Everyone on board heard the horrible scraping sound coming from below.
The captain announced that the hull had been breached and ordered the crew to man the lifeboats. With great efficiency lifeboats were lowered on either side of the cruise ship. The cry went up from around the ship to make way for women and children first. This went smoothly until a commotion could be heard coming from one of the boats. There seemed to be some argument about the age of a child. One of the ship’s crew, who was organising his section of the crowd, was telling a boy to get out and let the children on first. Admittedly, he was a big lad. He looked to be around six foot tall and well built. The dinghy held over a hundred, but only two young boys had managed to get in before the large person joined them. His mother was saying that he was under the age of eighteen, and she should know!
Before long the parents of other children were getting impatient, some agreeing that rules are rules, with others saying they should forget it and get on with the business of getting off a sinking ship. This led to serious shouting matches and a few scuffles. One man received a blow to the head, apparently from a large handbag, and his head was bleeding. He was ushered away to be treated as best as possible. The large boy at the centre of the controversy said he would get off if that was what people wanted.
At this, his mother began screaming, saying that she wouldn’t let him, as there was a principle at stake. She shouted out above the noise of the restless passengers that her son was not even seventeen until June and she was absolutely disgusted at the behaviour of those saying they should break the rules in order to save their own skin. She began to explain what was wrong with people today, when she too was knocked to the ground.
Meanwhile, the rest of the passengers had made their way into the other lifeboats and were watching the coast guard’s rescue vessels approach on the other side of the ship.
At the end of the day, all reached land safely with just a few cuts and bruises. No doubt, because of the subsequent newspaper articles and speculation regarding the debacle over age, a lot of them would be carrying out internet searches when they got home, with many of those, being disappointed to learn that the ‘women and children first’ code of conduct has no basis in maritime law.
It may even be the case that a few might wonder whether it would have helped to know that… or not.