SOUTHAMPTON, England – Southampton seaman Alfred Ernest Geer had been hard up for work for months because of a coal strike that had docked most of the city's ships. Then an unexpected opportunity to earn a small wage presented itself on the morning of April 10, 1912.
Titanic was due to set sail that day on its maiden voyage from this thriving port city on England's south coast. But a few of its 900 crewmembers had stayed out too late in a local pub.
