Master Michael (Shafīq) Peter Yūsuf

Master Michael (Shafīq) Peter Yūsuf was a 4 (four) year-old Syrian/Lebanese third-class passenger and Titanic survivor whose miraculous escape from the disaster would earn him the nickname “Ty” and shape the course of his life.

Early Life and Background

Born on May 11, 1907, in Detroit, Michigan, Michael was the son of Lebanese immigrants Buṭrus Yūsuf (Peter Joseph) and Kātrīn Rizq (Katherine Rizq). He had a younger sister, Nabīah (Mary) Yūsuf, born in 1909. In 1910, Michael, his mother, and sister traveled to Lebanon to visit relatives, possibly due to financial difficulties in America.

The Titanic Journey

Why did the Yūsuf family board the Titanic?

The Yūsuf family boarded the Titanic at Cherbourg for their return journey to Detroit. They traveled as third-class passengers, holding ticket number 2668, which cost £22 7s 2d.

What happened on the night of the disaster?

On the fateful night of April 14, 1912, Michael’s mother was awakened by the collision with the iceberg. Amid the growing confusion, she quickly dressed herself and her children. Holding baby Mary in her arms and instructing Michael to hold onto her skirt, they made their way to the upper decks through crowds of bewildered steerage passengers.

Survival and Conflicting Accounts

The exact details of the family’s survival remain unclear, with conflicting accounts:

1. One version suggests the family climbed into a lifeboat together, but Mrs. Yūsuf accidentally dropped Michael into the water. He was reportedly rescued by another lifeboat.
2. Another account claims Michael became separated from his mother and sister in the crowd. An unknown man guided the bewildered boy to a lifeboat, where he was later reunited with his family aboard the Carpathia.

“Michael P. Joseph nicknamed TY and recognized as a miracle child by the nuns of Sts. Peter & Paul Jesuit Church after surviving the sinking of the Titanic on April 15, 1912”

Life After the Titanic

How did the disaster impact Michael’s early years?

The years following the Titanic disaster were marked by tragedy for young Michael:

• 1914: His sister Mary died from injuries sustained in a house fire
• 1915: His mother passed away
• 1915: Another sister, born that year, died at eight months old
• 1926: His father died of a heart condition

After losing both parents, Michael was taken in by his aunt and uncle, Harry and Rose Joseph, in Detroit.

Education and Career

Michael attended St. Peter & Paul School in Detroit, where the nuns gave him the nickname “Ty” due to his miraculous survival of the Titanic disaster. This moniker would stay with him for life.

By 1930, Michael was working as a driver for the Ginger Ale Company. He later became a truck driver, a profession he maintained until his retirement in 1967.

Family Life

On April 7, 1937, Michael married Catherine Ann Rouhana, another Michigan native of Lebanese descent. The couple had four children:

• Peter Michael (1938-1995)
• Anthony Paul (1941-2003)
• Liela Catherine (b. 1942)
• Louis Richard (1945-2013)

Legacy and Final Years

Michael remained in Detroit for the rest of his life. Described as a quiet man who enjoyed his family’s company, he rarely discussed the Titanic disaster, only occasionally opening up to his grandchildren about the experience.

How is Michael remembered today?

Michael “Ty” Joseph died on May 18, 1991, in Warren, Michigan, at the age of 84 (eighty-four). He is buried in the Resurrection Cemetery in Clinton, Michigan, beneath an elaborate headstone depicting the Titanic. Created by his grandson Brian, a funeral home director, the headstone serves as a lasting tribute to his remarkable survival story.

His son Louis, who passed away in 2013, was an avid collector of Titanic memorabilia and took great pride in his father’s survival. As of June 2016, Michael’s daughter Liela was still living in Michigan, carrying on the family’s extraordinary legacy.