Lifeboat Carrying Titanic Survivors

After colliding with an iceberg in the North Atlantic Ocean, R.M.S. Titanic sank on April 15, 1912. The Titanic only had enough lifeboats to carry 1,178 of the 2,225 passengers and crew to safety. Here, a group of men and women, some of the 705 survivors, float to safety aboard a lifeboat.

This photograph comes from the “In the Matter of the Petition of the Oceanic Steam Navigation Company, Limited, for Limitation of its Liability as owner of the steamship TITANIC” case that began after the sinking of the Titanic. This case was initiated to limit the liability of the Oceanic Steam Navigation Company, Ltd., for loss of life and property resulting from the sinking of the Titanic on its maiden voyage. The case file contains court papers, evidence, and claims of survivors and representatives of the deceased.