All about Ruth Becker Blanchard

Ruth Becker Blanchard age 12

Ruth Elizabeth Becker, known later as Ruth Becker Blanchard, was one of the youngest passengers on the Titanic at 12 years old. Ruth was born in Guntur, India in 1899. Ruth, her mother, and her younger brother and sister boarded the RMS Titanic as second-class passengers, with her father waiting behind in India to rejoin them later. Ruth’s mother managed to get into Lifeboat No. 11 with her two youngest children, but there was no room left for Ruth. Ruth's mother sobbed as she was separated from her daughter, who ended up in Lifeboat No. 13. As Ruth’s lifeboat was lowered into the water, it was very nearly crushed by Lifeboat No. 15, which was being lowered too quickly. A crew member managed to cut the ropes binding No. 13 to the ship at the last minute, and the boat slid away just in time. A young Polish woman in Ruth’s lifeboat lamented her missing baby, who had been separated from her much like Ruth had been separated from her family. Though she didn’t understand German, Ruth did her best to comfort the upset mother. Finally, the lifeboat was rescued by the Carpathia. After several tense hours of waiting and dreading the worst, Ruth was overjoyed to see her mother and siblings alive and well. She was also happy to discover that the Polish woman from her lifeboat had been reunited with her baby. In 1990, Ruth Becker Blanchard took a cruise to Mexico, her first time as a passenger on a ship since the Titanic disaster. She died later that year at the age of 90, and her ashes were scattered at sea, directly over the Titanic wreck.