Thêm tý nguồn tiếng anh giải thích vì sao mà phần nhiều thuyền chỉ mới chứa 1/2 số người có thể chứa. Tổng cộng khoảng 700 người được lên thuyền cứu sinh, trong khi thuyền cưú sinh có chỗ trống cho tầm 1100 người.
Many lifeboats only carried half of their maximum capacity; there are many versions as to the reasoning behind half-filled lifeboats. Some sources claimed they were afraid of the lifeboat buckling under the weight, others suggested it was because the crew were following strict maritime tradition to evacuate
women and children first. Few men were allowed into the lifeboats on the
portside, while the
starboardside only allowed men into boats after women and children boarded. Some of the final lifeboats were overfilled, and passengers noticed the seawater line was near the rim on some of the lifeboats.
As the half-filled boats rowed away from the ship, they were too far for other passengers to reach, and most lifeboats did not return to the wreck, due to protests from passengers or crewmen to prevent being swamped by drowning victims. Only two lifeboats returned to retrieve survivors from the water, some of whom later died.