Name
Lifeboat from Titanic
Lifeboat to Carpathia
Confidence Level
Nutbeam, Mr William
4 4 4.00
Podesta, Mr John Alexander
4 4 3.28


Though our source for names says "Nutbeam", most listings have him as "Nutbean".

Western Times
April 30, 1912:
    “William Nutbean said he was ordered away in No. 4 boat. They stood off some distance while other boats were loading. The difficulty being to get people to enter the boats.”

Southern Evening Echo May 27, 1968:
    “Jack Podesta and Nutbean followed the bo'sun's orders, but found the boat they were allotted was already full, and they were ordered to help lower it. Left alone, Nutbean started to walk towards the bridge, while Mr. Podesta groped around, looking for something to make a raft. Nutbean discovered another lifeboat under the bridge and the Chief Officer, Mr. Murdock, told them to jump in.”

Titanic Commutator, issue 7, “I Survived the Titanic Disaster” by John Podesta, Dec 1964:
    “We (Podesta & Nutbeam) saw on the crew’s boat list that we were in Lifeboat Number 7 (Starboard Side).  So, up we went into the dark Boat Deck and we found Lifeboat Number 7, but it was full.  The officer in charge there ordered us to help lower the boat, so the few of us who were there lowered it down into the water.  Just after we were alone, we said ‘What are we going to do now?’  Nutbean started to walk toward the bridge.  I began groping around for something to throw overboard for us, when Nutbean called ‘Jack, come here.’  I was to join him and he said ‘Look, there’s a boat along there under the bridge.’  We walked up to it and saw Chief Officer Murdock.  He said to us, ‘Who are you two?’
     We replied that we were Firemen and he told us to jump into the boat – we were very thankful to him for saving our lives.  He also asked ‘Where is everybody, there is no one about?’  Seeing no-one else, he added, ‘You had better lower yourself down’.  There were about three able seamen in the boat and we two Firemen – the rest were passengers (including women and children) 72 in all.  So we took hold of the rope falls and lowered ourselves to the water."

Our discussions included how Nutbeam was distinct in saying he was in boat 4. Podesta’s 1960s accounts were confused by saying the two were assigned to boat 7, but they arrived and were asked to help lower the boat. He made it sound as though their entering a boat happened shortly after. However the rest of the details seemed to indicate boat 4, especially when he said Nutbeam said there was still a boat “under the bridge”, which number 4 was boarded from A Deck forward. 
It must be noted that Murdoch was not loading #4, but Lightoller.  Also, Podesta does not mention picking anyone up from the water, which we know #4 did.  Nor does he mention meeting up with the rest of the boats brought together by Fifth Officer Lowe.

Enough discrepencies exist in the accounts to make the team hesitant about being sure of their placement, but we have to lean toward Nutbeam's direct statement he was in #4.