Name	Lifeboat from Titanic	Lifeboat to Carpathia	Confidence Level
Theissinger, Mr Alfred	Coll. A (4 votes) 11 (5 votes)	14 (4 votes) 11 (5 votes)	3.30 3.58

There is contradictory evidence about which lifeboat Bedroom Steward Alfred Theissinger was rescued in.  In the British Inquiry, Saloon Steward Charles Mackay listed Theissinger as being in boat #11:
    10782. Or of any other members of the crew that were in the boat? - Let me see. Yes, William Wilton was one.
    10783. He was a steward? - Yes. Macmicken. [A. McMicken.]
    10784. What was he? - A steward. Tessenger, [A. Thessinger.] Mr. Wheat and myself. That is all I can answer for. I cannot answer for the others because they were new men on the ship.
    10785. Was the last name you mentioned a steward, too? - Mr. Wheat was the assistant.
    10786. I thought you mentioned another name? - Tessenger. He was a bedroom steward on E deck. The other men were strangers to me; I cannot think of their names.

However, Theissinger’s own account of his rescue does not accord with this testimony.  He gave a detailed account in the Cleveland Plain Dealer on April 21, 1912.  In this, he placed himself at the aft starboard boats, stating that after arriving at the “second cabin section of the deck,” that he assisted at boat #15:
    “I aided in getting her davits swung over the side of the ship, but an officer said: ‘There is no chance for you.  I am sorry.’  The boat was lowered and rowed away.' ”

Theissinger then describes talking to Storekeeper Cyril Ricks and Bedroom Sidney Siebert near the stern, when the ship broke in half.  He then described the following:
    “Steward Siebert was the nearest person to me.  All of us had lifebelts on.  I said to Siebert: ‘Come, we had better get away and take our chance before she sinks.’ 
    I leapt into the water and he followed me.  I swam as hard as I could go and finally near me I saw a raft on which a few men were clinging.  A willing hand was extended me.  We picked up seventeen others.  A woman among these, and I must give her praise.  I wish I could remember her name.  During those two dreary hours she laughed and sang, cheering us.
    The water was up to our knees.  As we stood there, Titanic sank…Before daylight a lifeboat came near us.  We were rescued and taken aboard. Seibert was dead.”

Theissinger’s account, given shortly after the sinking, when it was less likely that he could have copied details from other survivors’ accounts, is a good match for what other survivors described about Collapsible A.  It is unclear if he was claiming to have seen Siebert dead (Siebert died in boat #4), or was simply remarking that he died. 

Theissinger’s account is completely at odds with the testimony of Mackay, who believed he was in boat #11.  We debated whether it was possible that since Theissinger himself stated he was at the aft starboard boats, that he helped load boat #11, either stepping aboard to do so or from the deck, and that Mackay simply mistook that he stayed in the boat.  The other alternative is that Theissinger made up his account about being in Collapsible A.

However, Theissinger does provide some details in his own account, which are partially corroborated elsewhere.  For example, Theissinger describes what happened to Cyril Ricks, which was largely unknown until his fate was revealed by Storekeeper Frank Prentice in his later years. 

Due to the directly contradictory versions of Theissinger’s survival (boat #11 versus Collapsible A), our team’s votes were split between whether he was rescued in either boat.