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Last year, when I was working on my “Ship of Secrets” blog post, I stumbled across a book called Titanic: The Untold Story of Gay Passengers and Crew by Jack Fritscher. One quote from the author kept popping up in my research:
Of the 885 male crew on TITANIC, 693, or 78 percent, died. Altogether, 1,352 men perished. If, according to Kinsey, one out of six ordinary men is gay, 225 gay men died. If two out of six in the travel industry are gay, 450 gay men died, making TITANIC an overlooked but essential chapter in gay history.
This made me want to read Fritscher’s book and learn more (a very striking cover also piqued my interest). I jotted down the title and told myself I’d look into it later. Months passed before I finally bought it on Kindle. I was curious to say the least.
Jack Fritscher wrote Titanic: The Untold Story of Gay Passengers and Crew in 1986. The AIDS epidemic was at its height, and the LGBTQ+ movement had never been so visible before. For Fritscher, the Titanic is an allegory for the wild times of the 1970s—the AIDS epidemic is the iceberg. Artist, writer, and publisher Mark Hemry wrote the foreword (which for some reason appears at the very end of the book). He writes:
In the Titanic canon, and in the gay literary canon, the novel has won praise for its writing style, its precise accuracy in mixing fictional and historical characters, and its heritage as the first novel dealing with gay men on Titanic. Into this historic realism, Fritscher, writing in top erotic form, inserts the magical thinking of gay eros.
The reference to “top erotic form” should tip readers off on what’s to come. I wish the foreword had actually been at the start of the book—it offers valuable context for both the story and Fritscher’s broader body of work.
Book Summary
The novel follows two men: Boston-born Michael Whitney and Englishman Edward Wedding. After meeting and falling in love at Oxford University, they sail to the United States aboard the brand-new RMS Titanic. During the voyage, they befriend fellow First Class passenger Margaret Brown, who insists they call her Molly.
The book mostly focuses on Michael and Edward’s sexual exploits aboard the ship during its ill-fated maiden voyage. Purser Felix Jones encourages them, telling them to go down the aft portside stairs at 11 pm. He tells them:
You’ll find what you’re looking for where the women never go. Some say first-class never mixes with second-class nor with steerage to say nothing of mixing after hours with the crew. What you see on your tickets, and what deck is your promenade, has no meaning below stairs. There’s no distinctions down in the hold. Just men being men.
From the catwalks above the engine room to private suites, Michael and Edward live out their wildest fantasies. They have sex with sailors, stokers, and other crewmen throughout the voyage to their hearts’ content. Lots and lots of sex. Unfortunately, this has repercussions for the couple when Titanic hits the iceberg and sinks.
Going in, I knew this wasn’t a scholarly book by any means. I went in expecting it to be historical fiction with insight into gay culture during the Edwardian era. But that’s not what this book is. Not at all.
Make no mistake: this is erotica—very graphic erotica—set aboard the Titanic. The main characters seize every opportunity to have sex with each other or anonymous crew members. Some scenes genuinely shocked me with how graphic they were (not an easy feat). After one escapade, Edward tells a crewman that he is “truly titanic!”
My Thoughts
Unfortunately, the book leans heavily into several Titanic myths: that the ship was built quickly and shoddily, that a cursed mummy was aboard, and that a man escaped into a lifeboat dressed as a woman. It also claims that Titanic could reach 30 knots (White Star would’ve really given Cunard a run for their money if that was the case!) and that shipyard workers were sealed inside the hull during construction. It’s wild.
Interestingly, the possible real-life romantic relationship between Major Archibald Butt and Frank Millet doesn’t appear at all in the book. I was surprised. Major Butt gets a brief mention, but only as someone eager to leave the Sunday church service.
I found the book’s portrayal of women to be problematic. They’re mostly background characters who largely say nothing, with the exception of Molly Brown. No other women are mentioned by their first names. This truly bothered me. For example, Madeleine Astor is only referred to as “Mrs. J.J. Astor” or “Mr. Astor’s five-months-pregnant wife.” The only time her first name comes up is in reference to their Airedale terrier, Kitty. That detail feels particularly telling.
Molly Brown is the only woman who gets any real attention in the story—which, honestly, isn’t surprising. Unfortunately, the book portrays her as the campy, raucous Westerner from popular culture rather than the elegant, educated woman she actually was. Still, she’s sympathetic to Michael and Edward’s relationship and genuinely enjoys hearing about their antics and escapades. She’s clearly an LGBTQ+ ally. “I care about your kind,” Molly tells Michael at one point.
Titanic: The Untold Tale of Gay Passengers and Crew also makes no mention of the fact that there were likely lesbians aboard the ship too. But this sadly isn’t too surprising: LGBTQ+ women have frequently been overlooked throughout history, even by gay writers and historians.
Conclusion
All said, I think I understand what Fritscher set out to do. Written in 1986, during the height of the AIDS epidemic, this book asserts—through its own bold lens—that gay people have always existed, even on the Titanic. LGBTQ+ people have long found refuge at sea, away from the strict confines of societal norms. Titanic: The Untold Stories of Gay Passengers and Crew stands out for likely being the first work to explore this perspective. It’s noteworthy for that fact alone.
But I think it’s safe to say I’m not the target audience for this book. And if you’re looking for an insightful examination of same-sex relationships in the Edwardian era, you probably aren’t either. If historical erotica is your thing, though, then you might really enjoy this book. You do you…no judgment!
Regardless of your thoughts on Titanic: The Untold Tale of Gay Passengers and Crew, Mark Hemry said it best in the foreword: “You will never forget this story ripped from the secret pages of a Titanic diary!”
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