Reginald Lee
Encyclopedia
Reginald Robinson Lee (May 19, 1870 – August 6, 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 April 14, 1912.
. On April 14, Lee joined lookout Frederick Fleet
in the crow's nest beginning at 10 p.m. The binoculars the two were supposed to use were not on board, forcing the lookouts to use their own eyesight. Lee was ordered to man lifeboat No. 13, which was launched from the starboard side of Titanic at 1:30 a.m. As a result, Lee survived the sinking, as did Fleet.
Lee testified before the Board of Trade Inquiry into the disaster, but died shortly thereafter from complications from pneumonia
, in Kenilworth
, on August 6, 1913.
Lookout
A lookout or look-out is a person on a ship in charge of the observation of the sea for hazards, other ships, land, etc. Lookouts report anything they see and or hear. When reporting contacts, lookouts give information such as, bearing of the object, which way the object is headed, target angles...
stationed in the crow's nest
Crow's nest
A crow's nest is a structure in the upper part of the mainmast of a ship or structure, that is used as a lookout point.This position ensured the best view of the approaching hazards, other ships or land. It was the best device for this purpose until the invention of radar.In early ships it was...
of the RMS Titanic when the ship collided with an iceberg at 11:40 p.m. on April 14, 1912.
Biography
Born in Benson, England, Lee joined the Titanics crew on April 6, 1912, having been transferred from its sister ship, RMS OlympicRMS Olympic
RMS Olympic was the lead ship of the Olympic-class ocean liners built for the White Star Line, which also included Titanic and Britannic...
. On April 14, Lee joined lookout Frederick Fleet
Frederick Fleet
Frederick Fleet was a crewman and survivor of the sinking of the RMS Titanic after it struck an iceberg on 14 April 1912...
in the crow's nest beginning at 10 p.m. The binoculars the two were supposed to use were not on board, forcing the lookouts to use their own eyesight. Lee was ordered to man lifeboat No. 13, which was launched from the starboard side of Titanic at 1:30 a.m. As a result, Lee survived the sinking, as did Fleet.
Lee testified before the Board of Trade Inquiry into the disaster, but died shortly thereafter from complications from pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
, in Kenilworth
Kenilworth
Kenilworth is a town in central Warwickshire, England. In 2001 the town had a population of 22,582 . It is situated south of Coventry, north of Warwick and northwest of London....
, on August 6, 1913.