Robert Hichens (RMS Titanic)

Robert Hichens ( born September 16, 1882 in Newlyn, Cornwall, England; † September 23, 1940 at sea) was quartermaster of the RMS Titanic, which sank on 15 April 1912 on its maiden voyage after hitting an iceberg.

Life

Hichens comes from a family of fishermen from Newlyn in Cornwall. He was the eldest of eight children of Philip Hichens and Rebecca Hichens (nee Wood). As quartermaster he served on various ships in the post - Union Castle Line and the British India Steam Navigation Company. Shortly prior to signing on the RMS Titanic, he served on the troop ship Dongola, the commuted between Britain and Bombay. In World War I he was part of the Royal Navy Reserve. In 1937 he hired on the merchantman English trader, where he died in 1940 due to a heart attack.

Titanic

Robert Hichens hired as one of six quartermasters on April 6, 1912, the Titanic to. On 14 April 1912, he sparked at 22:00 clock Quartermaster Alfred Olliver from the helm and had thus held the position of helmsman, when the Titanic at about 23.40 clock on a collision course with an iceberg was. As the two officers who were at that time on the bridge, the downfall did not survive, he was an important witness in the subsequent studies of the phenomena. He showed that it had been the sixth officer James P. Moody, who had the warning message " Iceberg right ahead! " Received from the crow's nest and transferred to the first officer William M. Murdoch. This should Hichens thereupon instructed with the rudder command " hard to starboard " to turn off to port. However, the collision could no longer be prevented.

At about 0.23 clock Hichens was replaced by Quartermaster Walter John Perkins to take command of lifeboat No. 6, the Titanic left by around 0.55 clock and was occupied only about one -third. There was also the lookout Frederick Fleet, who had seen the iceberg first and reported to the bridge on board. Although later in the investigations, the operations were particularly considered in this boat, it is attributable more to the realm of legends, that the first-class passenger, Molly Brown took the lead and Hichens threatened to throw him overboard when he tried the command again recover.

On 24 April, he testified before the Commission of Inquiry of the U.S. Senate and returned on May 4, 1912 aboard the Celtic back to the UK. On May 7, he was a witness before the British commission of inquiry, in which Hichens 492 questions had to endure.

In the Titanic film adaptation of the 1997 Paul Brightwell played his role.