On Sat, 14 Apr 2012 08:28:54 -0400, Home Guy wrote:

I always found it strange that there wasn't enough wood or other
light-weight materials onboard that could have been scavanged to make
ad-hoc rafts or other floatation aids.

"...At 2.20 am, it sank, breaking loose from the bow section. The
remaining passengers and crew were plunged into lethally cold water
with a temperature of only 28 °F (-2 °C). Almost all of those in the
water died of hypothermia or cardiac arrest within minutes or drowned"

A floatation aid wouldn't help....