Name
Lifeboat from Titanic
Lifeboat to Carpathia
Confidence Level
Scarrott, Mr Joseph George 14 14 5.00

 


British Inquiry
Testimony of Joseph Scarrott
   368. Did you go to any other boat? - I went to 14 boat finally, but not at first.

    381. Who was taking charge of that boat when you got there - was there anybody? - When I got there I put myself in charge as the only sailorman there. I was afterwards relieved by the Fifth Officer, Mr. Lowe.

393. Was Mr. Lowe, the Fifth Officer, also in the boat? - We were practically full up. I was taking the women in when Mr. Lowe came. There was another officer with him on the boat deck, but I do not know which one that was, and he said to this other officer: “All right, you go in that boat and I will go in this.” That would mean No. 16 boat; she was abaft us, the next boat. Mr. Lowe came in our boat. I told him that I had had a bit of trouble through the rushing business, and he said, “All right.” He pulled out his revolver and he fired two shots between the ship and the boat’s side, and issued a warning to the remainder of the men that were about there. He told them that if there was any more rushing he would use it. When he fired the two shots he fired them into the water. He asked me, “How many got into the boat?” I told him as near as I could count that that was the number, and he said to me, “Do you think the boat will stand it?” I said, “Yes, she is hanging all right.” “All right,” he said, “Lower away 14.”
    394. Was she then lowered to the water? - Yes.

    439. Now, after seeing there was no chance of rescuing passengers, what did you do; did you remain there or did you sail away in any direction, or row, or what? - Mr. Lowe ordered four of the boats to tie together by the painters. He told the men that were in charge of them, the seamen there, what the object was. He said, “If you are tied together and keep all together, if there is any passing steamer they will see a large object like that on the water quicker than they would a small one.” During the time that was going on - we intended to make fast ourselves, of course, with the four - we heard cries coming from another direction. Mr. Lowe decided to transfer the passengers that we had, so many in each boat, and then make up the full crew; it did not matter whether it was sailors or anything, and make up the full crew and go in the direction of those cries and see if we could save anybody else. The boats were made fast and the passengers were transferred, and we went away and went among the wreckage. When we got to where the cries were we were amongst hundreds, I should say, of dead bodies floating in lifebelts.

It is obvious that not only was Scarrott in #14 when she was lowered to the sea, he remained in #14 after many people were moved out to other lifeboats.  He then was one of those manning #14 when she went back into the wreckage to look for survivors.