Charles Herbert Lightoller was born on March 30th, 1874 in the town of Chorley, Lancashire. Lightoller had 12 siblings in total. At the age of 13 Lightoller began his sea-faring carer. Lightoller signed on the vessel The Primrose Hill, in which he served as an apprentice.
Lightoller’s sea career was plagued with disaster. After serving a term on the Primrose Hill. Lightoller joined the Holt Hill. The Holt Hill was seriously damaged after experiencing a storm in the South Atlantic. Lightoller was also commended for service on the Knight of Saint Michael, for fighting a fire that took place in the cargo hold. By the age of 21 Lightoller was given his first mate award, many in the industry considered Lightoller a veteran of the sea after surviving multiple shipwrecks and fires at sea.
Lightoller and the Olympic Class:
Lightoller’s involvement with the White Star Line began in 1900, Lightoller served on the S.S Medic, S.S. Majestic and the S.S Oceanic. Lightoller signed on to the Titanic a few weeks before the maiden voyage, which would take place on April, 10th, 1912. Lightoller did board the 45,000 ton RMS Titanic in Belfast alongside Titanic’s Guarantee Group, Titanic’s designer Thomas Andrews and fellow serving officers. First officer William Murdoch and Chief officer Henry Wilde. Lightoller had originally sailed as Titanic’s first officer however, after Captain Herbert Haddock stepped down from skippering Titanic, Captain Smith ordered a re-arrangement of the Officers, this included the removal of sixth officer David Blair.
April 14th, 1912
On the evening of April 14th, 1912, Lightoller had finished evening shift around 11:00 pm, he had instructed first officer William Murdoch, Quartermaster Robert Hitchens and Titanic’s two lookouts Reginald Lee and Fredrick Fleet to keep a sharp lookout for ice. It should be mentioned that Titanic was steaming ahead at 24 knots through an ice field, the not too distant S.S Californian had sent a message to the Titanic via the Marconi wireless system, to perhaps slow down or stop as they were approaching a large ice field. Titanic’s two Marconi operators Harold Bride and John Phillips responded by telling the Cunard vessel to shut up and mind their own business.
At the time of the collision Lightoller was in his cabin and was not aware of the damage until he had been summoned to the bridge alongside Titanic’s five other officers and was instructed to load the lifeboats. A mystery that arose from the disaster was the matter of if the Captain had ordered just women and children into the lifeboats or if women and children should go first and if their any room for men, they would be permitted. Lightoller came under great scrutiny for this during the US senate inquiry.
Senator SMITH: How were these passengers selected in going to the lifeboats?
Mr. LIGHTOLLER: By their sex.
Senator SMITH: Whenever you saw a woman?
Mr. LIGHTOLLER: Precisely.
Senator SMITH: She was invited to go into one of these boats?
Mr. LIGHTOLLER: Excepting the stewardesses. We turned several of those away.
Lightoller was put in charge on loading lifeboats 4 and 6. Lifeboat 6 left the Titanic at 12:55 pm. This boat carried first class passenger Margaret ‘Molly’ Brown. An issue that Lightoller discovered with the lifeboat is that there was only one seaman on the boat. luckily for Lightoller first class passenger Major Arthur Peuchen had stepped forward to help. Lifeboat number 4 left at 1:45 am, carrying Madeline Astor. Madeline had been traveling with her husband John Jacob Astor, the richest man on the ship, with a net worth of £8.6 million. Madeline, was 8 months pregnant with Astor’s child at the time of the sinking. John had asked Lightoller if he could go with his pregnant wife, but Lightoller turned him away. Astor was lost in the sinking.
After lifeboats 4 and 6 left Titanic, Lightoller assisted fifth officer Harold Lowe in the loading of lifeboat number 2. At 1:30 am Lightoller forced two men out of lifeboat number two, alongside fifth officer Lowe resulted in firing his pistol three times to stop lifeboat 14 from being swamped.
The foundering of the Titanic:
At 2:00 all of Titanic’s lifeboats had left the doomed liner, Lightoller was still on board, at this point Titanic’s 50 ton propellers were now visible. Lightoller was trying desperately to release collapsible A, however, a wave washes it straight off the deck and Lightoller is taken under the waves with the collapsible. Lightoller was sucked into a ventilation shaft however, as they were still working the force manged to drive Lightoller back to the surface. Just as Lightoller emerged from the waves one of Titanic’s 50 ton funnels gave way and missed Lightoller by inches. At 2:17 Titanic’s Marconi operator John Phillips sends the distress signal. This fails at this stage the Titanic’s power gave out and plunged everyone on board into darkness. As the stern sinks further into the water this puts a severe strain on the middle section and causes the double keel to break between the third and fourth funnel. At this stage 1,500 people are still on board.
Lightoller had managed to swim away from the Titanic and secured a spot on an overturned collapsible. At 2:19 am Titanic’s bow completely separate from the stern and it’s estimated the bow took six minutes, travelling at a speed of 30mph to reach the Atlantic floor.
Lightoller recalled the Titanic’s final moments, “when the boiler’s broke away she was of course plunged into absolute darkness. Slowly she reared up on end until she was absolutely perpendicular. Then quite quietly, but quicker and quicker she seemed just to slide under the surface until she disappeared.” “As she vanished everyone round me on the upturned boat said as if they couldn’t believe it. She’s gone.”
Lightoller spoke at both the British and American Inquiry. When Lightoller returned home to Southampton he briefly served on Titanic’s sister RMS Olympic. With the onset of the First World War. Lightoller did serve in army and fought at Dunkirk on his yacht The Sundowner. Lightoller had also played a part in the making of the 1950 disaster movie A Night To Remember. Lightoller died on December 8th, 1952 aged 78. Lightoller was buried in Surrey and his grave is still available to visit.
As always I’ll leave a few external links on the life of Charles Lightoller, please feel free to ask any questions or get in touch for a talk.
Have a Titanic week, Millie.
Titanic Exhibition on the marconi message: http://www.premierexhibitions.com/exhibitions/3/3/titanic-artifact-exhibition/blog/marconi-operators-and-titanic
Encyclopaedia Titanica on Charles Lightoller: https://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/titanic-survivor/charles-herbert-lightoller.html
Charles Lightoller’s ‘Sundowner’: https://www.nationalhistoricships.org.uk/register/96/sundowner
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