Reginald Lee

Reginald Lee (19 May 1870 – 6 August 1913) was a lookout stationed in the crow's nest of the RMS Titanic when the ship collided with an iceberg at 11:40 p.m. on 14 April 1912.

For other people named Reginald Lee, see Reginald Lee (disambiguation).

Reginald Lee
Reginald Lee c. 1900
Born(1870-04-03)3 April 1870
Benson, England, UK
Died6 August 1913(1913-08-06) (aged 43)
Southampton, England, UK

Biography

Born in Benson, England, Lee served in the Royal Navy as Assistant-Paymaster until placed on the retired list in February 1900.[1]

He joined the Titanic's crew on 6 April 1912, having been transferred from its sister ship, RMS Olympic.[2] On 14 April at 10 p.m., Lee joined lookout Frederick Fleet in the crow's nest replacing Archie Jewell and George Symons. The binoculars the two men should have used were unavailable, as the keys to the case in which they were locked were not on board,[3] forcing the lookouts to rely on their eyesight.[2]

When the Titanic began to founder, Lee was ordered to man lifeboat No. 13, which was launched from the ship's starboard side at 1:30 a.m. As a result, Lee survived the sinking, as did Fleet, and testified before the Board of Trade inquiry into the disaster.

Lee returned to sea, last serving aboard the Kenilworth Castle, before dying from pneumonia-related complications in Southampton on 6 August 1913.[2]

References
  1. "No. 27160". The London Gazette. 2 February 1900. p. 691.
  2. "Reginald Robinson Lee". Encyclopedia Titanica. Archived from the original on 17 February 2006. Retrieved 18 September 2017.
  3. Lord, Walter (November 1955). A Night to Remember. Henry Holt and Company. p. 260. ISBN 0-03-027615-2. OCLC 1075502.
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