Inside the incredible life of Titanic's youngest survivor, who lived to 97 and refused to see James Cameron's movie

Gabbi ShawFeb 9, 2023, 19:54 IST

Millvina Dean was just over 2 months old when she boarded the Titanic.GERRY PENNY/AFP/Getty Images

Millvina Dean was just 9 weeks old when her family boarded the Titanic in 1912.
Dean lived to be 97 years old, dying in 2009. She was the last living survivor of the ship.

Millvina Dean was just 9 weeks old when she boarded the Titanic in 1912 with her parents and older brother.

Millvina Dean and her mother.Public domain

But she wasn't supposed to be on the Titanic at all. The Dean family boarded the ship after a coal strike canceled their original trip.

The Titanic.Topical Press Agency/Getty Images

Her family was leaving the UK to move to Kansas City, Missouri, to join her father's cousin.

Millvina Dean reading some letters from Titanic scholars.Ian Cook/Getty Images

On April 14, 1912, the Titanic hit an iceberg and later sank. Millvina, her mother, and 2-year-old brother survived, but her father died with the many other third-class men who weren't allowed on lifeboats.

A lifeboat from the Titanic.Ralph White/CORBIS/Corbis/Getty Images

On April 14, 1912, the Titanic hit an iceberg and later sank. Millvina, her mother, and 2-year-old brother survived, but her father died with the many other third-class men who weren't allowed on lifeboats.

When the Deans returned to England aboard the Adriatic, passengers lined up to hold Millvina. The demand was so high an officer made a rule that each person could only hold her for 10 minutes.

A small baby pictured on the deck of the Carpathia, which pulled stranded survivors from lifeboats.Carl Simon/United Archives/Universal Images Group/Getty Images

When the Deans returned to England aboard the Adriatic, passengers lined up to hold Millvina. The demand was so high an officer made a rule that each person could only hold her for 10 minutes.

Millvina didn't learn about the true horrors of the Titanic until she was 8 years old, when her mother finally told her.

Millvina at a Titanic exhibit in 2003.John Stillwell - PA Images/PA Images/Getty Images

Millvina and Bertram Dean were educated using money from the Titanic Relief Fund, a charity formed in England to support survivors.

Millvina and a street that was named after her.Ian Cook/Getty Images

During World War II, she worked in the British Army's map-making office.

A World War II-era map.Culture Club/Getty Images

She never publicly spoke about the Titanic until 1985, when the shipwreck was found.

Millvina at another Titanic exhibition.GERRY PENNY/AFP/Getty Images

Millvina never watched James Cameron's 1997 blockbuster "Titanic" because she was worried it would make her think about what her father had been doing in his final moments.

"Titanic."IMDb/20th Century Fox

Millvina never watched James Cameron's 1997 blockbuster "Titanic" because she was worried it would make her think about what her father had been doing in his final moments.

Her brother, Bertram, pictured right, died on the 80th anniversary of the iceberg collision in 1992. He was 81.

Survivors Eva Hart and Bertram Dean (left and right) with scientist Robert Ballard (center), who led the deep-sea expedition to film the wreck of the Titanic.PA/PA Images/Getty Images

In 1998, Millvina finally successfully crossed the Atlantic from Southampton to New York City aboard the Queen Elizabeth II.

Millvina Dean on the water.Xavier DESMIER/Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images

She auctioned off some of her Titanic memorabilia later in life, including the mailbag her mother carried their possessions in after the sinking.

A 100-year-old suitcase that was filled with clothes donated to Millvina Dean.Ben Birchall - PA Images/PA Images/Getty Images

James Cameron and "Titanic" stars Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio donated thousands of dollars towards Millvina's nursing-home costs in 2009.

Kate Winslet, James Cameron, and Leonardo DiCaprio at the Golden Globes.Hal Garb/AFP via Getty Images

Millvina died in 2009 at 97. She was the last living survivor of the Titanic.

Flowers where Millvina's ashes were scattered.Johnny Green/PA Images/Getty Images

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Inside the incredible life of Titanic's youngest survivor, who lived to 97 and refused to see James Cameron's movie

Millvina Dean was just 9 weeks old when she boarded the Titanic in 1912 with her parents and older brother.

But she wasn't supposed to be on the Titanic at all. The Dean family boarded the ship after a coal strike canceled their original trip.

Her family was leaving the UK to move to Kansas City, Missouri, to join her father's cousin.

On April 14, 1912, the Titanic hit an iceberg and later sank. Millvina, her mother, and 2-year-old brother survived, but her father died with the many other third-class men who weren't allowed on lifeboats.

When the Deans returned to England aboard the Adriatic, passengers lined up to hold Millvina. The demand was so high an officer made a rule that each person could only hold her for 10 minutes.

Millvina didn't learn about the true horrors of the Titanic until she was 8 years old, when her mother finally told her.

Millvina and Bertram Dean were educated using money from the Titanic Relief Fund, a charity formed in England to support survivors.

During World War II, she worked in the British Army's map-making office.

She never publicly spoke about the Titanic until 1985, when the shipwreck was found.

Millvina never watched James Cameron's 1997 blockbuster "Titanic" because she was worried it would make her think about what her father had been doing in his final moments.

Her brother, Bertram, pictured right, died on the 80th anniversary of the iceberg collision in 1992. He was 81.

In 1998, Millvina finally successfully crossed the Atlantic from Southampton to New York City aboard the Queen Elizabeth II.

She auctioned off some of her Titanic memorabilia later in life, including the mailbag her mother carried their possessions in after the sinking.

James Cameron and "Titanic" stars Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio donated thousands of dollars towards Millvina's nursing-home costs in 2009.

Millvina died in 2009 at 97. She was the last living survivor of the Titanic.