Last American Titanic Survivor Dies at 99

[farmgirl]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060507/ap_on_re_us/obit_titanic_survivor



BOSTON - Lillian Gertrud Asplund, the last American survivor of the sinking of the Titanic in 1912, has died, a funeral home said Sunday. She was 99.

Asplund, who was just 5 years old, lost her father and three brothers — including a fraternal twin — when the "practically unsinkable" ship went down in the North Atlantic after hitting an iceberg.

She died Saturday at her home in Shrewsbury, said Ronald E. Johnson, vice president of the Nordgren Memorial Chapel in Worcester, Mass.

"She went to sleep peacefully," he said.

Asplund's mother, Selma, and another brother, Felix, who was 3, also survived the Titanic sinking in the early morning of April 15, 1912.

Asplund was the last Titanic survivor with actual memories of the sinking, but she shunned publicity and rarely spoke about the events.

At least two other survivors are living, but they were too young to have memories of the disaster. Barbara Joyce West Dainton of Truro, England, was 10 months old and Elizabeth Gladys "Millvina" Dean of Southampton, England, was 2 months old.

The Asplund family had boarded the ship in Southampton, England, as third-class passengers on their way back to Worcester from their ancestral homeland, Sweden, where they had spent several years.

Asplund's mother described the sinking in an interview with the Worcester Telegram & Gazette newspaper shortly after she and her two children arrived in the city.

Selma Asplund said the family went to the Titanic's upper deck after the ship struck the iceberg.

"I could see the icebergs for a great distance around ... It was cold and the little ones were cuddling close to one another and trying to keep from under the feet of the many excited people ... My little girl, Lillie, accompanied me, and my husband said 'Go ahead, we will get into one of the other boats.' He smiled as he said it."

Because they lost all of their possessions and money, the city of Worcester held a fundraiser and a benefit concert that together brought in about $2,000 for the surviving Asplunds.

Lillian Asplund never married and worked at secretarial jobs in the Worcester area most of her life. She retired early to care for her mother, who was described as having never gotten over the tragedy.

Selma Asplund died on the 52nd anniversary of the sinking in 1964 at age 91. Felix Asplund died on March 1, 1983, at age 73.

A memorial service will be held Wednesday, Johnson said.

[Aerosoul]

Still an amazing story, the Titanic.

[Macs.]

It was just a ship which sunk, whats so amazing ?

[Aerosoul]

because it doesn't happen often to gigantic cruiseships, you dumb jerry bastard. and because celine dion sang that song.

[Fee Fi Fo Fum]

It was just a ship which sunk, whats so amazing ?

It was the largest passenger steamship in the world at the time, and was believed to be "unsinkable".

[titget]

I always found this kind of weird.......


There was one fictional story written by a merchant seaman by the name of Morgan Robertson. Robertson's book was about an unsinkable passenger liner that sank while carrying the elite people of the time. The ship in Robertson's story was called the Titan and the book was titled The Wreck of the Titan. Even though the book is fictitious, the events in the story parallel the events of the Titanic. Both ships were built to be unsinkable. Both ships sank after striking an iceberg. Both ships were on their maiden voyage. The most well to do famous people were on the Titan and Titanic. Only one third of the passengers on each ship survived. Both ships had an inadequate number of lifeboats. Both ships were encouraged to break speed records during their voyage.


Robertson's book The Wreck of the Titan was never published. Each time it was rejected by editor's, they told him the same thing. The story was unbelievable. Surely the events he wrote of could not possibly happen to an unsinkable ship.
The book, The Wreck of the Titan was written in 1898, fourteen years before the Titanic hit an iceberg and settled on the bottom of the northern Atlantic.

[Aerosoul]

weird...
but it almost seems like that is made up. anyone else know anythng about that book?

[<Gypsum Fantastic>]

Yeah, say what you like about Celine Dions facial hair and multiple layers of teeth, that was one hell of a song.


"It's raining men, hallelujah!"

[signatory]

I heard the 4th chimney on the Titanic was just for show and not even connected to the steamer, anyone know if that's correct ? I.e they added it to look more powerful.


RIP Mrs. "Aspen Grove"

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4c/Aspen_grove-750px.jpg/240px-Aspen_grove-750px.jpg

[Holstein]

I heard the 4th chimney on the Titanic was just for show and not even connected to the steamer, anyone know if that's correct ? I.e they added it to look more powerful.


RIP Mrs. "Aspen Grove"

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4c/Aspen_grove-750px.jpg/240px-Aspen_grove-750px.jpg



That is correct

[Ratamacue]

It was just a ship which sunk, whats so amazing ?1,523 people died.

[Jani.R]

1,523 people died.

30,000 kids die daily to hunger.

[2Sheds_Jackson]

30,000 kids die daily to hunger.

They should have the common decency to do it in a more spectacular manner so that we notice it.

[Hellfish]

They should just eat food.

That said, I don't know if there are many worse deaths than being stranded in the middle of the ocean.

[EvanL]

They should have the common decency to do it in a more spectacular manner so that we notice it.
Hahahahahha that is so grim. But I can't help myself but laugh. Two Sheds may you find a comfortable spot in hell right next to Richard Pryor and The Incredible Hulk, god rest his soul.

[Thor]

30,000 kids die daily to hunger.
People die every second, some in more spectacular ways than other.

Go back to the troll forest

[Haiw]

30,000 kids die daily to hunger.
Things that happen daily lose their news value. ;)
Plus those kids are usually black so nobody cares. Duh. You didn't think anyone cared about Titanic if it had been the Timbuktanic. ;)

[JoaMei]

1,523 people died.


Wow, when the Wilhelm Gustloff sank 9.300 people died. I bet you never heard of that...

[Hellfish]

That was in the last days of WWII, right?

[Digital Marine]

Wow, when the Wilhelm Gustloff sank 9.300 people died. I bet you never heard of that...

http://members.iinet.net.au/~gduncan/images/wilhelm_gustloff.jpg


Look-wise, It doesn't quite compare to:

http://www.titanicnorden.com/download/bilder/titanic/2.jpg



http://www.titanicnorden.com/download/bilder/titanic/5.jpg

Both equally aweful tragedies but the Wilhelm Gustloff doesn't quite have the same allure as the Titanic.

http://www.ex-starmobility.net/fun/Good_bye_StM_files/titanic.jpg

Ohh, i love that boat..

[JoaMei]

That was in the last days of WWII, right?

Yes, it was full of refugees and sunk by a russian submarine.

Because this Issue has some flambait character, I just wanted to point out that this was the biggest naval disaster so far.

[Jani.R]

People die every second, some in more spectacular ways than other.

Go back to the troll forest


http://www.danielpipes.org/img/blog_195_2.jpg

Are white people more important to you than black people? (don't answer, i know the answer)

[2Sheds_Jackson]

Well, if you're going to sail on a boat named after the founder of the Swiss Nazi party, who was responsible for distributing "The The Protocols of the Elders of Zion", and who's funeral was personally attended by Hitler, in the middle of WWII, you've got to know that you're taking your chances. They could at least have renamed it the "Dr. Tiddywinkles Funshine Jamboree" - what sub Captain would torpedo that?

"Target bearing 019 degrees, 1500 meters!"
"Oh sh*t, it's the Dr. Tiddywinkles Funshine Jamboree, let's move on guys"
"Awwww..."

[Digital Marine]

"Target bearing 019 degrees, 1500 meters!"
"Oh sh*t, it's the Dr. Tiddywinkles Funshine Jamboree, let's move on guys"
"Awwww..."


rofl rofl Ohh, you're so evil.

[Thor]

Are white people more important to you than black people? (don't answer, i know the answer)
http://img458.imageshack.us/img458/3428/troll3ci.jpg

[FozzieBear]

i watched a documentary about the making of the iceberg that sunk the titanic, and for that thing to get so far out to be able to get hit by the titanic it had to be huge and its a very rare occurance for a ice berg of that size to be born, so the titanic was definatly very unlucky, and the ice berg was something like 1/15th of its original size when it hit the titanic, and was close to dieing.

[Will938]

I always found this kind of weird.......

One of the reasons its so popular is because its a good story. It has so many interesting angles that you'd see in a book, irony, foreshadowing, ect.

[pegasus]

if it never sunk we may not have seen kate winslets ****!

[Macs.]

if it never sunk we may not have seen kate winslets ****!

WHO THE HELL WANTS TO SEE KATE WINSLETS **** ???
B

[He219]

Wow, when the Wilhelm Gustloff sank 9.300 people died. I bet you never heard of that...
We're not talking about the Lusitania or the Laconia incident either.
;)



http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v101/He219/AP/more/and%20more/more/31568143.jpgRIP

Lillian Gertrud Asplund, the last American survivor of the sinking of the Titanic in 1912, seen in this undated family photo, died Saturday, May 6, 2006, in Shrewsbury, Mass. She was 99. Asplund lost her father and three brothers when the ship went down in the North Atlantic after hitting an iceberg. (AP Photo/Family Photo)

[Sancho Pancho]

http://www.danielpipes.org/img/blog_195_2.jpg



...man, that last sentence above should be: "Those teachings which have become universal values reminds us that all of us, Christians, Muslims, Jews, and all others have more in common than we think. It's just that some of us like to express it with an explosive belt."

[pegasus]

WHO THE HELL WANTS TO SEE KATE WINSLETS **** ???
B
you are obviously gay!