4. The groups will have 20-30 minutes to list and prioritize criteria for
deciding who will live and who will die. Emphasize that criteria
should be discussed and chosen separate from ANY discussion of
individual survivors. Once criteria have been chosen and prioritized,
groups will then discuss and choose which 12 survivors will be
thrown overboard to certain death.
5. When all groups have decided, indicate on a transparency listing
every survivor (see transparency master), which survivors each
group has decided will be thrown overboard. You may want each
group to rank from 1 to 12 the order in which survivors would be
thrown overboard.
6. Discuss the similarities and differences between groups regarding
whom they chose to throw overboard and in what order they would do this.
7. Play segment of film (long version) that shows the captain deciding who will be
thrown overboard (about 10 minutes long). Students are typically
very keen to learn what actually happened in this true story. In the short version,
just tell class who survived and who did not.
8. Groups will now discuss the decision-making process (from the
seven options listed on the handout) that should have been used in
this life-and-death situation. Groups will then discuss the ethical
questions listed on the handout.
1. Discuss the importance of criteria to effective group decision making.
2. Ask students how the decision should have been made and why. Emphasize the
3. Discuss the ethics of the decision made by the captain. Address the five ethical
4. Did groups arrive at their decisions by consensus? Discuss.
5. Relate this lifeboat drama to real situations, such as organ transplants, health
ABANDON SHIP
The British film Abandon Ship is a dramatic depiction of a true story. Shortly
after World War II, the luxury ocean liner S.S. Crescent Star struck a floating
mine in the south Atlantic and sunk within seven minutes. There were more
than 1,000 passengers killed in the immediate sinking of the liner, with only 37
survivors. There were no lifeboats launched because the ship sank too rapidly.
Some of the crew and passengers, however, were able to board a small 18-foot
boat known as the captain’s shore boat. This small boat was designed to hold
only nine people, with maybe a maximum of fourteen people.
Situation You will need to know the following information to evaluate the
challenge confronting the survivors:
The boat is holding 17 people and an additional 9 survivors are hanging
onto the sides of the boat.
The boat is 1500 miles from the African coast.
There is very limited water and food.
There are numerous survivors who are injured.
The water temperature is about 50 degrees Fahrenheit and after three hours
in the water a person will die from hypothermia.
There is doubt that a rescue ship will find the survivors.
The boat has an internal rowing mechanism that will allow the survivors to row the
boat.
DECISIONS TO BE MADE BY THE GROUPS
I. Choose 12 survivors who will be pitched overboard and fed to the sharks.
A. List criteria (standards) for making choices BEFORE any decisions are
made concerning who will live and who will die.
B. Once the group has achieved a consensus regarding the 12
unfortunates, rank these 12 in the order of their departure from the boat
(1st = most expendable; 2nd = next most expendable, etc.). Be prepared
to justify the rankings in terms of your criteria.
II. Discuss the decision-making process that should have been used. Choose
from the options listed below that are also discussed in Chapter Seven of the
textbook.
A. Designated leader/authority (Captain Holmes) without any participation
from the group members affected by the decision.
B. Designated leader with ample participation from all group members
(survivors).
C. Designated expert–one person who knows the most about survival at
sea (e.g., Cookie) without participation from group members (survivors).
D. Designated expert with adequate participation from group members.
E. Majority vote of the group.
F. Consensus (unanimous decision) of group members.
G. Executive Committee composed of Captain Holmes, Mack McKinley,
and Major Barrington (or some other composition of committee
members)
Justify your choice of decision-making methods.
III. Consider the ethics of Captain Homes’ actual decision to pitch people
overboard, and the method he uses to decide—he decides alone without
consultation with anyone.
B. In Mixed Company lists five standards for ethical group communication.
They are: respect, honesty, fairness, choice, and responsibility. Was Captain
Alec’s decision ethical according to these five standards? Discuss.
1. Was Mack’s decision a better ethical choice?
2. Would you have made the same choice as the Captain or would you
have chosen another option (e.g., ride out the storm and hope for the
best; give all group members an opportunity to influence the final
decision; women and children remain, men go overboard)?
C. Should Captain Alec have been prosecuted and convicted of murder for
what he did? Justify your answer. Would Captain Alec have been guilty
of manslaughter in your judgment if he had sacrificed everyone’s lives
by trying to ride out the storm with all survivors hanging onto the boat?
WORKSHEETS
It is now the second day of the survivors’ ordeal. There are 25 survivors left,
including the dog. There is no sign of a rescue ship and there is a real
possibility that the sinking of the S. S. Crescent Star is unknown to the outside
world. Therefore, it is likely that the survivors must row to the African coast for any
chance of survival. There is a storm brewing and the overloaded shore
boat could sink at any time. There are too many passengers.
You must select TWELVE (12) survivors to set adrift (the dog may count as one
survivor). It is certain death for those left in the cold waters of the South Atlantic. What
criteria will you use to make this life-and-death decision?
List your criteria below in order of importance. These criteria should be listed BEFORE
you make your decisions regarding who lives and who dies. Do NOT discuss individual
survivors until your criteria list has been completed.
CRITERIA:
1. __________________________________________________
2. __________________________________________________
3. __________________________________________________
4. __________________________________________________
5. __________________________________________________
6. __________________________________________________
7. __________________________________________________
LIST OF SURVIVORS ON THE SECOND DAY
1. Alec Holmes–First Engineer of the ship and given command after the death
of the captain. Has never commanded a ship. Single, but has a romantic
relationship with the ship’s nurse. Has the only gun. Approximate age: 42
2. Julie White–ship’s nurse. Single, but has a romantic relationship with Alec
Holmes. Somewhat unstable emotionally. Approximate age: 32.
3. Mack McKinley–Second Senior Officer. Physically strong. Will take
command if anything happens to Holmes. Single. Approximate age: 35.
4. Sam–Seaman on the ship. Jamaican. Married, with children. Physically
strong. Unstable personality. Complains a great deal. Concerned about his
own welfare; not much concerned about others’ welfare. Approx. age: 40.
5. Cookie–Seaman on the ship. Has the most sailing experience of any of the
survivors. In charge of food, water, and supplies. Married, with grown
children. Approximate age: 55.
6. Big Joe–Seaman on the ship. Biggest and strongest of all the survivors.
Friendly. Married, with children. Approximate age: 45.
7. Digger–Seaman on the ship. Able-bodied. Married, with children.
Approximate age: 40.
8. Dorothy Newston–passenger on the ship. Once a famous opera singer, but
now retired. Widow, with grown children. Her children sent her on world
cruise because she was “in the way.” Approximate age: 70.
9. Merrick–Seaman on the ship. Scottish. Has two broken wrists. Married,
with children. Very concerned about his own welfare; not much concerned
about others’ welfare. Approximate age: 40.
10. Sparks (Jimmy)–Third Officer on the ship and ship’s radio operator. Is
emotionally overwrought because he was unable to send a S.O.S
message before the ship sunk. Single. Approx. age: 30.
11. Sully Daniel–passenger on the ship. Gambler. Single. Able-bodied.
Approx. age: 38.
12. Audrey Clark–passenger on the ship. Successful playwright. Travels a
great deal. Cares about his dog. Often seasick. Single. Approx. age: 40.
13. Major-General Barrington–passenger on the ship. Commanded everything
from a squad to a division, but is now retired from the Army. Divorced.
Pompous and arrogant. Disagreeable person. Able-bodied. Approximate
age: 60.
14. Ruth Spencer–passenger on the ship. Has a serious cut on her arm that
becomes gangrenous. She’s feverish. Single. Approximate age: 30.
15. Michael Ferrone–passenger on the ship. Called a racketeer by one of the
other passengers. Has a large switchblade knife. Able-bodied. Married, with
children. Approximate age: 42.
16. George Killgor–passenger on the ship. Has swallowed fuel oil and is ill.
Married; wife and son are in the boat with him. Approximate age: 40.
17. Mrs. Killgor–passenger on the ship. Has broken ribs; difficulty breathing.
Married; husband and son are in the boat. Approximate age: 35.
18. Peter Killgor–passenger on the ship. Has a black eye. In the boat with
father and mother. Approximate age: 8.
19. Professor Daniel Kane–passenger on the ship. Noted nuclear scientist.
Married, with grown children. Able-bodied. Approximate age: 60.
20. Edith Middleton–passenger on the ship. Socialite. Strong swimmer.
Physically fit. On a trip around the world with her rich husband. Husband
survived the sinking but is on a raft and may have died. She has a
boyfriend, John Haden, who is on the boat with her. Approximate age: 30.
21. John Haden–passenger on the ship. Playboy and boyfriend of Edith
Middleton. Single. Can’t swim. Bit of a whiner. Approximate age: 40.
22. Willie Hawkins–Seaman on the ship. Married, with children. Approximate
age: 40.
23. Mario Pasqualle–Seaman on the ship. Married, with children. Approximate
age: 50.
24. Mickey Stork–ship’s steward. Physically small in size. Single. Age: 18.
25. Dog–owned by Audrey Clark. A large poodle, weighing about 70 pounds.
CHOOSE 12 UNFORTUNATES WHO WILL BE THROWN OVERBOARD.
EXPLAIN WHY THEY WERE CHOSEN BASED ON CRITERIA USED
NAMES REASONS
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
Place check mark by each survivor chosen to die.
GROUPS: I II III IV V
1. Alec Holmes
2. Julie White
3. Mack McKinley
4. Sam
5. Cookie
6. Joe
7. Digger
8. Dorothy Newston
9. Merrick
10. Sparks
11. Sully Daniel
12. Audrey Clark
13. Major General Barrington
14. Ruth Spencer
15. Michael Ferrone
16. George Killgor
17. Mrs. Killgor
18. Peter Killgor
19. Professor Daniel Kane
20. Edith Middleton
21. John Haden
22. Willie Hawkins
23. Mario Pasqualle
24. Mickey Storks
25. Dog
POSTSCRIPT
This is a true story. Captain Alec Holmes was confronted by Mack McKinley, the Second
Senior Officer, who insisted that the captain must not throw people overboard. Mack
claimed that it was murder. Captain Holmes pointed a gun at Mack, his friend, and ordered
him to help throw passengers overboard. Mack refused, but instead of forcing the issue,
Mack chose to go overboard with the rest of the unfortunates chosen by the captain.
Captain Holmes chose the following passengers to be thrown overboard: Dorothy
Newston, Merrick, Audrey Clark, Ruth Spencer, George Killgor, Mrs. Killgor, Mickey
Storks. His decision was based on the “survival of the fittest.” Merrick, enraged that he
was chosen to die, was shot by the captain when he tried to tip over the boat. Michael
Ferrone was shot by the captain when he tried to take over the boat and stop the captain
from throwing people overboard. Captain Holmes was wounded with Ferrone’s knife in the
confrontation. John Haden is accidentally knocked overboard. Captain Holmes wanted to
keep the dog as a food source, but the dog leapt into the sea when its master, Audrey Clark,
was thrown overboard.
The remaining passengers on the boat rode out the storm. Exhausted, but grateful to be
alive, they thanked Captain Holmes profusely for saving their lives. Weakened by the knife
wound, Captain Holmes pronounced himself unfit to remain aboard and jumped into the
sea. He was retrieved by several of the survivors. A rescue ship was spotted on the horizon
coming towards the boat. The passengers changed their tune and no longer supported the
captain’s decision to throw people overboard. Captain Holmes is court-martialed. He was
found guilty of murder but given a six-month sentence due to the extraordinary
circumstances.
VIII. “13 Days” (Tests Chapters 8 & 9 material)
A. Show the movie “13 Days” about the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. Aside from
Kevin Costner’s lame attempt to adopt an Irish accent, this is a powerful and well
acted drama well worth the class time. I edited this lengthy movie somewhat to
about a 100 minute length.
B. Correct the quiz, explaining the reasons for each answer, applying material found
in Chapter 8 and 9 of IN MIXED COMPANY.
C. Good opportunity for extra credit if so desired.
ABANDON SHIP
The British film Abandon Ship is a dramatic depiction of a true story. Shortly
after World War II, the luxury ocean liner S.S. Crescent Star struck a floating
mine in the south Atlantic and sunk within seven minutes. There were more
than 1,000 passengers killed in the immediate sinking of the liner, with only 37
survivors. There were no lifeboats launched because the ship sank too rapidly.
Some of the crew and passengers, however, were able to board a small 18-foot
boat known as the captain’s shore boat. This small boat was designed to hold
only nine people, with maybe a maximum of fourteen people.
Situation You will need to know the following information to evaluate the
challenge confronting the survivors:
The boat is holding 17 people and an additional 9 survivors are hanging
onto the sides of the boat.
The boat is 1500 miles from the African coast.
There is very limited water and food.
There are numerous survivors who are injured.
The water temperature is about 50 degrees Fahrenheit and after three hours
in the water a person will die from hypothermia.
There is doubt that a rescue ship will find the survivors.
The boat has an internal rowing mechanism that will allow the survivors to row the
boat.
DECISIONS TO BE MADE BY THE GROUPS
I. Choose 12 survivors who will be pitched overboard and fed to the sharks.
A. List criteria (standards) for making choices BEFORE any decisions are
made concerning who will live and who will die.
B. Once the group has achieved a consensus regarding the 12
unfortunates, rank these 12 in the order of their departure from the boat
(1st = most expendable; 2nd = next most expendable, etc.). Be prepared
to justify the rankings in terms of your criteria.
II. Discuss the decision-making process that should have been used. Choose
from the options listed below that are also discussed in Chapter Seven of the
textbook.
A. Designated leader/authority (Captain Holmes) without any participation
from the group members affected by the decision.
B. Designated leader with ample participation from all group members
(survivors).
C. Designated expert–one person who knows the most about survival at
sea (e.g., Cookie) without participation from group members (survivors).
D. Designated expert with adequate participation from group members.
E. Majority vote of the group.
F. Consensus (unanimous decision) of group members.
G. Executive Committee composed of Captain Holmes, Mack McKinley,
and Major Barrington (or some other composition of committee
members)
Justify your choice of decision-making methods.
III. Consider the ethics of Captain Homes’ actual decision to pitch people
overboard, and the method he uses to decide—he decides alone without
consultation with anyone.
B. In Mixed Company lists five standards for ethical group communication.
They are: respect, honesty, fairness, choice, and responsibility. Was Captain
Alec’s decision ethical according to these five standards? Discuss.
1. Was Mack’s decision a better ethical choice?
2. Would you have made the same choice as the Captain or would you
have chosen another option (e.g., ride out the storm and hope for the
best; give all group members an opportunity to influence the final
decision; women and children remain, men go overboard)?
C. Should Captain Alec have been prosecuted and convicted of murder for
what he did? Justify your answer. Would Captain Alec have been guilty
of manslaughter in your judgment if he had sacrificed everyone’s lives
by trying to ride out the storm with all survivors hanging onto the boat?
WORKSHEETS
It is now the second day of the survivors’ ordeal. There are 25 survivors left,
including the dog. There is no sign of a rescue ship and there is a real
possibility that the sinking of the S. S. Crescent Star is unknown to the outside
world. Therefore, it is likely that the survivors must row to the African coast for any
chance of survival. There is a storm brewing and the overloaded shore
boat could sink at any time. There are too many passengers.
You must select TWELVE (12) survivors to set adrift (the dog may count as one
survivor). It is certain death for those left in the cold waters of the South Atlantic. What
criteria will you use to make this life-and-death decision?
List your criteria below in order of importance. These criteria should be listed BEFORE
you make your decisions regarding who lives and who dies. Do NOT discuss individual
survivors until your criteria list has been completed.
CRITERIA:
1. __________________________________________________
2. __________________________________________________
3. __________________________________________________
4. __________________________________________________
5. __________________________________________________
6. __________________________________________________
7. __________________________________________________
LIST OF SURVIVORS ON THE SECOND DAY
1. Alec Holmes–First Engineer of the ship and given command after the death
of the captain. Has never commanded a ship. Single, but has a romantic
relationship with the ship’s nurse. Has the only gun. Approximate age: 42
2. Julie White–ship’s nurse. Single, but has a romantic relationship with Alec
Holmes. Somewhat unstable emotionally. Approximate age: 32.
3. Mack McKinley–Second Senior Officer. Physically strong. Will take
command if anything happens to Holmes. Single. Approximate age: 35.
4. Sam–Seaman on the ship. Jamaican. Married, with children. Physically
strong. Unstable personality. Complains a great deal. Concerned about his
own welfare; not much concerned about others’ welfare. Approx. age: 40.
5. Cookie–Seaman on the ship. Has the most sailing experience of any of the
survivors. In charge of food, water, and supplies. Married, with grown
children. Approximate age: 55.
6. Big Joe–Seaman on the ship. Biggest and strongest of all the survivors.
Friendly. Married, with children. Approximate age: 45.
7. Digger–Seaman on the ship. Able-bodied. Married, with children.
Approximate age: 40.
8. Dorothy Newston–passenger on the ship. Once a famous opera singer, but
now retired. Widow, with grown children. Her children sent her on world
cruise because she was “in the way.” Approximate age: 70.
9. Merrick–Seaman on the ship. Scottish. Has two broken wrists. Married,
with children. Very concerned about his own welfare; not much concerned
about others’ welfare. Approximate age: 40.
10. Sparks (Jimmy)–Third Officer on the ship and ship’s radio operator. Is
emotionally overwrought because he was unable to send a S.O.S
message before the ship sunk. Single. Approx. age: 30.
11. Sully Daniel–passenger on the ship. Gambler. Single. Able-bodied.
Approx. age: 38.
12. Audrey Clark–passenger on the ship. Successful playwright. Travels a
great deal. Cares about his dog. Often seasick. Single. Approx. age: 40.
13. Major-General Barrington–passenger on the ship. Commanded everything
from a squad to a division, but is now retired from the Army. Divorced.
Pompous and arrogant. Disagreeable person. Able-bodied. Approximate
age: 60.
14. Ruth Spencer–passenger on the ship. Has a serious cut on her arm that
becomes gangrenous. She’s feverish. Single. Approximate age: 30.
15. Michael Ferrone–passenger on the ship. Called a racketeer by one of the
other passengers. Has a large switchblade knife. Able-bodied. Married, with
children. Approximate age: 42.
16. George Killgor–passenger on the ship. Has swallowed fuel oil and is ill.
Married; wife and son are in the boat with him. Approximate age: 40.
17. Mrs. Killgor–passenger on the ship. Has broken ribs; difficulty breathing.
Married; husband and son are in the boat. Approximate age: 35.
18. Peter Killgor–passenger on the ship. Has a black eye. In the boat with
father and mother. Approximate age: 8.
19. Professor Daniel Kane–passenger on the ship. Noted nuclear scientist.
Married, with grown children. Able-bodied. Approximate age: 60.
20. Edith Middleton–passenger on the ship. Socialite. Strong swimmer.
Physically fit. On a trip around the world with her rich husband. Husband
survived the sinking but is on a raft and may have died. She has a
boyfriend, John Haden, who is on the boat with her. Approximate age: 30.
21. John Haden–passenger on the ship. Playboy and boyfriend of Edith
Middleton. Single. Can’t swim. Bit of a whiner. Approximate age: 40.
22. Willie Hawkins–Seaman on the ship. Married, with children. Approximate
age: 40.
23. Mario Pasqualle–Seaman on the ship. Married, with children. Approximate
age: 50.
24. Mickey Stork–ship’s steward. Physically small in size. Single. Age: 18.
25. Dog–owned by Audrey Clark. A large poodle, weighing about 70 pounds.
CHOOSE 12 UNFORTUNATES WHO WILL BE THROWN OVERBOARD.
EXPLAIN WHY THEY WERE CHOSEN BASED ON CRITERIA USED
NAMES REASONS
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
Place check mark by each survivor chosen to die.
GROUPS: I II III IV V
1. Alec Holmes
2. Julie White
3. Mack McKinley
4. Sam
5. Cookie
6. Joe
7. Digger
8. Dorothy Newston
9. Merrick
10. Sparks
11. Sully Daniel
12. Audrey Clark
13. Major General Barrington
14. Ruth Spencer
15. Michael Ferrone
16. George Killgor
17. Mrs. Killgor
18. Peter Killgor
19. Professor Daniel Kane
20. Edith Middleton
21. John Haden
22. Willie Hawkins
23. Mario Pasqualle
24. Mickey Storks
25. Dog
POSTSCRIPT
This is a true story. Captain Alec Holmes was confronted by Mack McKinley, the Second
Senior Officer, who insisted that the captain must not throw people overboard. Mack
claimed that it was murder. Captain Holmes pointed a gun at Mack, his friend, and ordered
him to help throw passengers overboard. Mack refused, but instead of forcing the issue,
Mack chose to go overboard with the rest of the unfortunates chosen by the captain.
Captain Holmes chose the following passengers to be thrown overboard: Dorothy
Newston, Merrick, Audrey Clark, Ruth Spencer, George Killgor, Mrs. Killgor, Mickey
Storks. His decision was based on the “survival of the fittest.” Merrick, enraged that he
was chosen to die, was shot by the captain when he tried to tip over the boat. Michael
Ferrone was shot by the captain when he tried to take over the boat and stop the captain
from throwing people overboard. Captain Holmes was wounded with Ferrone’s knife in the
confrontation. John Haden is accidentally knocked overboard. Captain Holmes wanted to
keep the dog as a food source, but the dog leapt into the sea when its master, Audrey Clark,
was thrown overboard.
The remaining passengers on the boat rode out the storm. Exhausted, but grateful to be
alive, they thanked Captain Holmes profusely for saving their lives. Weakened by the knife
wound, Captain Holmes pronounced himself unfit to remain aboard and jumped into the
sea. He was retrieved by several of the survivors. A rescue ship was spotted on the horizon
coming towards the boat. The passengers changed their tune and no longer supported the
captain’s decision to throw people overboard. Captain Holmes is court-martialed. He was
found guilty of murder but given a six-month sentence due to the extraordinary
circumstances.
VIII. “13 Days” (Tests Chapters 8 & 9 material)
A. Show the movie “13 Days” about the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. Aside from
Kevin Costner’s lame attempt to adopt an Irish accent, this is a powerful and well
acted drama well worth the class time. I edited this lengthy movie somewhat to
about a 100 minute length.
B. Correct the quiz, explaining the reasons for each answer, applying material found
in Chapter 8 and 9 of IN MIXED COMPANY.
C. Good opportunity for extra credit if so desired.