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Robert Hichens
Robert Hichens
Biological Information
Full name

Robert Hichens

Nicknames

Quartermaster Hichens

Gender

Male

Born

September 16, 1882

Death

September 23, 1940 (aged 58)

Cause

Heart Failure

Background Information
Family

Philip Hichens (father) Rebecca Hichens (mother)

Romances

Florence Mortimore (wife)
2 children

Hometown

Newlyn, Cornwall, England

Religion

Christian

Titanic Statistics
Boarded

Southampton, England

Destination

New York, U.S.A.

Occupation

Quartermaster

Class

Crew

Fate

Boarded and took command of Lifeboat 6

Production
Classification

historical character

Portrayal

Paul Brightwell

Robert Hichens was a British sailor who was part of the deck crew on board the Titanic when she sank on her maiden voyage on April 15, 1912. He was one of six quartermasters on board the vessel and was at the ship's wheel when the Titanic struck the fatal iceberg. He was 58 when he died.

He was portrayed by Paul Brightwell in James Cameron's film, Titanic.

Titanic sinking[]

Quartermaster Hichens gained notoriety after the disaster because of his conduct in Lifeboat 6, of which he was in charge. Passengers accused him of refusing to go back to rescue people from the water after the ship sank, that he called the people in the water "stiffs", and that he constantly criticized those at the oars while he was controlling the rudder. Hichens was later to testify at the US Inquiry that he had never used the words "stiffs" and that he had used other words to describe bodies. He would also testify to have been given direct orders by Lightoller, and the Captain to row to where a light could be seen (a steamer they thought) on the port bow, drop off the passengers and return. Later it was alleged he complained that the lifeboat was going to drift for days before any rescue came.

Robert Hichens-2

Hichens during the sinking

When the RMS Carpathia came to rescue Titanic's survivors he said that the ship was not there to rescue them, but to pick up the bodies of the dead. By this time the other people in the lifeboat had had enough of Hichens, especially Denver millionaire Margaret "Molly" Brown. Although Hichens protested, Margaret Brown told others to start rowing to keep warm. After a last attempt by Hichens to keep control of the lifeboat, Margaret Brown threatened to throw him overboard. These events would later end up being depicted in the Broadway musical and film, The Unsinkable Molly Brown. During the American inquiry into the disaster, Hichens denied the accounts by the passengers and crew in lifeboat 6. He had been initially concerned about the suction from the Titanic and later by the fact that being a mile away from the wreck, with no compass and in complete darkness, they had no way of returning to the stricken vessel.

Behind the scenes[]

In Titanic, he was portrayed by Paul Brightwell and credited as Quatermaster Robert Hichens.

External links[]

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