Reginald Robinson Lee Explained

Reginald Robinson Lee
Birth Date:19 May 1870
Birth Place:Benson, England
Death Place:Southampton, England
Occupation:Lookout
Mother:Jane Sarah Jackson Lee
Father:William Lee

Reginald Robinson Lee (19 May 1870 – 6 August 1913) was a British sailor who served as a lookout aboard the Titanic in April 1912. He was on duty with Frederick Fleet in the crow's nest when the ship collided with an iceberg at 23:40 on 14 April 1912; both Lee and Fleet survived the sinking.

Biography

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

He joined the Titanics crew on 6 April 1912, having been transferred from its sister ship, RMS Olympic. On 14 April at 22:00, Lee joined lookout Frederick Fleet in the crow's nest replacing Archie Jewell and George Symons. The binoculars were unavailable, as the keys to the case in which they were locked were not on board,[1] forcing the lookouts to rely on their eyesight; it is doubtful the use of binoculars would have aided in spotting the iceberg.

When the Titanic began to founder, Lee was ordered to man lifeboat No. 13, which was launched from the ship's starboard side at 01:30. 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]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Lord, Walter . Walter Lord . November 1955 . A Night to Remember (book) . A Night to Remember . . 260 . 0-03-027615-2 . 1075502.
  2. Encyclopedia: Reginald Robinson Lee . . 6 January 2004 . 18 September 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20060217034249/http://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/biography/1348/ . 17 February 2006.