Name
Lifeboat from Titanic
Lifeboat to Carpathia
Confidence Level
Vartanian, Mr Dawud Collapsible A 14 3.13

 


The Brantford Expositor, May 2nd 1912:
    "Dawud told reporters “At the last minute we, myself and a few others, see a little boat was not touched. It was on the third deck. We all get it down. We throw it into the water, and then jump out to it. We were all foreigners, and yet none of us speak each other’s language. I start to swim. I go down twice. I come up third time. I see boat near me, and make one big swim again, catch side of boat and they pull me in.
    We had gone perhaps 20 yards when we see the steamer go down altogether. Terrible noise! And then all we can hear is shrieks and groans. Then the boiling waters they take us back into the sea. I get up top at last and start to swim. I sink again, and then come up again, see boat and make try for it. I catch it, and am in. Others in, too. We remain till it get light, and then we see another steamer coming toward us. We start to holler, and wave our rags. The steamer stop, and take us up.”

Vartanian’s grandson, Greg Vartanian, reported his grandfather’s experiences in 2009, saying, “my grandfather jumped off the fastly sinking ship swimming towards a lifeboat, but they kept slapping at his hands to keep him out and he swam furiously to stay afloat before they finally pulled him into the lifeboat. It was hours later before they were rescued by the Carpathia.”

If Vartanian was on Collapsible A, then he would have transferred to #14, as this was the only boat that took people off the collapsible.

Dawud and his family maintained that he swam from the ship, and was rescued upon a boat. This does not sound like a regular lifeboat, but one of the two damaged boats, either Collapsible A and B. He does not describe standing with men on the boat, as happened on collapsible B. Yet, his record with the Red Cross on arrival in New York, mentions no injuries.
Without additional evidence the group felt unable to place a higher level of confidence on their vote.