Charles joughin biography wikipedia

I just rewatched Cameron's Titanic and put a name to this guy. You would suspect James Cameron, an experienced underwater filmmaker, knew what he was doing when he only showed Baker taking the odd swig from his small hip flask to "fortify" himself against the cold, instead of him drinking massive amounts at the ship's bar. The movie and the article may suggest that alcohol intake somehow keeps you warm, lessens the effects of hypothermia and increases your chances of survival.

The opposite is true. I couldn't find anything on the amount where the bad effects outweigh the benefits. I've updated the article accordingly and, I hope, in an unobtrusive way. As upsetting as this may be to some people, it is very likely that his story of riding the stern down into the water and swimming around for two hours is untrue.

Charles joughin story

In his two earliest known accounts, Joughin claimed he was helping near Collapsible A on the boat deck when the ship began its final plunge, and that he then jumped from the boat deck and swam away before the ship went down. He also claimed in these accounts that he was only in the water for about 20 minutes. It was only later that he gave the more dramatic and improbable story that is more famous.

If nobody opposes, I will probably edit the article to reflect this when I get the chance. While the details of Joughin's story may be in doubt, his alcohol consumption may have been more helpful than commonly assumed. It claims with some backup that hypothermia isn't the first danger upon suddenly entering cold water; the initial dangers are cold shock and swimming incapacitation.

Charles joughin grave

Moderate alcohol consumption, by increasing the body's surface temperature, might reduce both of those dangers. You still have to deal with the later hypothermia problem, but Joughin's circumstances may have been enough to let him survive that as well. Many of the victims may have died well before the effects of true hypothermia manifested.

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