In 1912, Southampton was a booming maritime city that was developing into the main ocean liner hub for transatlantic travel. As the largest, newest, and most luxurious ship afloat, it was big news if someone you knew was on the Titanic. The ship set sail with 908 crew, 724 of which were from Southampton.
When the news that the Titanic sank reached the shore on April 15, families demanded answers about the fates of their loved ones. They gathered outside the White Star Line office that employed the local crew, but all they could do was wait.
Tragically, misinformation about the disaster spread, with some news outlets stating the ship was still afloat but under tow. Some telegrams stated that everyone had survived. This gave flickers of false hope to those in Southampton, which was later torn away. The rescue ship Carpathia docked in New York on April 18, 1912 with the 700 survivors of the wreck, most of whom were upper class passengers. As the lists of who had lived and died made it back to the White Star Line office in Southampton, office manager Philip Curry and his team worked around the clock to reveal the news via massive blackboards for those waiting outside.
Only 175 crew from Southampton would survive.
Many families of the Titanic crew struggled financially after the disaster. Charities were set up to support the survivors families. For those crew who did return, many had no choice but to immediately return to sea to feed their families.
Today, Canute Chambers is a standard office building. Only a small plaque commemorates the events that unfolded there.
