Violet Jessop

Violet Jessop was an ocean liner stewardess that survived three separate disasters on Olympic-class ocean liners, including the sinking of the RMS Titanic. The three ships were the largest and most luxurious boats of the early 20th century, but coincidentally, they experienced horrible accidents early in their careers.

Violet Jessop was an Irish emigrant who worked her first job as a stewardess with the Royal Mail Line on the Orinoco. On June 14, 1911, Jessop was on the RMS Olympic when the boat crashed with the cruiser HMS Hawke. At the time of the accident, the Olympic was the largest civilian liner in the world. It took heavy damage and flooding in the crash, but was able to make it back to Southampton.

On April 10, 1912, Violet boarded the RMS Titanic on the ship’s maiden voyage. Four days later, the boat hit an iceberg and sank in the North Atlantic. During the sinking, Violet was asked to set an example for the people who did not speak English and were having a hard time following directions. She was able to board the 16th lifeboat and given a baby to look after. 

After the outbreak of World War I, Jessop worked as a stewardess for the British Red Cross. On November 21, 1916, she was onboard the HMHS Britannic when the ship hit a mine and sank in the Aegean Sea. The Britannic was the largest ship to be lost during World War I, and 30 people died in the tragedy. As the ship went under, Jessop was forced to jump off her lifeboat and was pulled under the water. She hit her head on the ship’s keel, but was able to surface and be rescued. Before the Britannic was lost, Jessop made sure to grab her toothbrush because it was the one item she most missed in the aftermath of her Titanic experience.