Died: December 9, 1956, age 78 in Paterson New Jersey
Collapsible Lifeboat “B"
Married Twice: in 1906 to Louise Woodward until her death in 1919, three children; in 1920 to Annie Eleanor Ripley Coll until her death 1943
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| Charles Joughin, Chief Baker |
Charles Joughin was the son of Ellen Crombleholme Joughin (1850-1938) and John Joughin, a licensed victualler (landlord of rental real estate). He had four siblings and two half siblings. His father died in 1886 shortly after his youngest son was born, leaving his mother with six children ages 2 to 14. She became a nurse and later was a manager of a coffee shop.
At age 11, Charles went to sea and was hired by the White Star Line. He never enjoyed a growth spurt like his brothers and remained at 5 foot 3 inches in height. In 1901, he was listed as a baker on the Majestic, a White Star Line ship.
His two brothers, Robert and Theodore were in the Royal Navy. Theodore died from a fall at age 16 while serving on the HMS Cornwallis on March 1, 1915 and was buried at sea. In time Charles moved up to the position of baker on White Star Line ships.
On November 17, 1906, Charles married Louise Woodward (born July 11, 1879). Her father was a ship steward and was often away at sea. Charles and Louise had three children: Agnes Lillian - born in 1907, Roland Ernest - born in 1909.
As an employee of the White Star Line, Charles had to accept a transfer to any of their ships as needed. In 1911 when the RMS Olympic was launched with Captain Edward Smith at the helm, Charles was requested to be the Chief Baker. On June 14, 1911, the RMS Olympic made its maiden voyage. On September 20, 1911, the Olympic was in a collision with the HMS Hawke and was sent back to Harland and Wolff builders for repairs. Because the shipbuilder often cannibalized their other ships for parts, they took the parts they needed from Titanic which was still being built. This delayed the Titanic's maiden voyage.
On April 1, 1912, he signed on the Titanic as Chief Baker at a salary of £12, the highest paid of the victuals crew, managing 13 galley crew members. He was present for the maiden voyage on April 10 and for the narrow escape of a collision with the SS New York when Titanic was leaving Southampton. The force of Titanic's propellers caused the New York to come loose from her moors and was very close to being sucked under Titanic's hull.
On April 14, 1912 at 11:40pm ship's time, Charles Joughin was off duty and asleep in his cabin, which was next to the turbine engine on the port side of the ship. The force of hitting the iceberg woke him up. He left his cabin to see what was going on and learned that word was quickly being passed through the crew that the officers were getting lifeboats ready to launch. His assignment, per the duty roster, was to captain Lifeboat #10, but at the moment, his concern was making sure the lifeboats had provisions in them, then he would report to his assigned station.
Charles roused the 13 men on his staff and began to put together four loaves of bread for each of the lifeboats. By 12:15 am, he handed each of the 13 men the four loaves of bread, sent them up to the boat deck with directions to place them in each of the lifeboats.
After they were successfully dispatched to the boat deck, Charles said he went back to his cabin for a drink. He was known to enjoy a nip or two throughout the day but he maintained in his testimony that he was never drunk.
At 12:30am he returned to the deck to his assigned lifeboat station #10 which was being supervised by Chief Officer Henry Wilde. He was told to help the stewards load the women and children into lifeboats. The men kissed their wives and children goodbye assuring them they'd see them soon.
The band was playing which went a long way to maintaining the calm while loading the lifeboats. The only disruption in the process was Officer Henry Wilde who kept shouting for the stewards to keep the men back, because only women and children were being loaded. Once they were safely off the ship, then the men would get in the remaining lifeboats. Wilde's shouting was all for nothing because the men were already calm, presenting a good front for the women. It was the women who were afraid of getting in the lifeboats, as some women didn’t want to leave their husbands, and others said they believed it was safer to stay on board the Titanic.
Charles testified at the British Wreck Commissioner’s Inquiry that when there were no women or children waiting on deck to get into the lifeboats, many half full boats were lowered to the sea. It was his impression that the officers were lowering the lifeboats as if they expected them to come back for refilling when there was no chance of that. When the ship listed to one side, Lifeboat #10 swayed out from the side of the ship about five feet and Officer Wilde ordered the crew to forcibly put women and children into the boats.
Charles Joughin and the other crew members went to A deck to tell any remaining women to go up to the boat deck. Charles was a baker, not an experienced seaman so when Officer Wilde ordered three other seamen to man Lifeboat #10, Charles let it go and assisted in lowering Lifeboat #10.
When it was safely in the water, he went back to his cabin for “a tumbler of liquor” and found the lower levels of their quarters flooded with seawater. Thinking that the lifeboats were all gone, he returned to A deck and recklessly threw about 50 deck chairs overboard for anyone to hold on to when they jumped in the water.
Charles said he went to the pantry on A deck for a glass of water, and heard a booming crash that sounded like twisting metal. The furnace crewmen stopped shoveling coal and abandoned their stations. When the ship listed again preparing to sink, Charles quickly left the pantry and ran to the poop deck with others who were in line to get off the ship. Again officers kept the men back, following the "women and children order" as the only order. When the ship lurched to the starboard side, the crowd shifted and Charles was able to pass them to jump up on the starboard side rails. When the ship was almost vertical, he jumped off the rails aiming far out, away from the ship, to avoid being dragged under the hull of the ship as it went down. He claimed to be the last survivor to leave Titanic.
Oblivious to the cold, probably because of all the booze he drank, he testified that he alternated swimming and treading water for nearly two hours until daybreak, when he found Collapsible Lifeboat “B" with Second Officer Charles Lightoller and 25 men. However he found that it was half full of water and he was told there was no room for him. His cook, Isaac Maynard, was in the lifeboat and recognized him. He held on to his hand while Charles clung to the side of the boat until another lifeboat rescued him. His only injury was swollen feet. It’s a good guess that the alcohol in his system prevented hypothermia because alcohol raises his body temperature. Years later, Charles maintained that although he like to drink, he was not drunk that night and was in full possession of his faculties.
He was rescued by the RMS Carpathia and returned to England on the Lapland. On May 10, 1912, he testified at the British Wreck Commissioner’s Inquiry. They learned that Charles Joughin had some past experience with sinking ships. In 1886, he was aboard the Oregon, owned by the Cunard Line, when it sank about 18 miles south of Long Island, New York.
But the Titanic would not be the last sinking ship in his career.
When Charles returned home from Titanic, he continued to work as a baker for the White Star Line, assigned to the RMS Olympic.
World War I broke out in 1914 and Charles was serving with the marine fleet. On September 14, 1916, he was serving as a baker on the SS Congress going from San Francisco to Seattle. When they were about 50 miles from shore, a fire started in one of the holds and spread throughout the ship. The captain beached the vessel, the crew escaped in lifeboats and the ship was destroyed but no one died. Charles fell into the water when his footing missed the lifeboat but he was unhurt.
In 1919, his wife Louise gave birth to their third child, Richard. Two weeks later, she died of complications of childbirth and the child died soon after Louise.
In 1920, he was in a deep state of grief. He left his two children, ages 10 and 13, with his spinster sister Agnes in Liverpool and he moved to the United States, settling in Paterson, New Jersey. He became a US Citizen in June 1930. Now as a seaman and an American citizen, he qualified for a seaman’s passport. He signed on to the ship, American Banker.
On September 10, 1925, Charles married Annie Eleanor “Nell” Coll who arrived in the United States in 1888. She was twice a widow and had one daughter born in 1891. Charles moved into the home she had lived in for many years and sent for his two children to join them.
After World War I, Charles rejoined the Merchant navy and worked as a baker on dozens of ships such as the Baltic (1919), the Frankfurt (1919), the Fort Victoria (1920-21), the American Trader (1928-1939), the City of Los Angeles (1940) and the US freighter, the SS Oregon.
On December 10, 1941, Charles survived the sinking of the US Freighter Oregon when the ship was accidentally rammed by the USS New Mexico. It went down just south of Nantucket Lighthouse. Seventeen people died.
On April 22, 1943, Charles was widowed for a second time when his wife Annie died at age 74. He was inconsolable and never got over the loss.
Charles Joughin's last assignment was on World War II transport ships. He retired in 1944.
In 1954, Charles was contacted by Walter Lord, the author of the book “A Night to Remember” which was later made into a movie. When Lord was writing the book, he communicated often with Charles about his experiences on Titanic. The book was published in 1955, followed by the Hollywood movie in 1958, however Charles didn't live to see it.
Charles Joughin died on December 9, 1956 and was buried with his second wife in Paterson NJ. His estate was divided between his daughter Agnes and step-daughter Rose.
His daughter Agnes, born in 1907, married in 1936 to George Horner but was widowed in 1972. She died on November 25, 1973 at the age of 66.
His son Roland, born in 1909 chose a life at sea and reached the rank of Chief Steward. He never married and died on August 2, 1955 at the age of 48.
Rose, his step-daughter, born in 1891, married Henry Stoehr in 1927. She died in Paterson in April 1971 at the age of 80.
Even though Charles Joughin had many other jobs after Titanic, his death certificate shows his occupation as "Baker on Titanic."
Interesting Reading
Archie Jewell -Titanic Lookout
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