Life Of Violet Jessop: stewardess survives Titanic and Britannic; keeps sailing for decades

Violet Jessop's life at sea was marked by three disasters involving some of the most famous ships in maritime history. The Argentine-born stewardess survived the 1911 collision involving the RMS Olympic, the sinking of the RMS Titanic in 1912 and the loss of the HMHS Britannic during World War I in 1916. Her remarkable experiences earned her the nickname 'Miss Unsinkable'. According to her memoir Titanic Survivor, published with biographer John Maxtone-Graham, and historical accounts from Biography dot com and Encyclopedia Titanica, Jessop was not merely a passenger caught up in these events. She was a working member of the crews who witnessed the disasters at close quarters and continued her career at sea afterwards.From Argentina to a career at seaBorn in Argentina in 1887 to Irish parents, Jessop was the eldest of a large family. Her childhood was marked by serious illness, including tuberculosis, which she survived despite doctors reportedly believing she would not recover. Following her father's death, the family moved to England. Her mother subsequently found work as a ship stewardess, but when she became ill, Jessop left school to help support the family. She eventually followed the same profession, beginning her career aboard the Royal Mail Line's Orinoco in 1908.