Author, historian and local resident Steven Schwankert will open the 2022 Speaker Series presentations of the Atlantic Highlands Historical Society with a unique view of a small group of passengers aboard the ill-fated Titanic when he addresses the Society Wednesday, April 20 at 7:30 pm.
The club is featuring shipwrecks and maritime disasters as its central theme for the 2022 series, and Schwankert’s presentation on the Titanic passengers presents a unique and surprising view of six survivors as well as Titanic owner J. Bruce Ismay.
Eight Chinese passengers sailed aboard the Titanic’s maiden voyage, neither crew nor stowaways. Despite being the most obviously foreign of all the passengers, six managed to survive, a surprising number for a group of men traveling in third class. One of the six was pulled from the water, perhaps the last person rescued from sinking ship, and the inspiration for one of modern cinema’s most iconic moments. Schwankert’s presentation will look at the sinking as a whole, and specifically the experience of key Titanic figures, including Ismay.
A fellow of The Explorers Club, Schwankert is the East and South Asia Chapter Chair and co-creator of “The Six,” a book and documentary project about the Chinese passengers aboard the Titanic. His book, “Poseidon: China’s Secret Salvage of Britain’s Lost Submarine” was published in 2013 by Hong Kong University Press.
Presentations on the maritime theme will be held the third Wednesday of each month through October, and are presented at the Strauss Museum, 27 Prospect Circle. No reservations are needed, all presentations begin at 7:30, and this year feature the Titanic and other shipwrecks and maritime disasters. Talks are on the 3rd Wednesday of every month from April to October. They are given at the Strauss Museum, 27 Prospect Circle, Atlantic Highlands, start at 7:30 and are free and open to the public.
For more information on this and all programs, events, and hours at the Strauss House, visit the Atlantic Highlands Historical Society website at http://www.ahhistory.org.
