Meet Charles Joughin...

the Chief Baker aboard the Titanic.

He had two great passions: baking bread and drinking. And on the night the world’s most famous ship hit an iceberg, he put both to good use.

That evening, Charles was enjoying his usual ritual in his private cabin, sipping from a flask and checking on his homemade moonshine still (perks of unlimited yeast).

Then came the deep, ominous scrape along the starboard hull.

Without panic, he grabbed his flask and stepped onto the deck, just in time to hear Captain Smith give the order to prepare the lifeboats.

What did Charles do?

He gathered his team of bakers and personally organized the distribution of bread to the lifeboats — calories mattered in survival. Then he returned to his room... for more whiskey.

When it was time to board lifeboat #10 — the one he was assigned to command, he gave up his seat to another crewman and stayed behind, calm and buzzed.

Eventually, with all lifeboats gone, Charles stood alone on the sinking ship, tossing deck chairs into the ocean, dozens of them to serve as flotation for anyone left in the freezing water.

And yes, he kept drinking the whole time.

As the Titanic’s stern rose high, Charles calmly stepped over the rail…

The ship sank beneath him without pulling him under.
He swam in the icy Atlantic for over four hours with dry hair and a surprisingly steady mind.

When rescued, Second Officer Lightoller (who had assumed Charles was doomed) was stunned to find him alive.

Charles believed it was the alcohol that kept his blood from freezing and his nerves from shattering.
He survived. Helped others survive.
And walked away from one of history’s greatest disasters.

Afterward? He went back to sea. Kept baking. Kept drinking.
Survived two more shipwrecks.

Lived to 78.

And today, his gravestone reads:

“The Baker of the Titanic.”

A man who toasted life — even as the ocean closed in.

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Posted By: Tombs on September 5th 2025 at 11:25:58

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