Mr Yūsuf Ahmad Waznah

Who was Yūsuf Ahmad Waznah?

Yūsuf Ahmad Waznah was a 23 (twenty-three) year-old Syrian-Lebanese farmer who tragically lost his life in the sinking of the RMS Titanic. As a third-class passenger, Waznah’s journey from his homeland to America was cut short by one of the most infamous maritime disasters in history.

Early Life and Background

Born in 1889 in Tibnīn, al-Janub, Lebanon, Yūsuf Ahmad Waznah came from a Shi’a Muslim family. Prior to his fateful voyage, he lived an agricultural life:

Occupation: Farmer
Marital Status: Single
Residence: Tibnīn village with parents and siblings

The Journey to a New Life

Why did Waznah embark on the Titanic?

Yūsuf Ahmad Waznah was seeking new opportunities in America, specifically in Michigan City, Indiana, where he had family members, including at least one sibling. His journey to the Titanic was a multi-leg adventure:

Departed from Beirut
Traveled to Marseille
Boarded the Titanic at Cherbourg, France

Who accompanied Waznah on his journey?

Waznah wasn’t traveling alone. He was accompanied by two cousins:

Titanic Voyage Details

Detail	Information
Passenger Class	3rd Class
Ticket Number	2647
Fare	£7 4s 6d
Port of Embarkation	Cherbourg

The Fateful Night

What happened to Waznah during the sinking?

The exact details of Yūsuf Ahmad Waznah’s final moments are unclear. However, his cousin Fatīmah, the sole survivor from their group, later provided an account of the night’s events. While some details seem embellished, her story paints a chaotic picture:

All of them made their way to the boat deck, one of the men dressing as a woman to help him slip undetected into a lifeboat. She also reported her cousins and other men being shot at by crewmen.

It’s important to note that the reliability of this account is questionable, given the traumatic nature of the event and the passage of time before it was related.

Legacy

Yūsuf Ahmad Waznah, like many victims of the Titanic disaster, never reached his intended destination. His body, if recovered, was never identified. At just 23 years old, his life and dreams were cut short on April 15, 1912.

How is Waznah remembered?

While Yūsuf Ahmad Waznah’s individual story may not be widely known, he is part of the larger narrative of the Titanic tragedy. His experience represents that of many third-class passengers, particularly those from the Middle East, who were seeking new opportunities in America.

Waznah’s story serves as a poignant reminder of the human cost of the disaster, the dreams that were lost, and the lives that were forever changed by that fateful night in the North Atlantic.