Real Titanic Survivor Stories That Will Shock You

April 14, 1912. The unsinkable Titanic has struck an iceberg and you know what happens next.
But you might not know that one of the passengers, the ship’s chief baker, defied death that night. This heroic man refused to get on one of the lifeboats, instead making sure women and children were saved. When the ship finally plunged into the water, he rode it down, in his own words, as if it was an “elevator.” But how did his story survive? Check out today's epic new video to find out!

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[ryanjohnson]

The scariest thing that never gets portrayed accurately is how dark it was that night and how you really couldn’t see anything once the lights went out……makes the horror even worse

[redacted]

The drunk baker story is my favorite, remaining calm saved his life. Glad he died at an old age and got to enjoy the rest of his life.

[AG_]

I love how the Japanese man chose life because choosing his family was his greatest Honor. Plus, that letter is now part of history, for the ones who hated on him no longer exist.

[Resimaster]

There was also the sad story of a woman and her two daughters who met a crewman, but she didn't have a life jacket. The crewman took them down to his cabin and put his own life jacket on her saying "There, madam. If you're saved, please pray for me."

[spoonfedfitness]

Salute to that Japanese man. I don’t blame him. It’s sad he had to live his life that way. I hope he found happiness an peace before his death.

[anyaaa]

I'll never understand why people were shaming survivors FOR SURVIVING.

[YourEveryDayAsian]

Imagine how terrifying it must’ve been seeing the entire mass of a ship sinking before your eyes knowing that you’re one of the few that made it out alive.

[theconqueringram]

I feel bad for that guy who was shamed after surviving. I mean, for one thing, he wrote an important record about what happened almost immediately after the event. Plus, let's face it, when in a similar situation most of us would do the same thing. We only get one life, might as well do everything we can to survive. It's human nature.

[GrizzlyCompany]

It amazes me how people were shamed for wanting to survive. It's easy to accuse others of cowardice when you weren't there.

[williamfischer]

I couldn’t imagine surviving something like the Titanic sinking. The amount of PTSD that an individual would have, you would probably relive it everyday for the rest of your life.

[jaydahome-teillarddeyry]

My great great uncle was a survivor on the Titanic. He was on the same lifeboat at Molly Brown. My grandpa used to tell us stories about what his uncle told him happened that night.

[Senerian]

I heard a story, that was in the paper some years later after the sinking. When it was either NY Yankees or Boston Red soxs, but a survivor lived close to one of these teams ballpark at the time. They said hearing the cheers and yells of the crowd during the games, would remind them of the people in the water screaming in the dark. When I read that I thought that most of the survivors suffered from PTSD from the event and there was no treatment or even acknowledgment of this condition back then.

[samueldavis]

To me the most heartbreaking thing about this is the relationships and families torn apart. The horror of leaving your partner or father on the ship knowing they're about to die horribly, or being the person that stayed behind waiting for that death. Such a tragedy

[christiprice]

Imagine how dark it must have been. Dark and cold and the eerie sounds of the sea swallowing the ship

[luckymax]

The elderly couple mentioned at 18:46 may have been Isidor and Ida Straus, an elderly American couple (Isidor was co-owner of Macy's department store). Reportedly Isidor was offered a place on a lifeboat due to his age, but refused because there were still women and children left to board. Ida then also refused her place and is reported as saying 'Where you go, I go.' Instead, Ida gave her maid her fur coat and got her onto a lifeboat safely. They were last seen on the deck together.

[guiramos]

It’s hard to imagine what those people really witnessed and went through… as horrifying as the sinking itself must’ve been, the complete darkness enveloped by screams in cold open waters must’ve been far worse, a real nightmare

[Truthseeker-kcrd]

How can someone go and visit the wreckage as a tour is beyond me. All these stories are so painful and sad. One should have certain decency and respect.

[marymaxine]

If you watch the 1997 movie, the baker is next to Rose and Jack riding the ship down. He even takes a sip from a flask!

[gamesmoney]

Oh please. The Japanese guy made the right decision. Just because he's a man he's supposed to die? Please. The lifeboats weren't even filled up

[brokenbridge]

Fun Fact: In a documentary I saw someone tried to reenact the sighting of the Ice Berg in the same exact conditions the lookout was facing and using binoculars. The type used in that time. And they discovered that they wouldn't have helped much. They would've needed some search lights illuminating the dark to really see the iceberg.