On the cold evening of April 14, 1912, the Titanic, a brand-new ocean liner carrying 2,224 people, struck an iceberg, creating a large gash on the ship’s side. Hours later, at 2:20 a.m. on April 15, the massive ship sank to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. Millions around the world mourned the loss of more than 1,500 people when the “near unsinkable” Titanic sank on its maiden voyage from England to the United States.
Now, 103 years later, LDS Living looks back at the disaster and those with ties to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The Missionaries Who Missed Their Voyage
image via ldsliving.com
Alma Sonne and his companion, Fred Dahle, were heading home along with four other elders—George B. Chambers, Willard Richards, John R. Sayer, and L. J. Shurtliff—after completing their mission in England. But when the time came to meet in Southampton, Elder Dahle was delayed. Elder Sonne, who had convinced Elder Dahle to serve a mission in the first place and had booked their passage on the Titanic, decided they should not leave anyone behind. Instead, he canceled the reservations so they could depart the next day, when Elder Dahle would arrive.
While a few of the elders were disappointed they would not be able to travel home on the Titanic, they thanked God after they discovered what their outcome would have been. “You saved my life,” Elder Sonne told Elder Dahle. “No,” he replied. “By getting me on this mission, you saved my life.”
Read the entire miraculous story and other amazing LDS ties to the Titanic at LDS Living.
