The captain orders the ship to be evacuated and tells the wireless operators to send out an urgent distress call to other ships, while down below in the boiler rooms, the crew pump out the incoming sea water to buy the ship more time. With only enough lifeboats for half the people on board, a rescue mission requires shuttle runs to be made to and from a rescue ship. First-class passengers are handed life-preservers and told to make their way to the boat deck, but they have not been told the ship is sinking