Saving the Titanic: Heroes of Bravery and Sacrifice | Documentary 

Chief Engineer Joseph Bell was my Great Great Grandfather's brother. He was born in Cumbria but resided at "Barnton", 1 Belvidere Road, Great Crosby, Liverpool. As the Chief Engineer of White Star, he was the company's representative at Harland and Wolff in Belfast, and in that capacity he oversaw the fitting of the engines into the White Star ships SS Laurentic and SS Megantic, and in 1911 he was Superintendant at the placing of the engines into the hull of Titanic. Part of his responsibilities was to sail aboard every W.S ship's working-up, their sea trials and their first two or three voyages as Chief Engineer. Hence his presence aboard Titanic. Joseph's own son Frank (my Great Uncle) sailed with his father in Titanic when she left H&W in Belfast for her first port-of-call, Southampton. Fortunately he disembarked there. Joseph left in his Will the sum of £6457.2s.10p ( about £368.000 at 2004 prices) to his widowed wife Maud. "Greater love hath no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends" +Rest In Peace Uncle Joseph+

Engineer Johnathan shepherd, who had broken his leg falling into a opening in the floor for the pumps died when a large current of water came into the room he was in. This was almost immediately after the wall of the room holding the water back failed. Stoker Frederick Barrett who survived the sinking saw the water come in and quickly cover Johnathan shepherd. He was the first victim of the titanic on it's maiden voyage. The people who died aboard the titanic before him were members of the construction crew who died building the ship. Rest in peace to all the crew and, passengers of the titanic who died during the maiden voyage as well as the men who died building the ship.

Wow, so moving. It's more gripping than fictitious Jack and Rose storyline of 1997 Titanic movie. Hollywood should have made a movie about engineers and firemen who sacrificed lives to keep the lights on until the ship sank.

I wish this was in the movie. The heroes. The heart of the ship. The ones who sacrificed their lives for others and laid their lives down for ones they didn’t even know. What a moving documentary.

All the movies about this disaster only show above deck happenings. It's about time some portrayal of the men fighting below decks to keep her afloat was made.

I am a retired Merchant navy Chief engineer, 74 now and during my time at sea sunk twice. I feel so proud of these men that did their duty to save others. Perhaps we were not glamorous like the deck officers, perhaps a bit rough round the edges, perhaps course and not well spoken but we knew our job and our duty

Finally a perspective from the men that were in the heart of the ship. This should have been made into a movie.

A few of the Titanic survivors had mentioned about the bravery and sacrifice those engineers and firemen made to keep the lights on the ship. So glad this film is finally made to show the horror they faced.

They chose to die resisting the inevitable, than to submit to their fate. They fought to keep the great ship afloat for as long as possible. In doing so they achieved immortal status in the minds of people, and their sacrifice will never be forgotten.

As a fellow Engineer, this story really moved me. The true heroes of the Titanic.

Watching Titanic i was impressed that the lights were there till the end. Never thought about that someone needed to be in the powerhouse to keep it working. All electricians died

After seeing this, you can't really complain about any job you might have right now. These people knew they were going to die, and they still worked

I like how Chief Engineer Joseph Bell referes to TITANIC like she's alive,"She's sighing" and "What's up old girl"others saying "She's hungry tonight" I know it's only talk but I like it..

No matter how many documentaries I watch about Titanic, this moment of realization that "she will sink" always gives me a physical feeling of cold dread and shivers.

For me this doco is better than the major film

These brave men gave their lives to keep the ship running while it was going down. The majority of those men did not even make it out of the bottom of the ship. They were down there the entire time. I cant even imagine how scared and frightened they were. What's sad is 9 times out of 10 they knew they were going to die But they still stayed down there and refused to abandon their posts. You have to admire their selfless act of heroism. Such bravery and honor on their parts. Their places in heaven were already reserved when they went home to be with god. God bless every one of those unselfish brave men that gave their lives during this tragedy. Everyone in the world should aspire to be just like these exceptional men and I mean that!!!!!!!

Every documentary and movie I see about Titanic is about the stories that have already been told, the stories of the crew and passengers above decks in their scramble to survive, this is the first documentary that I have seen that tells the stories of the unknown heros of the Titanic, the men who stayed below to keep the lights on and slow the flooding as long as possible.

The last look at the men before it cut to the titanic sinking and the lights going out was beautifully done. Made me tear up a bit.

Joseph Bell and the rest of the RMS Titanic’s engineers along with the firemen were men of courage and are true heroes of that fateful April night. Godspeed to all of them.

For me being an antique boiler fireman like men who worked on Titanic words can't describe how this makes me feel. This will forever be my favorite documentary, and movie. This tells a very real story.

As a firefighter I love the scene where Middleton goes back to help Kelly, they both knew they were doomed but chose to work their post till the very end so others could live. Bloody heros those lads, and all others who chose to do the same, bloody working class heros. Also Harvey not being willing to leave his mate.

Much respect to the engineers on the Titanic. During that fateful night they all were doing their best to keep the ship's power running and keep the ship afloat as long as possible so other people can be saved. They never knew whether they would even have a chance to get off the doomed ship, but they worked until the end.

I am glad they mentioned the coal fire that was burning for almost a week before they found it. That was a huge part of the Titanic sinking.

I grew up just 6 miles from where Titanic was built and discovered the tragedy at age 10 when I read my dad’s copy of A Night to Remember. I was also a member of Belfast Titanic Society. This is, in my opinion, the best drama ever made about the tragedy. Well scripted, well acted and well directed.

The un-sung heroes, finally get their due..... meet them someday in heaven.....

An excellent Docu-Drama and a MUST have for any Titanic Buff. It's well produced and well acted. There are SO many facets to the whole Titanic Legacy. We're still uncovering realities we never even considered for 100 years. This barely touches on the whole Catholic-Protestant animosity that prevailed. Story-lines embedded within Story-lines.

The engineers, firemen, electricians & crew of the Titanic should never be forgotte. Incredible men who went down with their ship as heroes

May all those men that tried to keep the lights on for passengers to escape Titanic sacrificing there lives God Bless them and may they forever rest in piece never forgotten

The 756 that disliked this video were probably Icebergs

This is honestly the best Titanic Documentary I have ever seen in my life. So well written and acted. I adore it.

I can honestly say all these men are better than me because i would've been panicking and crying like a baby this is a horrifying thought to be on a sinking ship freezing water your death almost certain that deep inside that beast i have so much respect for all these men.

Titanic`s engineers were true heroes, every one of them the firemen, stokers, those men were fighting below decks to keep that ship afloat for 2 half hours, an hour and a half longer than Thomas Andrews thought. We should always remember those men as heroes!

Thank you for sharing this story. I came here by way of the OceanGate-Gate tragedy. As a former US Navy Sailor I appreciate the producers telling the story of the crewmen who fought to the very last to keep her afloat so the passengers had the maximal chance of survival. The engineering spaces on the ship are a masterfully reproduced replica as well as the working conditions.

This is the true version of this horrible accident and those who gave their lives to save other, God bless their souls.!!!!!!

Everybody who's ever seen any of the documentaries and movies about the Titanic needs to see this. I've been an armchair Titanic buff for most of my life. I don't say this to seem like I'm an expert, or even well learned on the vastness of the subject or new theories in recent years about all the things that happened that night. I say that because at nearly 40 years old...I have never seen it from this perspective. I especially like that we never see the actual collision, and other than a few seconds of wide, long shots...we don't even see the view of the ship from outside. We don't see the craziness that happened up on deck with the attempts to abandon ship. No elaborate stunts or special effects. This was more viscerally real than almost anything I've watched about the short life of the RMS Titanic. I am so glad this excellent documentary was created, and doubly glad I found it and could watch it.

I love the portration of the Engineers, the Strokers and the Firemen in the Boilerrooms cause they were the ones that sacrificed their lifes to keep the doomed ship afloat aslong as they could and the did a marvelous Job in keeping her afloat even though Andrews estimated she was only going to last at max 1 1/2 hours. I also love that fact that the Makers of teh Documentary included the Gentleman of the frist Class Smoking Room who were just awaiting there death and drank Brandy until the last. To conclude I love the Documentary because it depicts the Men who really saved so many lifes on the Titanic through delaying her sinking and shoing the emotional struggle they had while doing so. May these Heroes Rest in Piece.

This is the story that you never really see in any of the major Titanic movies. This is a very moving and honorable tribute to those forgotten heroes who remained below decks to save the passengers & the ship. Without these men operating the pumps & keeping the electric going the Titanic would have gone down quicker and been darker long before the actual sinking. A good docufilm and a very moving tribute!

I was thinking that we could not produce a better movie that James Cameron's one before 2030 at least. This "underground" angle of the story was a very good idea to present !

This is probably one of the best titanic documentaries out of all the ones that I have seen this one is the best

I never thought about the fact that none of the firemen, engineers, or electricians saw the iceberg.

This movie was very well made and terrific. All of those men, and their sacrifices, should never be remembered as only a footnote in history. Thanks to this film, perhaps they won't be.

I didn't realize how much they did to try and stop the water. Titanic made it look like they were trapped in their compartments as well. Really great info!

This is a good documentary. They're finally telling what happened to the firemen during that chaotic disaster

I like how they showed basically no above deck pov’s throughout the whole doc. Besides paddy escaping at the end. This is a story about the crew and engineers. Not about the passengers and officers. We got to see what they saw. Nothing more and nothing less. Makes it a lot more immersive that’s all.

This was a great movie, the producers really deserve more recognition

Really hope more people watch this documentary, & remember the hidden heroes,who did what they could to save as many lives as they could. Very well done. Loved it!

I'm pretty sure the engine room scenes were filmed at Hampton and Kempton waterworks triple expansion steam museum. I went last year. Well worth a visit.

I am humbled by the courage of these me. Who consciously made the decision to save others, that they knew would result in a horrible death for themselves. May God grant them peace. Love is sacrifice.

Often the brave men below are forgotten about. May they all RIP. The names may fade with time, but all aboard are immortalized thru one word that will be uttered thru the ages.... Titanic!

I thought that I had seen every single one of the Titanic youtubes, but then I stumbled across this movie. Very well done, and a story that had not been told. Very moving.

I got really emotional watching this. I’ve heard the story of titanic so many times but this film brings me a lot closer to the story than ever. The part of the pictures of the men who died who were in the film made me cry. Hands down the best film of titanic ever. May their souls rest easy. 🙏🏻✝️

I saw this docu-drama on PBS back in 2012 and wished I had recorded it. I love this re-telling. I'm so glad I got to watch it again.

I am so touched by this. Those brave engineers are greatly overlooked. May they continue to Rest In Peace.

These poor people. The hell they went through. 😢😢

Just before the 2019 ends. Edit: aww this is super moving. I pray all these heroes have an eternal peace. may you always be remembered until the end.

This was an amazing look into the crew who worked and died. This is the truest form of honor. I shed a 😢

Valor, Duty, Leadership, Sacrifice. Can one Man truly make a difference?My respect to these brave men who did their duty and died to save many others life. God bless you brave men!

I just happened upon this documentary. What a find. Those brave men. Heroes all of them.

46:15 I’m not sure if someone pointed this out already, but the turbine engine that drives the center propeller doesn’t actually run in reverse.

It was horrific of what the men whilst building the titanic some died while she was being built. But knowing that they were trying to keep titanic A float is amazing they saved lives that night they were the real hero’s x

Always wondered how the lights were able to stay on.

This is an amazing and informative documentary. What I now want to know is, how in the hell can anyone with even the slightest shred of intelligence give this a thumbs down?

Great documentary, just how I like. Recreating that moment, everything just like back in the 1912, makes me go back in time. Very interesting, and well performed. Thank you for uploading it.

Look all I know is everybody on the planet needs a friend like Paddy. I'd die for that man.

I like this film so much more than Cameron's three hours of: "Jack! Rose! Jack! Rose! Jack! Rose!..."

This was really inspiring but very sad! The horror these poor people saw and the terror that they must have felt. I watch everything I can on the Titanic but this is the first time seeing it from the perspective of these poor men. I hope they are all resting in peace and are with their families in eternity!

I remember seeing this documentary on television during the 100th anniversary. I am glad to have found it again. The heroic efforts of the crew helped save the lives of many.

30 seconds into this documentary i was hooked. Beautifully made!!❤

The fourth funnel wasn't exactly JUST for show...it was also used as a ventilator for the galleys.

the acting is top tier honestly...these guys are so good i cant believe its a documentary

No one officially connected with the ship ever said it was unsinkable. Not the builders, not the owners, not the steamship line. That was a journalist writing in a trade magazine, and it passed word-of-mouth and snowballed into an urban myth. I really wish that many of these documentary makers would actually research the subject. The amount of inaccuracies and misinformation in many of these documentaries is staggering.

Brave selfless lads.

Best documentary regarding the Titanic I've ever seen. Nice to see the story of the crew for once.

Exactly, they fought to the end.

Finally.....a documentary about the real hero's of that night!!

Names may fade, but brave and selfless acts of courage live on forever. God bless all of those brave men, and may they continue to rest in peace in God's warm embrace. They definitely earned it. There is no greater love than when one gives their own life to save another. So true.

As a British EOOW Engineering officer... its moving to see how we earned our stripes and why they are purple.

very good depiction of below deck. Must remember ~160 stokers, firemen, trimmers did survive out of 325 - most of the 2/3 were off shift work - Frederick Barrett, Wm Beauchamp working at time

This movie was excellent,,I was glued to screen the whole way through.Was nice to see what was dealt with below decks..RIP to all on the Titanic.😔

The Voice of Liam Cunningham,Sir Davos from Game of Thrones.

I still love the story of the titanic and I appreciate this story and it kinda make me think there are 2000 stories of the titanic they just need to make the movies

Wonderful documentary, wish more of the selfless crewmen’s stories were told over the wealthy passengers. True unspoken heroes, they were. Thank you for telling their stories and releasing this on RU-vid! Probably the fastest I’ve subscribed to a channel. One minor note, current thought is that the coal fire and subsequent displacement of coal created a list that helped stabilize Titanic as she took on water. In fact, simulations have shown it gave her over double the estimated time of sinking as she wasn’t able to roll over. There is nothing to suggest the fire would have weakened her incredibly thick hull, especially as the damage was done by punching in and thus, opening rivets along their seam (as properly shown in this documentary), and not tearing through the steel itself. The actual damage done to Titanic was minuscule compared to what is normally depicted and supports her being made very well with good quality, for the time, materials and construction. Unfortunately, it was just long enough of an opening to make her sinking inevitable. Also, if anyone is interested in current Titanic research, game development, or history of the great Atlantic liners check out the channel Honor and Glory: Titanic. The boys eat, sleep, and breathe Titanic and have some fantastic videos of surrounding her history.

I had an ancestor that worked in the engine room on Olympic. These men are the real heroes of the Titanic disaster!

Excellent! Fantastic to see select members of the crew as they do their best, and their duty, to save the doomed ship. No terrified and screaming passengers running around on the decks to distract us from this point of view. So many movies and documentaries were already made from that perspective. This documentary was extremely well done in my humble opinion. And thank you so much for posting this here. It is much appreciated!

"nearer my God to thee" keeps playing in my mind. what a saving grace of a song!

"Your dead heroes come cheap. I'm alive."

“Your hero’s come cheap, I’m a survivor”... that was a defining line, because White Star manipulated the survivors into signing paperwork for a payout of what would be equivalent to only $25 today. Just insulting, especially to the ones who made it that had trauma.

Glad to see that they mentioned that Titanic really had three chimneys, not four. Early on management of shipping lines found out that immigrants - who were the big business, and not the first class passengers - are grading the ships on how many chimneys they have. Hence many ships added a faux-chimney to earn their business. Titanic was no exception.

Good to see a documentary made about the rarely talked about workers who kept the Titanic running

I was born and grew up in Southampton. My Grandma told me that families in Southampton lost a relative on the Titanic working below decks. There is a beautiful memorial in one of the parks in Southampton dedicated to the Titanic disaster.

Love how you don't get any view in the passengers and no info dumping, simply from the crews perspective only. I seen this first aired on TV and watching it again is even better. Magnificent work.

Who best to narrate, than Ser Davos Seaworth himself Edit: in the Navy, we called sailors who worked below decks “snipes”. Those men are heroes.

Unsung heroes who stayed at their posts and gave the passengers and other crew members a chance to get off the stricken ship. Life and death at the sharp end, literally.

Rest in 1st class, my blue collared brothers.

Imagine jumping off the ship without a life jacket, into ice cold water thats 2 miles deep. They talked about that fear in this and I enjoy that. Ive had some experience drowning myself and its scary.

It never occurred to me what was going on below and the bravery of the electricians, engineers and coal stokers and how they fought to hold back the sea and keep the ship running, even when they knew that all was lost. They are the unsung heroes.

I take 3 lessons from the the Titanic. 1 Never assume a sure thing. 2 Your money does not guarantee long life. 3 If Titanic had been sealed side to side, as well as front to back. The story would have a different ending.

I salute these brave men

Jesus 8 hours in boiler room that's rough