How a baker survived the Titanic sinking by getting really drunk

Monday, April 15th, 2019 marks the 107th anniversary of the sinking of the RMS Titanic 500 kilometres southeast of Newfoundland. Below, a repost of a 2017 feature about one of the disaster’s most unlikely survivors: Chief baker Charles Joughin.

They were supposed to be figuring out how the world’s largest ocean liner had sunk.

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But instead, one of the members of the British Titanic inquiry was grilling a survivor on how tipsy he’d been at the time of the disaster.

“This is very important,” said the questioner, shushing the wigged Wreck Commissioner when asked the purpose of this booze-related interrogation. “I think his getting a drink had a lot to do with saving his life.”

Before the inquiry sat Charles Joughin, the chief baker of the RMS Titanic and one of the most remarkable survival stories of that fateful night.

The baker had nonchalantly stepped off the stern of the sinking liner. Then, as 1,500 screaming, panicked souls drowned and froze to death around him, Joughin calmly paddled around until dawn. After being fished out by a lifeboat, he was back at work within days.

elfratar on July 26th, 2020 at 10:14 UTC »

Joughin rounded up the kitchen staff and instructed them to stock the lifeboats with provisions, such as bread and biscuits. Then he returned to his cabin for a couple of good, stiff drinks, before returning topside to help toss terrified passengers into lifeboats. After that, he returned to his cabin again and downed another drink.

Science tells us that a drunk man will freeze to death faster than a sober man. One reason: vasodilation, or the dilation of blood vessels, which sends warm blood rushing to the surface of the skin, away from the vital organs, increasing a person’s risk of hypothermia.

But the water temperature of the North Atlantic (reportedly -2 C) was cold enough to cause Joughin’s blood vessels to constrict and, therefore, counterbalance the effect of the booze. What’s more, because of his inebriated condition, Joughin was relaxed and, well, feeling no pain. Unlike the 1,500 panicky passengers, who were wildly thrashing about in the water and hyperventilating (thus speeding up the loss of body temperature, causing them to freeze to death or drown), Joughin was able to keep his wits about him.

”To alcohol! The cause of... and solution to... all of life's problems.”

EnduringDarkRiver on July 26th, 2020 at 07:53 UTC »

That's what you do with a drunken sailor!

a_random_muffin on July 26th, 2020 at 07:36 UTC »

"so how did you survive?"

shrugs "i was drunk"