In September 2022 I was forwarded a photograph by Karen Kamuda, who recently found it in her late husband’s belongings. It showed a Titanic lifebelt. She mentioned that there was a pencil inscription on the back of the picture. It read “Photograph of life belt from Titanic Museum of Martha’s Vineyard, Mass Photo JAC” This photo was taken during the ‘60s or ‘70s. It was on display in a local museum, a building on the steamship landing in the town of Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts, on the island of Martha’s Vineyard.

With not much to go on, I did some background research and came across an inventory made on October 15^th, 2003, for relocation of the Martha's Vineyard Museum’s collection to the Martha's Vineyard Historical Society (MVHS) where, among other things, the Titanic lifebelt could be stored more appropriately.

The inventory consisted of several appendices, and in them I found the mention of not one, but two Titanic lifebelts. In appendix D (Inventory of Seamen's Bethel Collection) I found the following " #189 Case 4, bottom shelf Life belt from S.S. Titanic." This was also noted in appendix F (Previous [1996] Inventory of Seamen's Bethel Collection). In that same appendix there was another note: " #None, Life Belt from S.S. Titanic."

Does this mean that prior to 1996 there was another lifebelt? We do not know, but we didn’t find it in appendix G (Inventory Discrepancies).  On October 23^rd, 2003, an article in the Vineyard Gazette[1] wrote of concerns about breaking up the Bethel collection, but it also mentioned that “The Titanic lifejacket, which has been on the Vineyard for many years, was removed and taken.,” because “records show that the lifejacket never had any historical connection with the Vineyard.”

Since 2024 the lifebelt is back in the possesion of the Seafarers Society and on display in their new welcoming center.

The Society has a hand out about the lifebelt that gives us some more information:

One of our prized possesions was gifted to us in 1960's. One of our longterm residents at our respute home left his collection to the Bethel. This seafarer's father was on one of the ships that responded to the aftermath of the sinking of the Titanic. While conducting the recovery mission this seafarer fished out a life vest and kept it as a souvenir. He left it to his son, who in turn left it to us. The life vest was on display at the Bethel museum from 1968 until 2000. It was than given on loan to the Boston Maritime Society where it was kept until 2024 when we moved it to it's new home here in our Portland Welcome center.

The card you will see in a gold frame to the right of the display is the seafarer credential belonging to the man who retrieved the life vest from the water - the father of the gentleman who left us this historical artifact.