Henry T. Wilde
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Lieutenant Henry Tingle Wilde, RNR (21 September 1872 – 15 April 1912) was the Chief Officer of the RMS Titanic.
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[edit] Early life
Henry Wilde was born in Walton, Liverpool, England and went to sea in his teens. He apprenticed with Messrs. James Chambers & Co., Liverpool. His apprenticeship began on October 23rd, 1889, onboard the 1835 ton Greystoke Castle, and concluded four years later on October 22nd, 1893. From there, he served as as third mate aboard the Greystoke Castle, and then moved on to third mate of the 1374 ton Hornsby Castle. His first steamship posting was aboard the S.S. Brunswick in 1895, where he served initially as third mate, then as second. In 1896, he transferred to the S.S. Europa and served aboard her as second mate. In July of 1897, he joined the White Star Line.
Starting as a junior officer, Wilde rose steadily through the ranks while serving on several White Star ships. These included the Covic, Cufic, Tauric, and Delphic.[1] Tragedy struck in December of 1910 when Wilde's wife and twin sons died. In August 1911, Wilde became Chief Officer of Titanic's sister, the RMS Olympic, where he served under Titanic's future captain, Edward J. Smith.
[edit] Titanic
Wilde was scheduled to leave Southampton on Olympic on 3 April 1912, but was ordered by White Star to remain behind and await orders. It seems likely that Wilde was slated for his own command on a smaller ship, but was assigned as Titanic's Chief Officer at the last minute, possibly at the request of Capt. Smith. This eleventh hour assignment caused the so-called "officer reshuffle," whereby William Murdoch and Charles Lightoller were bumped down a rank to First and Second Officer, respectively, and Second Officer David Blair was removed from the ship entirely. On Titanic's sailing day, 10 April 1912, Wilde reported for duty at 6.00 AM. Around the time of departure, he was assisting Lightoller in the casting-off of mooring ropes and securing of tug lines. After putting to sea, Wilde worked the 2-6 watches.
At 11.40 PM on 14 April, Titanic had her famous encounter with an iceberg. Because Wilde was off-duty at the time, and because he did not survive the night, his movements during the sinking are largely unknown. It is known that he took charge of filling and lowering the even-numbered lifeboats on the port side of the ship. By 1.40 AM, most of the port lifeboats had been lowered, and Wilde moved to the starboard side. He was last seen trying to free the collapsible lifeboats A and B from the roof of the Officers' Quarters. As noted by Walter Lord in "The Night Lives On", fewer survivors seem to recall seeing Wilde than Captain Smith or Murdoch, but it remains possible that he was the officer who committed suicide in the last minutes of the sinking, which was reported by several survivors.
In the 1997 film Titanic, Henry Wilde was portrayed by Mark Lindsay Chapman.
[edit] References
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ Application for Examination for Ex-Masters Certificate, July 14, 1900
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Wilde, Henry T. |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Chief Officer of RMS Titanic |
| DATE OF BIRTH | September 21, 1872 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Walton, Merseyside, Liverpool, England |
| DATE OF DEATH | April 15, 1912 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | North Atlantic |
