinging to the davits, but then dies.**
• Wilde, realizing his mistake of killing an innocent man, plus having recollections of his lost family, shoots and kills himself in trauma.  Before he shoots himself, he says, “Gentlemen, each man for himself. Good-bye.”***
• Due to Chief Officer Wilde lowering his gun and shooting himself, more than 30+ people now rush to climb aboard the boat in hopes of survival.
• However, this now makes it difficult to swing the boat out and lower her due to the increased weight from the passengers, along with the guy wire and sounding machine blocking the boat from being pushed in further.
• Some of the crowd runs from the scene and goes either to the port side or the stern. For those that go to the port side, they find that Boat B has not been pushed down, and the sea is beginning to wash over the boat deck.

2:15 AM

• Water can be seen coming up rapidly from the A deck stairs.
• Sadly, there was so much going on that Murdoch and Moody forgot to raise the canvas sides.
• As chaos reigns by Boat A, many passengers try to swarm the boat (possibly even overfilling her capacity of 47 persons), and this makes it extremely difficult to raise her.
• Some crew members such as Steward Fitzpatrick and Trimmer Hemmings abandon hope and find a way to save themselves.
• Smith comes back from the bridge to tell the crew working on Boat A that they are released from duties and to do their best for the passengers still aboard.  Smith was last seen by Brown walking to the bridge just a moment before the final plunge.
• Second Officer Lightholler goes to the starboard side after releasing Collapsible B to see what’s going on.  To his surprise, he sees the boat deck still dry and the men still struggling with the boat before he jumps into the ocean from the bridge.

2:16 AM

• When the ship returns to an even keel, a huge wave is generated on the starboard side.
• The crew now realizes the seriousness of the situation and Murdoch and/or Moody call out, “There’s no time!  Disconnect the falls!”
• A large number of people then abandon hope and run to the stern after seeing no hope of getting on the boat to save themselves.
• Because the falls are entangled, they have to be cut.  The 50+ passengers on Boat A waited in hope that they would float off of the ship.
• Many people around the area help to cut the falls, which include First Officer Murdoch, Eugene Daly, Steward Brown, Sixth Officer Moody, and others.
• The weight of all the passengers puts more strain on the falls making them easier to cut.
• Thus, the falls are able to be cut in a record time of about 13 seconds.
• Boat A becomes free of the davits while the sea is halfway submerging the boat, but due to the wave, the overfilled capacity of passengers, and the fact she was just released from the davits, she pops up from the water and nearly capsizes to starboard, dumping most of the occupants off the boat.
• Most of the dropped occupants now attempt to scramble back on, but since the boat is only 14 inches in depth, it is difficult to sit, so passengers can only stand on-top of the boat or lay on her deck.  This is still challenging since the boat is now swamped with freezing cold water.

• Boat A then drifts forward and brushes up against the starboard bridge wing (or the davits), ending up in front of the forward funnel.
• Because the boat has around 25 occupants and is swamped with icy cold water, she sags 6 inches in the sea.

• As the funnel falls, it pushes Boat A southeast 30 yards away from the ship.
• She is pushed by the same wave that pushed Boat B alongside the ship, although she was not that close to the ship.

2:17-2:18 AM

• Around this time, Boat A has drifted into her final position as Titanic breaks.
• Boat A is probably closer to Boats 9 and 11 than she is to Boat B.

3:30 AM

• As they see Carpathia in the distance, the occupants aboard her count to 3 and scream as loud as they can.

4:00 AM

• Around 17 people are rescued from Boat A by Boat 14 as they try to make way for Carpathia.
  

Notes

*My debate for those that believe she was too difficult to push:  IF THEY ARE ABLE TO PUSH HER OFF THE ROOF THEY ARE ABLE TO PUSH HER UP THE DECK!  Also, for those that believe she wasn’t attached to the davits, please restart your Titanic research from the beginning.  There are MULTIPLE accounts that said she was attached to the davits.  And for those that contradict this with Boat B, that boat, "didn't have a sailor in the crowd", according to Harold Bride.

**The main reason why some people don’t believe this happened is due to how little testimony there is from some individuals about the situation.  Don’t rely on people that were on the OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE DECK, WHEN THEY COULDN’T CLEARLY HEAR GUNSHOTS.

***The officer suicide is one of those Titanic myths that were later revealed to be true.  (For example, the men below keeping the ship running, the band playing to the end, and many other events).

• The collapsible boats in Titanic (1997) are inaccurate because:

• They have a sail and mast included.
• There are no canvas sides.
• The general shape is basically a cutter.
• The boat has a rudder while Engelhardt boats have a steering oar.

• Boat A was the only collapsible boat retrieved after the disaster.  She was discovered by the RMS Oceanic near Bermuda, some 300 miles away from the disaster area.  She had 3 corpses, a scarf, and a ring, all of which were from survivors that were on this boat.  She was later added to the rest of the 13 boats drifting in White Star Line’s New York pier.  No images of Boat A in New York are known to exist.

Gallery (Only for Website Version)

Passenger List (Recovered at Approximately 4:00 AM by Boat 14)