Key facts about Frederick William Scott
- Scott was born in Shirley, Southampton, on November 26, 1883 and joined Titanic after serving on Olympic.
- He was on duty in the turbine engine room when the collision occurred and initially thought something had failed in the main engine room.
- He helped raise a watertight door to release a greaser who had been trapped in the after tunnel.
- After being ordered topside, Scott and greaser Thomas Ranger slid down empty boat falls toward Lifeboat 4; Scott fell into the water and was pulled aboard.
- He survived Titanic but died three years later after a boiler explosion aboard the paddle steamer La Marguerite.
A Southampton engineering worker before Titanic
Frederick William Scott was born in Shirley, Southampton, on November 26, 1883. He later served in the Royal Navy and moved into merchant shipping. By 1912 he was married to Rose Hobbs and living in Southampton, part of the large local workforce whose livelihoods were tied to the sea.
Scott signed on to Titanic at Southampton on April 6, 1912. His previous ship was Olympic. As a greaser he worked in the engineering department, helping keep moving machinery lubricated and operating safely. Specialist crew records list his monthly pay at £6 10s.
He was in the turbine engine room when Titanic struck the iceberg
Scott was working the 8 p.m. to midnight watch on the starboard side of the turbine engine room. In his British inquiry testimony, he said the collision felt like only a slight shock. At first he thought something had gone wrong with machinery in the main engine room.
The response quickly showed that the situation was more serious. Scott remembered the engine telegraphs ringing “Stop” and the watertight doors closing. He and another crewman then manually raised one of the doors enough to release a greaser trapped in the after tunnel.
The engineering crew remained below until after 12:45 a.m.
Scott’s account shows that engineering crew were still moving through the machinery spaces long after the collision. Watertight doors were reopened when necessary so men and equipment could pass, and Scott returned to the main engine room to wait for instructions.
Sometime after about 12:45 a.m., according to the later biographical reconstruction of his testimony, a senior engineer told the men to abandon their posts and go topside. Scott reached Scotland Road, found a lifebelt in the third class area and continued toward the boat deck.
Scott dropped into the water beside Lifeboat 4
On the boat deck Scott believed most of the lifeboats had already gone. He crossed to port and later saw Lifeboat 4 in the water. He and fellow greaser Thomas Ranger climbed onto a davit and slid down the empty falls toward the boat.
Ranger landed in the lifeboat. Scott missed it and dropped into the sea, where people in the boat pulled him aboard. His evidence places him close to the ship during its final minutes and records the stern rising before Titanic disappeared.
He testified in London and died at sea three years later
After reaching New York aboard Carpathia, Scott returned to Britain and gave evidence to the British Wreck Commissioner’s Inquiry in May 1912. His testimony remains one of the clearest surviving descriptions of what happened in Titanic’s turbine and engine spaces immediately after the collision.
Scott returned to maritime work. On September 28, 1915, he was serving aboard the paddle steamer La Marguerite when a boiler explosion near the English coast killed four crewmen. He was 31. His body was returned to Southampton and buried in the Old Cemetery on Southampton Common.
Sources used for this biography
Scott’s story is unusually well supported because his own British inquiry testimony can be read alongside specialist crew research and the surviving Titanic crew agreement.
- British Wreck Commissioner’s Inquiry: Frederick Scott testimony Scott’s firsthand evidence about the collision, engine orders, watertight doors, engineering spaces and escape.
- Encyclopedia Titanica: Frederick William Scott Birth, family, crew service, Lifeboat 4, later life and 1915 death.
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Frequently asked questions
What was Frederick William Scott’s job on Titanic?
He was a greaser in Titanic’s engineering department and was working in the turbine engine room when the ship struck the iceberg.
Which lifeboat did Frederick Scott survive in?
He survived in Lifeboat 4 after sliding down empty boat falls, falling into the sea and being pulled aboard.
Did Frederick Scott testify about Titanic?
Yes. He gave detailed evidence to the British Wreck Commissioner’s Inquiry in May 1912.
What happened to Frederick Scott after Titanic?
He returned to maritime work and was killed on September 28, 1915 after a boiler explosion aboard the paddle steamer La Marguerite.