Travelling under the false name and title of Baron Alfred von Drachstedt, Nourney boarded the
Titanic in
Cherbourg, France, as a
second-class passenger. His request to a purser to be transferred to a first-class cabin was granted, largely because of his supposedly aristocratic status. He had purchased expensive items, including clothes, jewellery, walking sticks, two sets of toilet articles and a fountain pen, in order to support his pretence. On the night of 14 April 1912, he was playing
bridge with other men in the first-class smoking room. When Nourney first sensed a disturbance, he briefly left to investigate, but returned to continue playing. Minutes later, they became aware of the situation and boarded
Lifeboat #7 without difficulties, lowering away at 12:45am. While the others were rowing, he sat motionless, smoking cigarettes. He also carried a pistol which he used to fire gunshots into the air through the night. They were rescued by the at 5:10am. While on board the
Carpathia, he rested on a pile of blankets which were to be distributed among the survivors. A woman who entered the room pulled the uppermost blanket, making Nourney roll onto the floor. As everyone applauded the woman, he disappeared. Upon disembarking on 18 April in
New York City, he said he had lost all his money on the
Titanic and wished to quickly return to Europe. He returned to France and then to
Cologne, Germany, where his mother lived. ==Later life==