Stanley Lord facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Stanley Lord
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Captain Stanley Lord
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| Born |
Stanley Phillip Lord
13 September 1877 Bolton, Lancashire, England
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| Died | 24 January 1962 (aged 84) |
| Burial place | Rake Lane Cemetery |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Ship Captain |
| Known for | Captain of SS Californian at the time of the sinking of the Titanic |
| Spouse(s) |
Mabel Henrietta Tutton
(m. 1907; |
| Children | 1 |
Stanley Phillip Lord (born September 13, 1877 – died January 24, 1962) was a ship captain. He was in charge of the SS Californian when the famous ship Titanic sank on April 15, 1912. The Californian was the closest ship to the Titanic that night. Some people believe it was the only ship that saw the Titanic or its distress rockets as it sank.
Captain Lord and his ship, the Californian, have been criticized because they did not help the Titanic in time. The Californian was only about 5 to 20 miles away. It was the only ship that could have reached the Titanic before it sank. Two official investigations looked into what happened. They found fault with Captain Lord but did not suggest any criminal charges. People still debate his actions today, with some defending him and others criticizing him.
Contents
Early Life and Career
Stanley Lord was born in Bolton, Lancashire, England, on September 13, 1877. He started training to be a sailor when he was 13 years old. This was in March 1891, aboard a ship called the Naiad.
Later, he earned his Second Mate’s Certificate. He worked as a Second Officer on another ship, the Lurlei. In February 1901, when he was 23, Lord earned his Master's Certificate. A few months later, he got his Extra Master's Certificate. This meant he was highly skilled.
He began working for the West India and Pacific Steam Navigation Company in 1897. This company was later taken over by the Leyland Line in 1900. Captain Lord continued to work for the new company. He was given his first command of a ship in 1906. In 1911, he became the captain of the SS Californian.
Personal Life
Captain Lord was married to Mabel and they had one son, Stanley Tutton Lord. His wife, Mabel, passed away in 1957. Captain Lord himself died in 1962.
Their son, Stanley Tutton Lord (1908–1994), worked as a banker. He never married or had children. He believed his father was innocent of any wrongdoing. In 1965, he wrote an introduction for a book that supported his father. This book argued that Captain Lord had been unfairly judged.
The Titanic Sinking
Before the Disaster
On the night of April 14, 1912, the Californian was sailing. Captain Lord saw a large field of ice. Around 10:21 p.m. (ship's time), he decided to stop the ship. He wanted to wait until morning to continue sailing through the ice.
Before he went to bed, Captain Lord told his wireless operator, Cyril Evans, to warn other ships. He wanted them to know about the ice. When Evans reached the Titanic, he sent a message. It said, "I say old man, we are stopped and surrounded by ice."
The Californian was so close to the Titanic that the message was very loud. It was loud in the ears of the Titanics First Wireless Operator, Jack Phillips. Phillips was very busy and tired. He had spent most of the day fixing the Titanics wireless equipment. He angrily replied, "Keep out! Shut up! I am working Cape Race." Evans listened for a bit longer. Phillips was sending many messages that had built up during the day. Evans then went to bed around 11:30 p.m.
The Night of the Sinking
During the night, officers and sailors on the Californian's deck saw something strange. They saw eight white rockets fired into the sky. These rockets came from a ship far away.
Captain Lord was very tired after working for 17 hours. He was woken up twice that night. He was told about the rockets. He thought they might be "company rockets." These were sometimes used to help ships of the same company recognize each other.
Meanwhile, on the Titanic, lights of a ship were seen in the distance. This was about an hour after the Titanic hit the iceberg. Fourth Officer Joseph Boxhall and Quartermaster Rowe tried to contact the ship. They used a Morse lamp to send signals. But no one on the Californians deck saw these signals. The Californians crew also tried to signal the mystery ship. They could not get a response either.
Some experts believe that Captain Lord thought the nearby ship was not the Titanic. They think this was because of how light can bend in cold air, making things look distorted. The officers on the Californian could not understand any messages from the strange ship. They eventually thought the signals were just the ship's masthead light flickering.
No one on the Californian woke their wireless operator that night. They did not ask him to contact the ship firing rockets. They waited until 5:30 a.m. By then, it was too late. The Titanic had sunk at 2:20 a.m. When the Titanic's lights disappeared, the Californian crew thought the ship had simply sailed away.
Search and Rescue
On the morning of April 15, 1912, Captain Lord received news. The ship Frankfurt told him that the Titanic had sunk. At 8:45 a.m., the Californian arrived near the Carpathia. The Carpathia had rescued the survivors. The Californian stayed behind to search for more bodies. The Carpathia then continued its journey to New York.
Captain Lord's Account
In an inquiry, Captain Lord explained what he saw. He said that around 10:30 p.m., he saw a strange light. He thought it might be a ship. He said it was hard to tell the sky from the water because it was so calm. He went to bed but was woken up later. He was told about rockets. He thought they were "company rockets" and that the ship was a regular steamer.
He said his crew tried to signal the other ship with a powerful Morse lamp. They tried many times between 11:30 p.m. and 1:00 a.m. He said the other ship did not respond. He told his officer to watch the ship and the ice. He was told the ship was not getting closer. He then went back to sleep. Later, he heard that the ship had fired a rocket and seemed to be moving away. He asked his officer to find out the ship's name.
Reputation After the Disaster
Captain Lord was never charged with a crime. However, many people blamed him after the Titanic disaster. He tried to clear his name, but it was very difficult. The events of that night stayed with him for the rest of his life.
The Leyland Line dismissed Captain Lord in August 1912. Both the American and British investigations criticized his actions. But they did not recommend any official charges against him. Captain Lord was not allowed to have a lawyer represent him at these inquiries.
In February 1913, Captain Lord found a new job. He worked for the Nitrate Producers Steamship Co. He stayed there until March 1927, when he resigned due to health reasons. In 1958, he tried again to clear his name. He contacted an association in Liverpool. They helped him ask for a new review of the facts. But he passed away in 1962 before a decision was made.
In 1965, his request was denied. However, a book called The Titanic and the Californian was published that year. It defended Captain Lord's reputation. His son, Stanley Tutton Lord, wrote the introduction for this book. Another request to clear his name was made in 1968, but it was also rejected.
In 1957, Captain Lord's wife died. This was a very sad time for him and his health declined. In 1958, a movie called A Night To Remember came out. It was based on a book about the Titanic. Captain Lord, who was 81, never saw the movie. But he read reviews in the newspaper. He was very upset because the movie showed him as an older captain sleeping in a warm cabin. In reality, he was 34 and was asleep in the chart room with his uniform on.
His son, Stanley Tutton Lord, saw the film. He was also upset about how his father was shown. In 1959, Stanley Tutton Lord began fighting to clear his father's name. He continued this effort until his own death in 1994.
In 1985, the remains of the Titanic were found on the seabed. This showed that the Titanics reported position when it sank was wrong by 13 miles. At the 1912 inquiries, there had been confusion about the exact location. A new review by the British government in 1992 looked at the facts again. It concluded that the Californian crew likely saw the Titanics rockets. It also said that even if Captain Lord had rushed, the Californian would have arrived around the same time as the Carpathia. It would have helped rescue survivors, but not prevented the sinking. The report criticized the other officers on the Californian for their actions. One question that remained was why Captain Lord did not simply wake his radio operator to check for distress signals.
Captain Lord died on January 24, 1962, at the age of 84. This was almost 50 years after the Titanic sank. He is buried in Rake Lane Cemetery in Wallasey.
