Charles Edward Dahl – A Life Between Norway, Australia and the Titanic
Charles Edward Dahl was born in northern Norway in 1866 under the name Karl Edvart Dahl. As a young man, he left his homeland and emigrated to Australia, where he worked as a joiner and adopted the anglicised name Charles Edward Dahl.
In 1912, Dahl planned to return to Norway. Yet after arriving in London, he changed course and booked passage on the Titanic. He boarded the ship in Southampton on 10 April 1912 as a third-class passenger. His destination was Fingal, North Dakota, where his mother and several siblings were living.
On the night of the sinking, Dahl later stated that the impact threw him out of his bunk. He dressed warmly and made his way toward the boat deck. There, he joined a prayer group led by Father Byles before eventually reaching Lifeboat 15. He survived the disaster and arrived in New York aboard the Carpathia.
After the sinking, Dahl was treated at St Vincent’s Hospital in New York. He later visited family in the United States, travelled for several years and eventually returned to Norway. In 1916, he married Hansine Kristine Pedersen, and the couple later moved to Oceania, Australia.
This artwork is dedicated to Charles Edward Dahl: a man whose life crossed continents and whose survival became part of the human memory of the Titanic. The abstract blue composition evokes the sea, movement and depth, while the shimmering details suggest both fragility and endurance. It is not only a tribute to a survivor, but also a fragment of a much larger commemorative project honouring every passenger and crew member connected to the Titanic.
References and Sources
Contract Ticket List, White Star Line 1912 (National Archives, New York; NRAN-21-SDNYCIVCAS-55(279])
List or Manifest of Alien Passengers for the United States Immigration Officer At Port Of Arrival (Date: 18th-19th June 1912, Ship: Carpathia) – National Archives, NWCTB 85 T715 Vol 4183 Per Kristian Sebak (1998) Titanic: 31 Norske Skjebner, Genesis Publishers
Credits
Trevor B axter, UK
Gavin Bell, UK
Peter Engberg-Klarström, Sweden
Per Kristian Sebak, Norway
Link and cite this biography
Encyclopedia Titanica (2026) Charles Edward Dahl (ref: #749, accessed 12th April 2026 04:16:29 PM); URL : https://www .encyclopedia-titanica.org/titanic-survivor/ charles-edwa rd-da hl.html
