Name
Lifeboat from Titanic
Lifeboat to Carpathia
Confidence Level
Nilsson, Miss Berta Olivia
Collapsible C
Collapsible C 3.28


The Daily Missoulian, April 29th 1912:
    "After being aroused, I was carried along with the rest of the people and there was terrible excitement and it was all very mysterious. I don’t know whether it was the first or the last that left the Titanic, but it was only about 15 minutes later that the big boat went down. We could see the lights and hear the terrible screams and cries. Just before I was put into the lifeboat, my cousin, Ed Randberg, found me. I knew there was some terrible danger, but could not realise fully then that I would never see him again. It was hard to say goodbye, but we had to part, as the shipmen were putting the women in the boats. Before I left him I gave him my lifebelt, as he had not been able to secure one.
    There were 30 women in our boat and four men, the men all being sailors. I was able to get dressed warmly and none in our boat suffered with the cold to any extent. The women were asked to help row the boat. As we left the Titanic we heard lots of shooting, but we couldn’t see what it was all about. I remember seeing an English lady playing a piano just before I was put into the lifeboat. The little boats scattered and we did not see any of the others until we were picked up by the Carpathia at 6.30 in the morning, The sea was not rough and we had no trouble with the boat."

Miss Nilsson’s description is indicative of Collapsible C - The ship sinking around 15 minutes later, shots fired, not seeing other boats after afloat, and roughly the number in it. Accounts in later life suggest a port side boat, as she stated that men were not allowed in the boats. But she also indicated that boats were lowered once full. The group felt that it was more likely that Berta was in Collapsible C than another boat, but in the absence of additional evidence, were unable to say so with more confidence.