Name |
Lifeboat from Titanic |
Lifeboat to Carpathia |
Confidence Level |
Midtsjø, Mr Karl Albert |
?
(5 votes) 12? (4 votes) |
?
(5 votes) 12? (4 votes) |
1.00 2.50 |
On April 19, 1912, Karl wrote a
letter to his brother (On Board RMS Titanic,
page 361):
"Only a
fraction came from it alive. I can’t really say I
was afraid at all, and then not more than about 100
3rd class passengers, 210 of the crew, and the rest
first and second class were saved. But some
millionaires also went down the drain, as I have
also heard. I have lost everything I had, clothes
and money, so I don’t have anything other than what
I wearing at the moment. Yes, it is no fun being in
a little boat in the Atlantic Ocean.
Because it
was just about in the middle of the Atlantic. We lay
in the lifeboats and thought now it is their turn,
soon it is ours. Yes, it isn’t a joke when such a
big vessel is sinking."
In another letter to his brother,
unknown date, he described coming up to the first
class deck before jumping from there into a lifeboat.
"I was
calm. But you know, you hear a lot in few minutes
time. You emptied a lot of beer kegs and other kegs
to get something on which to float. When I took to
the lifeboat, there was already water in the bow.
I was afraid
that we would be sucked down, but there was no
suction. The Titanic sank quietly and calmly. There
was probably a lot of air in it. I tied life belts
around quite a few. I saw one of the other boats
capsize and the people cling to it’s keel. Some had
built sort of a raft out of what they had found and
kept afloat on those unseaworthy devices until they
froze to death or were washed overboard.
We suffered
horribly from the cold. Most were thinly clad and
many lacked shoes and clothing. One person died in
my boat, but many also died on board the Carpathia.”
Titanic: 31 Norwegian Destinies
by Per Kristian Sebak, page 79:
"Johannes
Nysveen and Karl Midtsjo had become good friends on
the journey from Southampton, and were now standing
on the boat deck. Johannes realized that the chance
of survival was very grim, so gave his coat and
valuable watch to Karl. Soon afterwards, Murdoch
asked for more competent seamen for boat 15. Karl
explained about his background, and so was permitted
to lower himself down a fall. Johannes could only
stay behind and watch."
Yet he hid in the bottom of the boat once he got in! It sounds like an interview he must have given that wasn't quite as honest as his letter. Midtsjo
may have also been in #12, as they took on board the
deceased man from collapsible B.
Midstjo's
report in another interview of someone being shot
could be based on his hearing the gunshots at boat #14
if he was in #12. Of course, that could apply to some
other boats as well.
Since we seem to have no evidence
as to #15, boat #12 might be a possibility.
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