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The Coolest Survival Story: How the Titanic's Drunk Pastry Chef Survived

Madison

Whether it be because of history class or the famous James Cameron movie, most people know the basic story of the Titanic.

On April 10, 1912, RMS Titanic shipped out from Southhampton on its maiden voyage to New York. It reportedly held 1,500 passengers of all social class, plus more than 900 crew members (via National Post). On board was Charles Joughin - a 33-year-old Englishman and the ship's chief baker.

On April 14, passengers unknowingly sat down to their last meal on the Titanic.


On that evening, Joughin had created a first-class dessert menu of Waldorf pudding, peaches in Chartreuse jelly, vanilla and chocolate eclairs, and French ice cream. Hours later, the ship collided with an iceberg and against all odds, Joughin survived.


Joughin gallantly refused a seat on a lifeboat and, in fact, seemed to be in no hurry at all to leave the ship. Instead, his 'survival strategy' seemed to be based around keeping a cool head and getting extremely drunk. Supposedly Charles Joughin was in his bunk when he heard the terrifying crunch of the iceberg collision. He got his crew together and took bread and biscuits from the kitchen to stock the lifeboats, then he returned to his cabin for a stiff drink before returning to help people into boats.


Image Source: Tasting Table

It's very possible that Joughin was aware there weren't enough lifeboats for everyone on board, so he resigned to staying on the ship. As the decks had been emptied of safety vessels, he continued slugging back whiskey in his cabin, watching as water seeped into the room. He then waded up to the main deck and when the Titanic split in half, he stood at the rail beneath the stars at it sank.

Once he hit the icy cold water, he paddled for hours before he came across a lifeboat and waited until he was rescued by another boat.


So, how exactly did Charles survive when so many others panicked and drowned after hitting the freezing water? After all, alcohol does lower your temperature, so how did that not put him in a worsened position?


As well as being brave and cool-headed, Joughin was also extremely lucky. According to hypothermia expert Gordon Giesbrecht (via National Post), he hit a sweet spot where the water, at a temperature of 28 degrees Fahrenheit, was cold enough to cancel out the effects of the alcohol!

If anything, the liquor probably helped him, making him calmer so that he didn't panic and start flailing around when he hit the sea.

Joughin waited out the first 90 seconds of shock that the body enters when landing in icy ocean water, then treaded water until he was rescued. It also helps that he was possibly among the last to leave the ship and had to spend less time stranded at sea.


Charles Joughin went down in history as the drunken pastry chef who stood on the ship as it sank -and lived to tell the tale!






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