Deck Crew
The Titanic employed one Able Officer, also known as a Bosun or Boatswain, who had seniority over all the un-licensed deck crew. They helped Thomas Andrews in his daily inspections around the ship. They also had worked for the White Star Line for many years. The Able Officer also did most of the same things that the Able Bodied Seamen did.
The Titanic also employed 29 Able Bodied Seamen (ABS), who had gone through additional training and usually had seniority over other crew members. They carried out the day-to-day operation of the ship. Furthermore they were trained to operate the lifeboat davits and man the lifeboats themselves. Each ABS was assigned to a lifeboat and would be in charge of that boat if there was no officer present. About eight seamen were lost when they went below decks to open the E Deck gangway when they were apparently trapped below and nearly all of the others departed in the first lifeboats to be launched. As a result, the later lifeboats had a shortage of trained seamen to man them. So instead, a few stokers and even victualling stewards (some of which had no experience with lifeboats) were ordered to man the launching and rowing of the boats.
The Titanic also employed two Boatswain Mates. They were experienced seamen that managed the deck lines, deck cranes, winches, lifeboard davits, etc. on the deck.
The Titanic had one Master-at-Arms and one assistant. They and the Chief Officer had the only keys to the firearms cabinet.
Seven quartermasters were employed on the Titanic (all of whom survived). They were highly trained seamen who worked on and around the bridge to steer the ship (helmsman), manage signal flags and to stand watch on the bridge to assist the Duty Officer with general navigation.
Six lookouts were employed on the Titanic (all of whom survived). They were able bodied seamen who worked two to a shift in the crow's nest, working shifts of only two hours at a time because of extremely cold winds which they were exposed to in the open crow's nest. The lookouts were normally supplied with binoculars to aid them in seeing over long distances, but on the maiden voyage they were unavailable due to being locked away; the key necessary to retrieve them was not on board. With the air temperature at 28 °F (−2 °C), and a 20-mile-per-hour headwind, it is a matter of speculation as to how reliable the binoculars would have been if they had been available.
| Name | Age | Hometown | Boarded | Position | Lifeboat | Body |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anderson, Mr. James | 40 | Southampton, Hampshire, England | Southampton | Able Seaman | 16 | -- |
| Anderson, Mr. John | 41 | Southampton, Hampshire, England | Southampton | Able Seamen | 16 | -- |
| Archer, Mr. Ernest Edward | 36 | Southampton, Hampshire, England | Southampton | Able Seaman | 3 | -- |
| Bailey, Mr. Joseph Henry | 43 | Southampton, Hampshire, England | Southampton | Master-at-arms | 16 | -- |
| Bradley, Mr. T. | 29 | Southampton, Hampshire, England | Southampton | Able Seaman | -- | -- |
| Brice, Mr. Walter T. | 42 | Southampton, Hampshire, England | Southampton | Able Seaman | 11 | -- |
| Bright, Mr. Arthur John | 41 | Woolston, Hampshire, England | Southampton | Quartermaster | 10 | -- |
| Buley, Mr. Edward John | 27 | Southampton, Hampshire, England | Southampton | Able Seaman | 10 | -- |
| Clench, Mr. Frederick | 34 | Southampton, Hampshire, England | Southampton | Able Seaman | 12 | -- |
| Callahan, Mr. James | 31 | Pittsfield, Massachusetts, United States | Ireland | Able Officer | -- | -- |
| Couch, Mr. Frank | 28 | Port Isaac, Cornwall | Southampton | Able Seaman | -- | 253MB |
| Davis, Mr. Stephen James | 39 | Landport, Hampshire, England | Southampton | Able Seaman | -- | -- |
| Evans, Mr. Alfred Frank | 24 | Southampton, Hampshire, England | Southampton | Lookout | 15 | -- |
| Evans, Mr. Frank Oliver | 24 | Southampton, Hampshire, England | Southampton | Able Seaman | 10 | -- |
| Fleet, Mr. Frederick | 24 | Southampton, Hampshire, England | Belfast | Lookout | 6 | -- |
| Foley, Mr. John | 44 | Southampton, Hampshire, England | Belfast | Storekeeper | 4 | -- |
| Forward, Mr. James | 27 | Southampton, Hampshire, England | Southampton | Able Seaman | 16 | -- |
| Haines, Mr. Albert M. | 31 | Southampton, Hampshire, England | Belfast | Boatswain | 9 | -- |
| Harder, Mr. William | 39 | Southampton, Hampshire, England | Southampton | Window cleaner | 14 | -- |
| Hemming, Mr. Samuel Ernest | 43 | Southampton, Hampshire, England | Belfast | Lamp trimmer | 4 | -- |
| Hichens, Mr. Robert | 29 | Southampton, Hampshire, England | Southampton | Quartermaster | 6 | -- |
| Hogg, Mr. George Alfred | 29 | Southampton, Hampshire, England | Belfast | Lookout | 7 | -- |
| Holman, Mr. Harry | 27 | Southampton, Hampshire, England | Belfast | Able Seaman | 7 | -- |
| Hopkins, Mr. Robert John | 40 | Southampton, Hampshire, England | Southampton | Able Seaman | 13 | -- |
| Horswill, Mr. Albert Edward James | 33 | Southampton, Hampshire, England | Southampton | Able Seaman | 1 | -- |
| Humphreys, Mr. Sidney James | 48 | Southampton, Hampshire, England | Southampton | Quartermaster | 11 | -- |
| Hutchinson, Mr. John Hall | 26 | Southampton, Hampshire, England | Belfast | Carpenter/Joiner | -- | 170MB |
| Jewell, Mr. Archie | 23 | Southampton, Hampshire, England | Belfast | Lookout | 7 | -- |
| Jones, Mr. Thomas William | 32 | Liverpool, Lancashire, England | Southampton | Able Seaman | 8 | -- |
| King, Mr. Thomas W. | 43 | Portsmouth, Hampshire, England | Southampton | Master-at-arms | -- | -- |
| Lee, Mr. Reginald Robinson | 41 | Southampton, Hampshire, England | Southampton | Lookout | 13 | -- |
| Lucas, Mr. William A. | 25 | Southampton, Hampshire, England | Southampton | Able Seaman | D | -- |
| Lyons, Mr. William Henry | 26 | Southampton, Hampshire, England | Southampton | Able Seaman | 4 | -- |
| Matherson, Mr. David | 30 | Southampton, Hampshire, England | Southampton | Able Seaman | -- | 192MB |
| Mathais, Mr. Montague Vincent | 27 | Southampton, Hampshire, England | Southampton | Mess Steward | -- | -- |
| Maxwell, Mr. John | 31 | Southampton, Hampshire, England | Belfast | Carpenter/Joiner | -- | -- |
| McCarthy, Mr. William | 47 | Cork, County Cork, Ireland | Southampton | Able Seaman | 4 | -- |
| McGough, Mr. James R. | 25 | Southampton, Hampshire, England | Southampton | Able Seaman | 9 | -- |
| Moore, Mr. George Alfred | 32 | Southampton, Hampshire, England | Southampton | Able Seaman | D | -- |
| Nichols, Mr. Alfred | 42 | Shirley, Hampshire, England | Belfast | Boatswain | -- | -- |
| O'Loughlin, Dr. William Francis Norman | 62 | Southampton, Hampshire, England | Belfast | Surgeon | -- | -- |
| Olliver, Mr. Alfred | 27 | Southampton, Hampshire, England | Belfast | Quartermaster | 5 | -- |
| Osman, Mr. Frank | 28 | Itchen, Hampshire, England | Southampton | Able Seaman | 2 | -- |
| Pascoe, Mr. Charles H. | 43 | Southampton, Hampshire, England | Southampton | Able Seaman | 8 | -- |
| Perkis, Mr. Walter John | 37 | Southampton, Hampshire, England | Belfast | Quartermaster | 4 | -- |
| Peters, Mr. William Chapman | 26 | Woolston, Hampshire, England | Southampton | Able Seaman | 9 | -- |
| Poingdestre, Mr. John Thomas | 33 | Southampton, Hampshire, England | Southampton | Able Seaman | 12 | -- |
| Rowe, Mr. George Thomas | 32 | Gosport, Hampshire, England | Belfast | Quartermaster | C | -- |
| Sawyer, Mr. Robert James | 30 | Southampton, Hampshire, England | Southampton | Window cleaner | -- | -- |
| Scarrott, Mr. Joseph George | 33 | Southampton, Hampshire, England | Southampton | Able Seaman | 14 | -- |
| Simpson, Dr. John Edward | 37 | Southampton, Hampshire, England | Southampton | Assistant Surgeon | -- | -- |
| Smith, Mr. William | 26 | Southampton, Hampshire, England | Southampton | Able Seaman | -- | -- |
| Symons, Mr. George Thomas Macdonald | 24 | Southampton, Hampshire, England | Southampton | Lookout | 1 | -- |
| Tamlyn, Mr. Frederick | 23 | Southampton, Hampshire, England | Southampton | Mess Steward | -- | 123MB |
| Taylor, Mr. C. | 35 | Southampton, Hampshire, England | Southampton | Able Seaman | -- | -- |
| Terrell, Mr. Bertram | 20 | Southampton, Hampshire, England | Southampton | Able Seaman | -- | -- |
| Thorley, Mr. Jonathon | 15 | Brighton, Sussex, England | Southampton | Lamp Trimmer | 13 | -- |
| Vigott, Mr. Philip Francis | 32 | Southampton, Hampshire, England | Southampton | Able Seaman | 13 | -- |
| Weller, Mr. William Clifford | 30 | Southampton, Hampshire, England | Belfast | Able Seaman | 7 | -- |
| Wynn, Mr. Walter | 41 | Shirley, Hampshire, England | Belfast | Quartermaster | 9 | -- |
Read more about this topic: Crew Of The RMS Titanic
Famous quotes containing the words deck and/or crew:
“O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done,
The ship has weather’d every rack, the prize we sought is won,
The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,
While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring;
But O heart! heart! heart!
O the bleeding drops of red,
Where on the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.”
—Walt Whitman (1819–1892)
“The crew was complete: it included a Boots—
A maker of Bonnets and Hoods—
A Barrister, brought to arrange their disputes—
And a Broker, to value their goods.”
—Lewis Carroll [Charles Lutwidge Dodgson] (1832–1898)