Who are the 11 real passengers whose tragic stories are told in the movie Titanic?

The famous 1997 movie Titanic, while dealing with one of the most terrible disasters in history, also brought the story of many real-life passengers to the big screen. Directed by James Cameron and starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, this movie managed to fascinate the audience. However, there is a fact that many of us are perhaps not aware of. The stories of some of the people we see in the movie are actually based on people who got on the Titanic and lived that terrible night. In this article, we'll explore the 11 real passengers from the movie Titanic and take a look at their stories.

1. Margaret Brown

Known as a philanthropist and activist, Margaret Brown was one of the Titanic's passengers. Margaret was known for her dedication and compassion for others. You remember the scene in the movie where he gives Jack his son's suit. She has done much more than that in real life, making heroic efforts to guide passengers aboard the rescue boats and disregarding her own safety until the last minute. Even after she was rescued by the ocean liner Carpathia, Margaret formed several committees to offer financial and psychological support to the survivors. As a result of all this help, she was given the name "Unsinkable Molly Brown".

2. Captain Edward Smith

The captain of the Titanic, Edward Smith, came from a working family. He began his career as an apprentice in 1867 and left school at the age of 13. In the following periods, he continued his career by working on ships. During the Titanic's voyage, he had been at sea for over 40 years as the White Star Line's most experienced captain. The Titanic's ill-fated voyage would be its last before retiring.

3. J. Bruce Ismay

Joseph Bruce Ismay was president and director of White Star Line. He was planning to stay ahead of his competitors by having the flamboyant and unique Titanic built. He had made the controversial decision to reduce the number of lifeboats on board from 48 to 16. After escaping the ship, he faced public backlash for abandoning the women and children on the ship. People said he was a 'coward', that adjective stuck on Ismay forever. This is how the character is portrayed in the movie.

4. Thomas Andrews

Thomas Andrews, who designed the Titanic, participated in the ship's first and last voyage. After the Titanic hit the iceberg, Andrews was one of the few people who noticed that the ship was sinking. Andrews assisted passengers who wanted to board the lifeboats. He personally checked the cabins, told people to put on life jackets, and took them to the deck. Despite his valiant efforts, Andrews, along with the Titanic, sank into the deep waters of the ocean.

5. John Jacob Astor

John Jacob Astor was one of the Titanic's first-class passengers. He was a member of the American millionaire Astor family and a colonel who served in the Spanish-American War. Astor is considered the wealthiest passenger on the Titanic and was among the wealthiest people in the world at the time. When he died on the day of the disaster, he had a fortune of approximately 87 million dollars. This amount was equivalent to $2.44 billion in 2021. Now it's probably much more.

6. William McMaster Murdoch

William Murdoch was an officer and experienced sailor on the Titanic. He was on deck on the day of the disaster. Although he tried to avoid the collision, the iceberg was spotted late. The crew had only 37 seconds to react before the crash. James Cameron's portrayal of Murdoch in the film has sparked controversy. Murdoch's nephew said the character was complex and ambiguous. Thereupon, the filmmakers visited Murdoch's hometown and donated to a foundation established in his memory.

7. Frederick Fleet

There were two people who were in charge of watching the sea the night the Titanic sank. One of them was a young man named Frederick Fleet. After surviving the ship, she testified before the American and British commissions investigating the disaster. He claimed that he was not given binoculars during the trip, otherwise, the iceberg would have been noticed much earlier. Despite Fleet's testimony, some experts felt that binoculars wouldn't work at night, either.

8. Madeleine Force

Madeleine Force, who was 18 at the time of the trip, was the wife of John Jacob Astor. From Cherbourg, France, her husband was aboard the Titanic as a first-class passenger with her husband's butler, Victor Robbins, her maid, Rosalie Bidois, and her nurse, Caroline Endres. She was also with Astor's Airedale dog, Kitty. Madeleine was five months pregnant when she boarded the ship. She was also one of the lucky survivors that day.

9. Charles Lightoller

Charles Lightoller was the first captain of the Titanic. He managed to escape by jumping before the ship sank and survived by clinging to an upturned boat. He was the highest-ranking person who survived the disaster. After the accident, Lightoller worked on improving passenger safety measures on ships. His proposals included important changes such as increasing the number of lifeboats, providing training in their use, providing 24-hour radio communications with other ships, and transmitting warnings about dangerous weather conditions. His efforts have helped shape passenger transport standards today.

10. Archibald Gracie IV

Archibald Gracie IV was a distinguished writer and was a first-class passenger on the Titanic. As the ship sank, Gracie assisted Lightoller in evacuating the women and children. He later escaped in an inverted boat but suffered from hypothermia, and his health was severely damaged. Despite this, Gracie decided to document what happened that night. Back in New York, he began to write a memoir describing his experiences on the Titanic. This article later became a valuable resource for historians and researchers who wanted to understand the disaster. Sadly, Gracie passed away from complications of diabetes just eight months after the disaster.

11. Wallace Hartley

Do you remember the scene where the orchestra kept playing as the Titanic sank? As impossible as it may seem, it really did happen. Wallace Hartley was the ship's conductor, and after the collision with the iceberg, he and other musicians started playing music to calm the passengers. According to numerous witnesses, the orchestra continued to play until the ship sank. All the musicians died. In 2006, the musician's violin was found. Behind it was a message from Hartley's fiancee, Maria. 'To Wallace to celebrate our engagement, from Maria.'

Photo at top of page: Frederick Fleet.