13/05/2026
The year is 1912. 114 years ago today. The RMS Oceanic is on a normal Transatlantic route from Southhampton to New York. But this can hardly be called a normal day.
Just one month prior, 1,514 people died when the Oceanic's sister ship sank. The Titanic had struck an iceberg 370 miles southeast of Newfoundland, and descended catastrophically into the frigid North Atlantic.
The rescue mission had long been called off, but tragedy was still thick on the sea air. And as the Oceanic approached the site where its sister perished, a ghost appeared on the horizon: A lifeboat.
In the minds of a crewman or two, there was a flash of hope as the first half of the word "lifeboat" bounced around the bridge: "Life. Life. Life."
But reality set in just as fast. This was not a lifeboat, but a hearse. The Collapsible A had indeed saved the lives of many, discharging survivors onto the Carpathia on April 15th, 1912. But the dead remained.
“Two sailors could be seen," recalled one Oceanic passenger. "Their hair bleached by exposure to salt and sun, and a third figure wearing evening dress lying flat on the benches.”
The crew of the Oceanic collected the dead that were delivered to them by wind, currents, and fate. They wrapped the bodies with dignity, and buried the three at sea.
The lifeboat, on the other hand, was lifted onto the deck of the Oceanic and brought to land.