Frederick Fleet

Frederick Fleet ( * October 15, 1887 in Liverpool, † January 10, 1965 in Southampton ) was a member of the crew of the RMS Titanic, which sank on 15 April 1912 after hitting an iceberg.

Life

Frederick Fleet began at the age of twelve years, his education on a training ship, which he left at sixteen. In 1903 he went to sea as a cabin boy. Prior to signing on the Titanic, he worked for four years as a lookout aboard the White Star Line steamship RMS Oceanic.

Later he worked as a lookout and able seaman on the RMS Olympic, sister ship of the Titanic, as well as on ships of the Union Castle Line. Starting in 1936, he no longer went to sea and worked as a shipbuilder for the Harland & Wolff shipyard, later. Than boatswain ashore for Union -Castle

Shortly after his wife's death he committed suicide in January 1965. Fleet was buried in a pauper's grave in Southampton. Only in 1993 was set up by donations from the Titanic Historical Society, a grave stone on which the Titanic and the name Frederick Fleets are engraved.

Titanic

In April 1912 Frederick Fleet hired as a lookout on the Titanic. Together with Reginald Lee he pulled on April 14, 1912 at 22.00 clock from the watch in the crow's nest. 23.40 clock he discovered the iceberg and was immediately reported to the bridge ( " Iceberg right ahead! " ), Who accepted the sixth officer James P. Moody. However, the rudder maneuvers First Officer William M. Murdoch could not avoid the collision. After the Titanic had stopped their journey, Fleet and Lee were withdrawn at midnight from the crow's nest.

Later Fleet was assigned by the second officer Charles Lightoller for filling and boarding the lifeboat No. 6, the Titanic left from 0.55 clock under the leadership of the Quartermaster Robert Hichens, before the ship at 2:20 clock went down. Like all other survivors reached Fleet harbor of New York City aboard the RMS Carpathia.

Fleet both been witness in the investigation committee of the U.S. Senate, as well as the British committee of inquiry. He stated for the record that, if they had been as usual actually equipped with binoculars, the iceberg would have been discovered earlier. In the iceberg if it had been a so-called "Blue Iceberg ", which would have been well recognized at the prevailing calm sea and due to the moonless night.