Charles Lightoller, the most senior officer to survive the Titanic disaster in 1912, later saved 130 men during the evacuation of British troops from Dunkirk in 1940, according to a new book.
A Harrowing Escape from the Titanic
Lightoller was being sucked towards a ventilator shaft with a drop of 100 feet when a blast of hot air blew him back to the surface. The water was freezing, "like a thousand knives being driven into one's body". Within reach was one of Titanic's lifeboats.
The White Star liner sank on April 15, 1912, after striking an iceberg, killing some 1,500 passengers and crew. Lightoller, who was responsible for lifeboats on the port side, allowed only women and young children to board them, believing he was following the captain's orders.
Early Adventures and Survival
Born in Chorley, Lancashire, Lightoller went to sea at 13, surviving shipwrecks, a capsized boat, and a near-fatal bout of malaria. He also joined the Klondike gold rush in 1897 but abandoned the quest after several weeks.
During the First World War, he commanded a torpedo boat and a destroyer, HMS Falcon, which was almost sliced in two by another escort. He also rammed and sank a U-boat, UB-110, in the North Sea.
Dunkirk Rescue at Age 66
In 1940, at the age of 66, Lightoller took his motor yacht Sundowner to Dunkirk, defying Luftwaffe attacks and returning with 130 men, far exceeding its maximum capacity of 21. The boat almost capsized entering Ramsgate Harbour, but Lightoller shouted for calm and moored safely.
A sailor on the quayside was staggered at the number who left the boat, saying: "God's truth mate, where did you put them?"
Lightoller's life is chronicled in "Houdini of the Sea" by Brian Izzard, published by The History Press at £22.99.
