Frederick Fleet
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Frederick Fleet (October 15, 1887 – January 10, 1965) was the lookout aboard the RMS Titanic who first sighted the fatal iceberg and rang the bridge to report "Iceberg, right ahead!"
Born in Liverpool, England, Fleet was abandoned by both parents at an early age and subsequently raised by foster families. At the age of 12, he was sent to a training ship and in 1903 was sent to sea working as a deck boy.[1]. Before joining the Titanic as its lookout in April 1912, Fleet served as a lookout on the RMS Oceanic for four years.[2]
On April 14, 1912, Fleet and his lookout partner, Reginald Lee, began their shift in the crow's nest at 10 p.m. The two were supposed to be using binoculars, however, they were misplaced and the two were forced to rely on their own eyesight. The night of Titanic's sinking was extremely dark and the water was particularly calm, preventing Fleet from noticing the 'splash' effect when the sea breaks against an iceberg.[3]. At 11:39 p.m. Fleet noticed an iceberg directly in Titanic's path. He sounded the ship's bell three times and telephoned the bridge. Sixth Officer James Moody answered. "Are you there?!" shouted Fleet. "Yes, what do you see?" replied Moody. "Iceberg, right ahead!" cried Fleet. "Thank you" was Moody's calm, polite reply before informing 1st Officer William Murdoch of the call. At 11:40 p.m. the ship made its fatal collision, exactly 37 seconds after Fleet reported the iceberg. After the collision, Fleet was assigned by Second Officer Charles Lightoller to help Quartermaster Robert Hichens load and launch lifeboat 6, the first to be launched from the port side.[4]. As a result, he survived the sinking.
In June 1912, Fleet served aboard Titanic's sister ship, RMS Olympic, as Seaman. He found that White Star Line, owners of the Titanic and Olympic, looked at the surviving officers and crew as embarrassing reminders of the Titanic disaster and left the company in August 1912. [5]. Fleet continuted to sail on other ships, sailing on RMS Olympic on her last voyage to New York. He retired from the sea in 1936. Afterwards, he worked briefly as a shipbuilder for Harland and Wolff, the same company that had built the Titanic.[6]
On December 28, 1964, Fleet's wife died. Her brother, with whom the couple lived, evicted Fleet soon after.[7]. Two weeks later, Fleet hanged himself; his body being discovered on January 10, 1965. He was buried in a pauper's grave at Hollybrook Cemetery in Southampton. The grave went unmarked until 1993 when a headstone was erected through donations by the Titanic Historical Society.[8]
