Violet Jessop was a stewardess aboard the RMS Olympic when it collided with HMS Hawke in 1911. The following year, she was on the RMS Titanic when it struck an iceberg and sank. Four years after that, she was a nurse on the HMHS Britannic when it hit a mine and sank. She survived all three disasters involving all three of the White Star Line's Olympic-class ships. She continued working at sea for decades afterward and died in 1971 at the age of 83 — on dry land.
She Was on the Titanic. Then the Britannic. Then the Olympic. She Survived All Three.
The Olympic (1911)
Violet Constance Jessop was born in 1887 in Bahía Blanca, Argentina, to Irish immigrant parents. She went to sea as a stewardess — unusual for a young woman at the time — and in 1911, she was working aboard the RMS Olympic, the largest ship in the world and the first of the White Star Line's three Olympic-class ocean liners.
On September 20, 1911, the Olympic collided with HMS Hawke, a Royal Navy cruiser, near the Isle of Wight. Both ships were badly damaged but neither sank. Jessop was uninjured.
The Titanic (1912)
Seven months later, Jessop was assigned to the Olympic's sister ship — the RMS Titanic — for its maiden voyage. On the night of April 14, 1912, the Titanic struck an iceberg in the North Atlantic. Jessop was ordered into lifeboat 16. As the boat was being lowered, an officer handed her an infant to care for. She held the baby through the freezing night until they were rescued by the RMS Carpathia the next morning.
1,517 people died. Jessop survived.
The Britannic (1916)
During World War I, Jessop served as a nurse with the British Red Cross aboard the HMHS Britannic — the third and largest of the Olympic-class ships, converted into a hospital ship. On November 21, 1916, the Britannic struck a mine in the Aegean Sea and sank in just 55 minutes.
Jessop jumped from her lifeboat as it was being sucked toward the ship's still-turning propellers. She was dragged underwater and struck her head on the ship's keel. She survived, later writing that she felt "as if my head was being torn apart." Thirty people died. Jessop was not among them.
After
Despite having survived three disasters on all three Olympic-class ships, Violet Jessop continued to work at sea. She sailed for the Red Star Line and the Royal Mail Line for decades. She retired in the 1950s and settled in Great Ashfield, Suffolk, England, where she died on May 5, 1971, at the age of 83. Her memoirs were published posthumously as Titanic Survivor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Was Violet Jessop really on all three Olympic-class ships?
Did Violet Jessop continue working at sea after the Britannic?
How did Violet Jessop survive the Britannic sinking?
When did Violet Jessop die?
Verified Fact
Verified via multiple sources. Violet Constance Jessop (1887-1971) is well-documented. Olympic/HMS Hawke collision: September 20, 1911 (Jessop was a stewardess). Titanic sinking: April 15, 1912 (stewardess, survived in lifeboat 16). Britannic sinking: November 21, 1916 (serving as a nurse with the British Red Cross, survived — she jumped from a lifeboat and was sucked under, hitting her head on the keel but surviving). All three were White Star Line Olympic-class ships. She published her memoirs posthumously. Sources: Wikipedia, Jessop's memoir "Titanic Survivor" (ed. John Maxtone-Graham), Encyclopedia Titanica, BBC.
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