News & Politics - The Last Known Titanic Survivor, Millvina Dean, Has Died At 97

LaraCroft01 · 06-02-2009, 09:27 AM

From here

Quote:

(CNN) -- Millvina Dean, believed to be the last survivor of the Titanic, has died at 97, her friends confirmed Sunday.

Millvina Dean was just an infant when the RMS Titanic sank.

Dean was just an infant when the RMS Titanic -- publicized as "practically unsinkable" and the largest passenger steamship at the time -- struck an iceberg on the night of April 14, 1912, during its maiden voyage from Southampton in southern England to New York. The ship sank less than three hours later, killing more than 1,500 people.

Brian Ticehurst, a friend of Dean, said she died at 8 a.m. Sunday.

Dean was hospitalized a few days ago for medical complications before returning to the Woodlands Ridge Nursing Home in Southampton, said Charles Haas, a friend and president of the Titanic International Society based in New Jersey.

A nurse at the home declined to comment on Dean's passing.

Haas said Dean's last public appearance was at the British Titanic Society's convention in April, which she attended with her longtime companion, Bruno Nordmanis.

"She only visited a short while, but she wowed everybody with her charm," Haas told CNN. "She seemed in good spirits."

Haas noted that Dean's death fell on May 31, exactly 98 years after the Titanic was launched. The doomed ship, not yet completed, was launched on May 31, 1911, in Belfast.

While Dean's survival brought her celebrity-like status in some circles, she was 8 years old before she knew she was on the fateful ship. Dean, along with her young brother and mother, survived the sinking of the Titanic, but her mother didn't tell her about it until years later, Haas said.

Although she didn't have memories of the historic and tragic event, Dean, who never married or had children, became a larger presence for Titanic enthusiasts and historians over the past three decades.

"Having gone through that disaster she was given extra years and an extra dose of vitality," said Haas, who recalled escorting Dean to a Titanic society gala a few years ago.

Dean became the last known Titanic survivor after Barbara Joyce Dainton died in October 2007. The last American survivor, Lillian Asplund, died in May 2006.

Dean's death leaves only artifacts and videotaped interviews with survivors to "speak to us about the Titanic," Haas said.

When the last person of an event dies, it feels as if a chapter of history has closed for good. It is sad that no one is left from this tragic event, but it isn't surprising either, given that it happened 97 years ago.

**sunnykerr** · 06-02-2009, 06:48 PM

I was gonna say...

I don't want to sound callous, but it feels a bit like it's about time. It's been nearly 100 years, that's a long life by anyone's standards.

**Callace** · 06-03-2009, 06:01 AM

Quote:

Dean's death leaves only artifacts and videotaped interviews with survivors to "speak to us about the Titanic," Haas said.

But she was just a baby when the ship sank. She couldnt talk about it with any more real experience basis then anyone else, could she?

vc318 · 06-03-2009, 12:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LaraCroft01 (View Post)

When the last person of an event dies, it feels as if a chapter of history has closed for good. It is sad that no one is left from this tragic event, but it isn't surprising either, given that it happened 97 years ago.

It's a miracle in itself that survived such a horrific event and lived to tell the tale. But you are right - it does have a bittersweet ending.

LaraCroft01 · 06-03-2009, 04:02 PM

vc318 - ITA! It is a miracle she survived, but it does have a bitter sweet ending.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Callace (View Post)

But she was just a baby when the ship sank. She couldnt talk about it with any more real experience basis then anyone else, could she?

No, but she did lose family on the ship and she could talk about how that affected her growing up.

**Callace** · 06-04-2009, 03:48 AM

Ahh, I see

LaraCroft01 · 06-04-2009, 09:37 AM

The last one who could've remember what happened die a few years ago. Dean did suffer as a result of the Titanic. It's great she was able to survive and live a long life.

PS I like your icon, I am thinking of watching Torchwood, I just got into Dr. Who!


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