How Many People Survived the Titanic Disaster?

Of the 2,223 passengers on the legendary Titanic, only 706 survived. Titanic survivors are a very interesting concept because of the large population of men who were lost during the sinking of the Titanic.

Most everyone has heard of the idea of ‘women and children first’, and this was strictly enforced during the Titanic tragedy. Another old adage of ‘going down with the ship’, was also something that was easily recognizable during the sinking of the Titanic. Class also played a part in who would survive and who would be lost in the tragedy as well. Many different factors all contributed to the number of Titanic survivors as well as the strange and tragic tale of the largest peacetime maritime disaster in history.

The largest percentage of survivors was women and children in first and second class. Many accommodations and being closer to the deck allowed these individuals to make a quick escape to the lifeboats which were in short supply. A locked gate separating second and third class made it more difficult for those in third class to reach the deck while there was still sufficient lifeboat space. Men in third class experienced the largest fatality rate. Only about 20% of men on the ship itself survived, and of the 1,517 fatalities on the ship, 1,347 were men. Most of the crew was also lost during the sinking of the Titanic. Out of the 899 crew members on board, 685 went down with the ship.

Titanic survivors were mostly men and women. About 74% of the women survived as did about 52% of the children. All the children from first and second class survived, while most of the loss of child life came from third class. The Titanic had the capacity to hold 32 lifeboats, but this was not mandatory under maritime law of the time. As far as the Titanic was concerned, the 20 lifeboats aboard the Titanic were actually exceeding regulation.

The Titanic was a marvel of its time and used what was thought to be of the utmost quality and craftsmanship; she was thought to be virtually unsinkable. There was also a problem with deploying lifeboats that weren’t at full capacity. Many lifeboats were lost during the sinking of the Titanic, but there were also many that were deployed while only half full or less.

Many who survived the Titanic disaster had come forward after the event and described the horror that it entailed. The last surviving member of the Titanic died in March of 2009, and thus there are no survivors that had experienced the legendary vessel.

Much investigation has been put into the stories of the survivors as well as evidence collected from the Titanic wreck to ensure that an event like this doesn’t happen again. The 100th anniversary of the Titanic sinking is quickly approaching as the world will remember those lost in the Titanic wreck and the survivors who were brave enough to tell their story.