Reginald Robinson Lee (19 May 1870 – 6 August 1913) was a British sailor who served as a lookout aboard the ''

Titanic RMS ''Titanic'' was a British ocean liner that sank in the early hours of 15 April 1912 as a result of striking an iceberg on her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, United States. Of the estimated 2,224 passengers a ...

'' in April 1912. He was on duty with

Frederick Fleet Frederick Fleet (15 October 1887 – 10 January 1965) was a British sailor, crewman and a survivor of the sinking of the . Fleet, along with fellow lookout Reginald Lee, was on duty when the ship struck the iceberg; Fleet first sighted ...

in the

crow's nest A crow's nest is a structure in the upper part of the main mast of a ship or a structure that is used as a lookout point. On ships, this position ensured the widest field of view for lookouts to spot approaching hazards, other ships, or land b ...

when the ship collided with an iceberg at 23:40 on 14 April 1912; both Lee and Fleet survived the sinking.

Biography

Born in

Benson, England Benson is a village and civil parish in South Oxfordshire, England. The 2011 Census gave the parish population as 4,754. It lies about a mile and a half (2.4 km) north of Wallingford at the foot of the Chiltern Hills, where a chalk stream, Ewe ...

, Lee served in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

as Assistant-Paymaster until placed on the retired list in February 1900. He joined the ''Titanic''s crew on 6 April 1912, having been transferred from its sister ship, RMS ''Olympic''. On 14 April at 22:00, Lee joined lookout

in the crow's nest, replacing Archie Jewell and George Symons. The binoculars were unavailable, as the keys to the case in which they were locked were not on board, forcing the lookouts to rely on their eyesight; it is doubtful the use of binoculars would have aided in spotting the iceberg. When the ''Titanic'' began to founder, Lee was ordered to man lifeboat No. 13, which was launched from the ship's starboard side at 01:30. As a result, Lee survived the sinking, as did Fleet, and testified before the Board of Trade inquiry into the disaster. Lee returned to sea, last serving aboard the ''

Kenilworth Castle Kenilworth Castle is a castle in the town of Kenilworth in Warwickshire, England, managed by English Heritage; much of it is in ruins. The castle was founded after the Norman Conquest of 1066; with development through to the Tudor period. It ...

'', before dying from

pneumonia Pneumonia is an Inflammation, inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as Pulmonary alveolus, alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of Cough#Classification, productive or dry cough, ches ...

-related complications in

Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

on 6 August 1913.

Portrayals

* Martin East (1997) ''

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Reginald Robinson 1870 births 1913 deaths Deaths from pneumonia in England RMS Titanic survivors British Merchant Navy personnel Royal Navy logistics officers