The Violet Jessop Story

The Violet Jessop Story

Suzanne Marsh

In 1908, I finally found a position on the RMS Majestic, although I did not get the position I wanted, this will do. It is an Atlantic run, but it will help put meat on Mother’s table.

The weather is cold on this Atlantic run, so I cleaned cabins in my winter coat. Third class, I walked the deck; there was ice everywhere. I am hoping to transfer to the RMS Olympic in a few months.

It is a larger ship than the Majestic. The captain is Edward Smith. I understand he is quite good.

I simply have not had the time to write. I was transferred to Olympic, it is a huge ship, it took me quite a while to learn to lay of the ship.

September 20th, 1911

The Olympic was traveling from Solent when the HMS Hawke collided with the RMS Olympic. The RMS Olympic has a large hole in her side below the water line; she is unsinkable! I was rather concerned until HMS Hawke pulled away from the Olympic. I am relieved everyone is safe, including my special passengers I have been assigned. The RMS Olympic is huge compared to the RMS Majestic. There are more staircases and more suites. Captain Edward Smith is a very competent man, with years of service to White Star; they say he is the “Commodore of the line.” I wonder which ship he will be transferred to next. The White Star Line advertises that their ships are “unsinkable”, which is comforting, especially after the RMS Olympic collision with the HMS Hawke.

Every day life on board the Olympic is very comfortable even for the stewards and stewardesses like myself. We are in port presently, for repairs, and an Irish gentleman by the name of Thomas Andrews is speaking to us to find out what would make things more comfortable for us. He seems an exceptional man of good quality. Perhaps I will transfer when the newest ship of the White Star Line goes on its maiden voyage. I am hoping I can transfer, since the size of the Titanic is such a large ship, and after this voyage, Captain Smith retires. It will be lovely to see England before the Titanic sails for New York City, New York. I hope to see the Lady with the Torch since it is in the harbor area. I am so excited. I have enjoyed my time on Olympic, but a transfer to Titanic is like a dream come true. Yes! I am being transferred to the Titanic for her maiden voyage.

April 10th, 1912

Boarded the Titanic this morning, with the other stewardess. I thought the RMS Olympic was large, but the Titanic is slightly larger. We reported to the purser and were given our room assignments. My assignment is to care for Third Class passengers. The smell of fresh paint is everywhere. I wonder what the hurry was for her to go on her maiden voyage. I suppose it has something to do with Captain Smith retiring. All the very rich are on this cruise: Mr. and Mrs. J.J. Astor, Mr. Benjamin Guggenheim, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Hays, to name a few. I certainly hope that this will be a safe journey, as in the Atlantic this time of year, there are many icebergs.

April 11th, 1912

Our second day at sea, the weather has gotten much colder since we left Southampton. It is cold in my quarters. I share a cabin with Ann Turnbull, another stewardess. We don’t have much in common, me being Irish and her being English, but we will make it work on this voyage. I can still smell the paint. We are picking up speed, I can feel it in the ship’s movements. Guess I am becoming a sea voyager, seasoned you might say.

April 12th, 1912

Slept well, the ship is quiet as we glide through the water at 21,4 knots, one of the stewards told me this morning it is possible we will be in the port of New York City on April 17th, 1912. Oh but she is a glorious ship, everything is so modern. It is dark, and I am going to retire to my cabin. I think I will stop in the ship’s library to find some magazines to read.

April 18th, 1912

As I said a prayer, I heard a loud crash, and then an odd crunching noise. The Titanic suddenly stopped altogether. How odd, I thought. My crewmates were getting up and going back on duty, and I did the same. I still had no idea what happened. A fellow steward appeared in the doorway, explaining that we had hit an iceburg and were sinking. At first, I did not believe this had happened to me again. I was on the Olympic when she hit the HMS Hawke, now the Titanic was sinking. We struck the iceberg at 11:40. I later learned Titanic began sending the distress signal. I began waking the third-class passengers I was assigned. We were instructing the passengers on ships in the area, and they would be rescued quickly. Eventually, with my passengers in tow, I made my way to the deck, where things were a bit more hectic. The ship was already listing, and there was confusion since some of the passengers did not speak English.I was still on board the lifeboat when the Titanic was completely gone. I was on boat 16, where I was handed a baby by Sixth Officer James Moody. As he handed the baby over, he asked me to keep the child safe. I had several quilts and wrapped him in one. I later discovered he was five months old, his mama had placed him on a coil of rope and fled. I held him that cold night as boat 16 bobbed on the cold waters of the Atlantic. Titanic was gone, the last thing I remember as the ship sank, the band played “Nearer my God to Thee.’

May 12th, 1912

After two months, I am back aboard Titanic’s sister ship, Olympic. I knew I had to go back to sea as quickly as possible. I can not let the fear of sinking harbor in my thoughts. I survived the Titanic’s sinking, now I have returned to Olympic and an Atlantic run.

June 28, 1914

Heaven help us, a war has broken out. I plan to volunteer by joining the Volunteer Aid Detachment as a nurse. I have already begun my training. Actually, it feels quite good to be on land, even if it will only be for two years while I train.

November 21st, 1916

I am on board the HMHS Britannic, another White Star ship. The Britannic is the third ship of the White Star line. I heard they were going to name her Gigantic; until Titanic sank, so she was named Britannic. We were struck by a U73, a mine no less. We had huge Red Crosses that were painted on the ship, but I don’t think that mattered to those men on that U-boat. I heard they were a new type of threat, the run under the water. She was converted from a luxury ship to a hospital; she was large like her two sister ships. I had several burn cases in my care. I had to be very careful not to let those burns get wet.

Later, I heard Captain Charles Bartlett attempted to run the engines to bring Britannic to port before she went under. The turning of the propellers created more problem; they drew the lifeboats in, shredding the wood. I managed to escape a terrible fate, and I received blows to my head and fractured my skull. My charges and I were rescued by another lifeboat; I spent months recovering.

I have made up my mind, I do not wish to remain at sea. There must be something I can do on dry land. Twice, I have on sinking ships, I don’t want to do that again ever. I am going to work I hope in a bank, any place that is on dry land will do.

**Author’s notes** Violet Jessop returned to the sea after three years of working in a bank. She returned to the White Star Line in June of 1920. The rest of sea faring days were quiet. She became known as “Miss Unsinkable.” she passed away in 1971.