Key facts about Lifeboat 4
- Boat 4 was prepared early but delayed when the enclosed A Deck promenade prevented easy loading.
- Many first class women and children waited near the boat, including Madeleine Astor, Marian Thayer and Eleanor Widener.
- John Jacob Astor was not allowed to accompany his pregnant wife.
- Quartermaster Walter Perkis said the boat recovered eight men from the water; two died in the boat.
- Boat 4 later accepted transfers from Boat 14 and helped empty Collapsible B.
- Its final complement was far higher than its launch complement.
Titanic Lifeboat 4 timeline
The sequence separates launch occupants from later rescues and transfers.
| Stage | What happened | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Lowered to A Deck | The boat was sent down from the Boat Deck to collect passengers at A Deck. | This plan assumed access through the promenade. |
| Windows obstruct loading | Enclosed windows could not be opened as expected. | The boat waited while officers and passengers sought another arrangement. |
| First class families gather | Astor, Thayer, Widener, Ryerson and Carter family members waited nearby. | Several husbands remained behind. |
| Women and children board | Passengers entered under strict port-side priority. | John Ryerson, age thirteen, was eventually allowed in. |
| Final lowering | Boat 4 left late with roughly thirty people. | It was the last standard boat lowered from the port side. |
| Perkis joins | Walter Perkis descended by a line when the crew called for another hand. | He then took practical charge in the water. |
| Swimmers recovered | The boat pulled eight men from the sea near the sinking. | Two died from cold after being brought aboard. |
| Boat 14 transfers | Boat 4 accepted several passengers when Lowe emptied Boat 14. | Its occupant total increased before dawn. |
| Collapsible B | Boat 4 and Boat 12 responded to Lightoller’s whistle. | They removed the remaining people from the overturned craft. |
| Carpathia | Boat 4 reached the rescue ship late with perhaps fifty-five living people. | It had become one of the most crowded boats by the end of the night. |
Times and occupant totals remain approximate because the boats were not formally manifested and witnesses used different clocks.
Lifeboat 4: claims and evidence
Popular retellings often compress disputed testimony into one dramatic version.
| Popular claim | Verdict | What the evidence shows |
|---|---|---|
| Boat 4 launched early because it was lowered early. | False | It was lowered toward A Deck but delayed and left late. |
| Only first class women were aboard. | False | First class passengers dominated, but second class passengers and crew were also present. |
| Boat 4 did not return toward the wreck. | Misleading | It remained close enough to recover eight swimmers soon after the sinking. |
| All eight recovered men survived. | False | Two died in the boat. |
| The boat reached Carpathia with only its launch occupants. | False | It accepted transfers from Boat 14 and Collapsible B. |
Where sources disagree, the page labels the uncertainty instead of forcing a single precise claim.
Lifeboat 4 qualified occupant list
The roster records identified launch occupants and swimmers recovered soon after the sinking. Later transfers from Boats 14 and B are discussed separately because individual names are not always certain.
Estimated complement: About 30 at launch; roughly 55 living people by Carpathia after rescues and transfers
| Name | Role | Evidence | How aboard | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Madeleine Talmage Astor | First class passenger | Confirmed | At launch | |
| Rosalie Bidois | First class maid | Confirmed | At launch | |
| Grace Scott Bowen | First class governess | Confirmed | At launch | |
| Caroline Lane Brown | First class passenger | Probable | At launch | |
| Lucile Carter | First class passenger | Confirmed | At launch | |
| Lucile Polk Carter | First class child passenger | Confirmed | At launch | |
| William Thornton Carter II | First class child passenger | Confirmed | At launch | |
| Victorine Chaudanson | First class maid | Confirmed | At launch | |
| Virginia Estelle Clark | First class passenger | Confirmed | At launch | |
| Florence Briggs Cumings | First class passenger | Confirmed | At launch | |
| Caroline Louise Endres | Passenger | Confirmed | At launch | |
| Elizabeth Mussey Eustis | First class passenger | Confirmed | At launch | |
| Margaret Fleming | Passenger | Confirmed | At launch | |
| Amalie Henriette Gieger | Maid | Confirmed | At launch | |
| Ida Sophia Hippach | First class passenger | Confirmed | At launch | |
| Gertrude Isabelle Hippach | First class passenger | Confirmed | At launch | |
| Emily Maria Ryerson | First class passenger | Confirmed | At launch | |
| Emily Borie Ryerson | First class passenger | Confirmed | At launch | |
| Susan Parker Ryerson | First class passenger | Confirmed | At launch | |
| John Borie Ryerson | First class child passenger | Confirmed | At launch | |
| Augusta Jeanne Serreplaà | Maid | Confirmed | At launch | |
| Martha Stephenson | Passenger | Confirmed | At launch | |
| Marian Longstreth Thayer | First class passenger | Confirmed | At launch | |
| Eleanor Widener | First class passenger | Confirmed | At launch | |
| Walter John Perkis | Quartermaster, in charge | Confirmed | At launch | |
| John Foley | Crew | Confirmed | At launch | |
| William McCarthy | Crew | Confirmed | At launch | |
| Thomas Ranger | Crew | Confirmed | At launch | |
| Alfred Albert White | Crew | Confirmed | Rescued from water | |
| Thomas Patrick Dillon | Crew | Confirmed | Rescued from water | |
| Frederick William Scott | Crew | Confirmed | Rescued from water | |
| Samuel Ernest Hemming | Lamp trimmer | Confirmed | Rescued from water | |
| Frank Winnold Prentice | Storekeeper | Confirmed | Rescued from water | |
| Andrew Orr Cunningham | Crew | Confirmed | Rescued from water | |
| William Lyons | Crew | Confirmed | Rescued from water | Died in the boat after recovery. |
| Sidney Siebert | Crew | Confirmed | Rescued from water | Died in the boat after recovery. |
| Survivors transferred from Lifeboat 14 | Passengers and crew | Confirmed | Transferred later | About five or six people were accepted when Lowe emptied Boat 14 for the return search. |
| Survivors transferred from Collapsible B | Passengers and crew | Confirmed | Transferred later | Boat 4 and Boat 12 removed the people remaining on the overturned collapsible near dawn. |
What happened to Titanic Lifeboat 4?
Boat 4 was lowered toward A Deck before several other port-side boats, but enclosed promenade windows delayed loading. It finally left near the end of the evacuation with about thirty people, remained relatively close and recovered eight men from the water after the sinking.
Later it accepted passengers transferred from Boat 14 and helped remove survivors from Collapsible B, reaching Carpathia with a much larger complement than it had at launch.
Why the A Deck windows delayed Lifeboat 4
The evacuation plan called for some boats to load from the lower promenade after being lowered from the Boat Deck. Titanic’s A Deck promenade was partly enclosed, and the windows did not provide the easy access expected.
The delay left passengers waiting while the ship sank lower. It also shows how a theoretical boat plan could fail when crew had not practised the exact route and equipment.
The Astor, Thayer, Widener and Ryerson families
Several prominent families were separated at Boat 4. John Jacob Astor asked to accompany his pregnant wife Madeleine but was refused. Marian Thayer and Eleanor Widener left husbands and adult sons behind. Emily Ryerson entered with her children after a dispute over whether thirteen-year-old John was still a child.
These stories made Boat 4 one of the most documented first class boats, but the roster also includes maids, crew and less famous passengers.
The eight swimmers recovered after the sinking
Perkis told the American inquiry that Boat 4 picked up eight men wearing life preservers about a ship’s length away. Named reconstructions identify Alfred White, Thomas Dillon, Frederick Scott, Samuel Hemming, Frank Prentice, Andrew Cunningham, William Lyons and Sidney Siebert.
Lyons and Siebert died in the boat. The episode makes Boat 4, alongside Boat 14, central to the question of which lifeboats helped people in the water.
Why Boat 4’s final total was much higher
When Harold Lowe prepared Boat 14 to return, Boat 4 accepted several of its passengers. Near dawn, Boat 4 and Boat 12 also removed people from Collapsible B.
A person’s launch boat and rescue boat can therefore differ. The roster below identifies launch occupants and swimmers, while later group transfers are recorded separately when exact names cannot be assigned safely.
Walter Perkis and the inquiry evidence
Perkis was a quartermaster and one of the crew members able to explain Boat 4’s movements in detail. His testimony gives the clearest primary count of eight people recovered and two deaths.
His evidence is more useful than later summaries that simply say Boat 4 returned. The boat operated close to the wreck, recovered swimmers and later responded to the overturned collapsible.
Sources for Lifeboat 4
Official inquiry testimony is prioritized for actions and decisions. Specialist roster research is used for names and is clearly separated from estimated totals.
- United States inquiry: Walter Perkis testimony Primary evidence for the lowering and the eight swimmers recovered.
- Encyclopedia Titanica: Lifeboat 4 Specialist reconstruction of launch occupants, swimmers and later transfers.
- British inquiry report: account of the boats Official overview of Titanic’s boats and evacuation.
Continue the lifeboat and survivor stories
Frequently asked questions
Who was in charge of Lifeboat 4?
Quartermaster Walter Perkis took practical charge.
How many people were aboard at launch?
About thirty, though estimates vary.
Why was Boat 4 delayed?
It was lowered toward A Deck, but enclosed promenade windows complicated loading.
Was Madeleine Astor in Boat 4?
Yes. She survived while her husband John Jacob Astor remained aboard.
How many swimmers did Boat 4 recover?
Perkis testified that eight were pulled from the water.
Did all eight survive?
No. William Lyons and Sidney Siebert died in the boat.
Did Boat 4 help Collapsible B?
Yes. Boat 4 and Boat 12 removed survivors near dawn.
How many reached Carpathia in Boat 4?
Perhaps about fifty-five living people after transfers, much more than the launch complement.