The Voyage of Love

“I remember thinking that ‘this is going to be a trip of a lifetime! I can’t believe I am on the Titanic Ocean Liner headed to America! I was going with my family. My father needed to go for a business meeting in New York, and took the entire family. My parents, myself and my little brother,” I told the journalist.

“Remembering this trip is so hard and talking about it is even more difficult. My name is Victoria Densmore Crowell, widow of Edward Joseph Crowell. I am sixty-seven years old now and a survivor of the Titanic Ocean Line that sank in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean on April 15, 1912, on its maiden voyage to America,” I continued. “On April 10, 1912, we set sail on the Titanic from Southampton, England to New York City, USA. The ship was also known as the Ship of Dreams. It was supposed to be a wonderful experience that turned into a nightmare. After a few ports of calls in Ireland and France, we headed west towards America. Here is my love story of how I met and fell in love with my beloved Edward.”

Day 1 – April 10th

I remember saying to my father and mother, that this was amazing! I can’t believe we are on this beautiful ship headed to America! Let’s go see our stateroom and then head up to see the view from the deck before heading to dinner. Even though it was cold, I didn’t want to miss it. I remember saying as we walked through the ship after setting sail headed to our stateroom.

We the walked to our stateroom and it was magnificent. The room was on B deck and had white painted Venesta panels, pilasters, and archways into the stateroom. Lighting was in designed cut-glass in the ceilings. The design of the décor was from the Louis XVI time period and it was exquisite. It had varnished oak panelling and Cabriolet furniture.

Day 2 – April 11th through Day 3 – April 13th

The next two days we enjoyed the fine dining, live music and the company of the other guests.

Day 4 – April 14th

It was day four when our lives changed. The day was wonderful. We mingled with the other families. Before dinner, I went and had tea with the other women, including my mother, while my father and the men talked business. After dinner, the men went to play Bridge in the Smoking Room. A few of the wife’s and daughters had gone to the reading and writing room and were gossiping. At 11:40 pm we felt the vessel shivered and tilt. It caused a large vibration throughout the ship.

I remember hearing my father say that Mr. Cherve had made a comment that we had probably went over a large wave that rocked the ship. We all agreed and kept playing cards. A few minutes later, someone burst into the Smoking Room and said that the ship had struck an iceberg and it was sinking. Dad said that they didn’t believe it. Instead, they had laughed, thinking the guy was drunk and was making it up. Then he told us that they heard the alarm sound several times and he remembered thinking that I needed to get to us. He said that they all rushed upstairs, but an officer stopped them and said that there was no cause for alarm and that they could return downstairs. But he knew that mom would head to the stateroom looking for him and to gather my brother and the nanny, so he left the others and kept going. The rest all turned around and headed back to the Smoking Room. He said that he couldn’t justify leaving us to figure out if it was real or what was going on. He knew that we would be scared and worried. He didn’t understand why the other married men or men that were their families, didn’t go check on them. He loved this mom and his family more than anything and needed to make to her. When he got the stateroom, we were there waiting on him. The women in our group took it more seriously when we heard the first comments of the ship sinking, we gathered our belongings and headed to our staterooms.

Ten minutes later, a steward came to the room and told us to put on our life jackets, leave our belongings, and head to the deck. We put on as many clothes as we could and headed to the deck.

When they started loading the lifeboats, my mother wouldn’t leave my dad. She waited with him and sent me, the nanny and my baby brother on a lifeboat without them. I remembered still thinking that this couldn’t be happening. This ship was supposed to be unsinkable, there is no way it is really going to sink. The man stirring our lifeboat, held my hand when I boarded and as we sat in the water watching the ship sink and listening to the screams and cries he held me as I cried, not knowing if my parents had gotten on another boat or not. His name was Edward.

Day 5 – April 15th

It seemed like we set out there forever listening to those screams and watching people jump off the ship and try and swim to the lifeboats. Edward picked up as many as our boat could hold.

When we were finally rescued, Edward walked with me, my brother and our nanny looking at every boat that was rescued for my parents. They never came aboard.

For the next several weeks, Edward helped us get situated in America. We feel madly in love. He saved my life, in more ways than one.

It was a horrifying experience, but I am thankful that found the love of my life through it.