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(1/7) THREAD 👇Photo of an unidentified victim of the TITANIC being embalmed on the deck of the Mackay Bennett, which was one of four ships chartered by the White Star Line to collect bodies shortly after the disaster. The ship and its crew were able to recover over 300 bodies. 
(2/7) When it set sail, the Mackay Bennett carried with it 100 coffins, 100 tons of ice, and 12 tons of iron bars which were used to bury badly decomposed bodies at sea. Passenger bodies in “satisfactory condition” were embalmed.
(3/7) When possible to identify: those of first class passengers were placed in coffins, while those of second and third class passengers were wrapped in canvas. Crew members were simply placed into the ice-filled hold.
(4/6) About half of those recovered were buried across three cemeteries in Halifax; 42 bodies went unidentified. Their tombstones contain a simple number and the date of the disaster.
(5/7) This is a photo of the crew from the Mackay Bennett with Titanic's overturned Collapsible Boat B. I realize this isn’t a typical #histmed post, but @PBSAmerica’s documentary #BandofCourage on the ship’s lost musicians lead me adrift - pardon the pun!
(6/7) What struck me was that the families of the musicians couldn't claim compensation from the White Star Line as they were independently employed by an agency that then billed families for the lost uniforms after the sinking. @PBSAmerica
(7/7) This sad story sent me down a rabbit hole & I began to wonder about attempts to recover bodies after the disaster. If you enjoyed this thread, make sure you follow @PBSAmerica. They work hard to produce quality documentaries & could use help in building their audience.
