Reginald Robinson Lee | |
|---|---|
 Reginald Robinson Leec. 1900 | |
| Born | (1870-05-19)19 May 1870 Benson, England |
| Died | 6 August 1913(1913-08-06) (aged 43) Southampton, England |
| Occupation | Lookout |
Reginald Robinson Lee (19 May 1870 – 6 August 1913) was a British sailor who served as a lookout aboard theTitanic in April 1912. He was on duty withFrederick Fleet in thecrow's nest when the ship collided with an iceberg at 23:40 on 14 April 1912; both Lee and Fleet survived the sinking.
Born inBenson, England, Lee served in theRoyal Navy asAssistant-Paymaster until placed on the retired list in February 1900.[1]
He joined theTitanic's crew on 6 April 1912, having been transferred from its sister ship,RMSOlympic.[2] On 14 April at 22:00, Lee joined lookoutFrederick Fleet in the crow's nest, replacingArchie Jewell andGeorge Symons. The binoculars were unavailable, as the keys to the case in which they were locked were not on board,[3] forcing the lookouts to rely on their eyesight; it is doubtful the use of binoculars would have aided in spotting the iceberg.[2]
When theTitanic 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 theBoard of Trade inquiry into the disaster.
Lee returned to sea, last serving aboard theKenilworth Castle, before dying frompneumonia-related complications inSouthampton on 6 August 1913.[2] He was 43 years old.
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