Herbert Haddock
Herbert James Haddock (born January 27, 1861 in rugby , † October 4, 1946 in Southampton ) was a British captain and former lieutenant in the Royal Navy . Haddock achieved greater fame as the captain of the Olympic and the sister ship Titanic in the period before his delivery voyage in March 1912.
Life
Herbert James Haddock was born on January 27, 1861 in Rugby, Warwickshire . Before his career as captain of the merchant navy, Haddock served in the Royal Navy on board the HMS Edinburgh , where he achieved the rank of lieutenant. In 1893 he married Mabel Eliza Bouchette, with whom he remained married until her death in 1935. The couple had four children. For his military service, Haddock was awarded the Order of the Bath in 1902 , and after his retirement he retained the rank of honorary aide-de-camp .
As the captain of the White Star Line
After completing his military career, Haddock became captain of the British White Star Line , which at that time was one of the largest shipping companies in the world. The passenger ships under Haddock's command included the Britannic , Germanic , Cedric and the Oceanic .
On March 25, 1912, Haddock was ordered to the port of Belfast to take command of the recently completed Titanic and its crew until it would leave for its delivery trip to Southampton. Although the ship did not leave port during this time, Haddock became the first captain of the Titanic . On March 31, Edward John Smith replaced him in this position. Haddock then traveled to Southampton to take command of the sister ship Olympic, previously commanded by Smith . His first crossing with this ship began on April 3, 1912 and ended on April 10, the day of the Titanic's maiden voyage .
On the night of April 15, 1912, the Olympic was on another Atlantic crossing under the command of Herbert Haddock when he was informed of an emergency call from the sister ship Titanic by the radio operator Ernest James Moore . Haddock had the Olympic change course and steered towards the reported position of the Titanic until he was informed by radio of Arthur Rostron , the captain of the Carpathia , about the sinking of the Titanic . The Olympic then turned off again and continued her crossing as planned. Haddock testified on May 25, 1912 before a committee of inquiry headed by William Alden Smith about the disaster.
Herbert Haddock remained captain of the Olympic until 1915 . Then he was originally supposed to take command of the Britannic , which was completed as a hospital ship , and would have had command of all three ships of the Olympic class . However, the Admiralty ultimately decided on another captain.
The last few years
Herbert Haddock spent the last years of his life in Southampton. He died on October 4, 1946 at the age of 85.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ TPD Turner: RMS OLYMPIC "The Old Reliable". (No longer available online.) 2006, archived from the original on May 14, 2013 ; Retrieved February 19, 2016 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ The New York Times: CAPT. HADDOCK DEAD, OLYMPIC EX-MASTER. October 6, 1946, accessed February 19, 2016 .
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Haddock, Herbert |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Haddock, Herbert James (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British captain and former lieutenant in the Royal Navy |
| DATE OF BIRTH | January 27, 1861 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | rugby |
| DATE OF DEATH | October 4, 1946 |
| Place of death | Southampton |