Key points to know
- George Symons was not the lookout who first saw the iceberg; he had been relieved at 10 p.m., one hour and forty minutes before the collision.
- He was an experienced able seaman with many Atlantic crossings and several years of lookout work aboard Oceanic.
- He took charge of Emergency Lifeboat 1 after it was lowered with about twelve people, although it was rated for forty.
- The British inquiry found no evidence that Sir Cosmo Duff-Gordon bribed the crew not to return, but concluded that the boat might have saved people if it had made an attempt.
- Symons continued a maritime career after Titanic and later served during the First World War era.
Early life and a career at sea
George Thomas Macdonald Symons was born in Weymouth, Dorset, on February 23, 1888. His father worked at sea, and Symons entered maritime employment while still young. By the time he joined Titanic he had been at sea for nearly nine years and had crossed the Atlantic dozens of times as an able seaman.
His previous service included more than four years aboard White Star Line's Oceanic. During roughly three of those years he worked as a lookout. That experience is important because later discussion sometimes treats every Titanic lookout as if he were new to the work. Symons was familiar with Atlantic routes, night watches and the practical limits of seeing objects from a crow's nest.
The 8 to 10 p.m. lookout watch
On the evening of April 14, Symons shared the crow's-nest watch with Archie Jewell from 8 to 10 p.m. They were relieved by Frederick Fleet and Reginald Lee, who were on duty when the iceberg was sighted at about 11:40 p.m. Symons therefore did not see the fatal iceberg and did not ring the warning bell.
His later testimony still became part of the binocular debate. The lookouts had no binoculars in the crow's nest, and the inquiries examined whether glasses would have helped. Symons explained his own lookout experience and the way ice could appear under different conditions. The official British report ultimately did not treat the lack of binoculars as the direct cause of the collision.
Called to the Boat Deck
After the collision, Symons turned out with other deck crew and took part in preparing the lifeboats. His testimony placed him below deck briefly, where he saw water rising near a hatch, before the order came for all hands to report to the Boat Deck. The sight helped confirm that the emergency was more serious than a routine stop.
Deck sailors removed covers, cleared equipment and worked the falls under officer direction. The evacuation began slowly because many passengers did not yet believe the ship could sink. By the time Emergency Lifeboat 1 was lowered from the forward starboard side, other boats had already left with unused places.
Emergency Lifeboat 1 left with about twelve people
Lifeboat 1 was one of Titanic's two smaller emergency cutters and was rated for forty people. It carried about seven crew members and five first class passengers: Sir Cosmo and Lady Duff-Gordon, Lady Duff-Gordon's secretary Laura Mabel Francatelli, Charles Stengel and Abraham Salomon. The precise count is sometimes presented differently, but about twelve is the figure most often used.
Symons was placed in charge. The low occupancy later became one of the clearest examples of unused lifeboat space. Testimony indicates that there were not large numbers of women waiting beside the boat at the instant it left, yet that does not explain why the cutter carried fewer than one third of its rated load. The broader causes included hesitant passengers, uneven loading, the rapid change in the ship's condition and the lack of a practiced plan for filling each boat.
Why Lifeboat 1 did not return
After Titanic sank, the people in Lifeboat 1 did not row back into the area where hundreds were in the water. Witnesses disagreed about what was said in the boat, who feared being swamped and how clearly the cries could be heard. Symons and other crew members were questioned closely about whether an attempt should have been made.
The British inquiry concluded that the crew in Lifeboat 1 might have saved people and criticized the lack of an effort. At the same time, it rejected the most serious accusation against Sir Cosmo Duff-Gordon. The inquiry found that he had not bribed the crew to keep away from the drowning people. Its finding leaves a more difficult judgment: no proven bribe, but a missed opportunity to attempt rescue.
The £5 payments and inquiry testimony
During the night, Sir Cosmo Duff-Gordon promised £5 to each crew member in the boat after one of the men remarked that his kit and wages had been lost with the ship. Duff-Gordon later paid the money aboard Carpathia. Newspapers turned the payments into a possible reward for not returning, creating a scandal that followed everyone in the cutter.
Symons testified before the British inquiry about his experience, the boat, the people aboard and the discussion after the sinking. His evidence did not support the claim of a prearranged bargain. The inquiry's careful distinction between a charitable payment and a failure to attempt rescue remains essential to reading the episode fairly.
Life after Titanic
Symons returned to maritime work after the disaster. His later service included wartime-era employment, and accounts of his career connect him with rescue work after Carpathia itself was sunk by a German submarine in 1918. That unusual link placed a Titanic survivor near another chapter in the rescue ship's history.
He lived in Southampton and died there on December 3, 1950. For decades his name was usually mentioned only as the sailor in charge of the Duff-Gordons' boat. His fuller biography shows a trained lookout and deck seaman whose actions became part of a controversy larger than any one person in Lifeboat 1.
How George Symons should be remembered
Symons should not be confused with Frederick Fleet or Reginald Lee, and he should not be reduced to the accusation that wealthy passengers bought their safety. The evidence supports a more exact account. He was an experienced sailor, he took charge of a severely underfilled cutter, the boat did not return, and the official inquiry found no bribe while still criticizing the missed rescue attempt.
That combination is why his story remains valuable. It shows how evacuation failures were made from ordinary procedures, incomplete information, fear and choices that became much easier to judge once daylight and safety had returned.
Sources used for this biography
The inquiry testimony provides the strongest record of Symons's sea experience, lookout watch and Lifeboat 1 evidence.
- George Symons testimony, British inquiry Primary evidence on his career, lookout experience, events after the collision and Lifeboat 1.
- British inquiry report: conduct of Sir Cosmo Duff-Gordon Official finding that the bribery accusation was unfounded while the boat might have saved people.
- George Thomas Macdonald Symons, Encyclopedia Titanica Specialist biographical record for birth, family, maritime service and later life.
- Titanic lifeboat directory Capacity, estimated occupancy, launch order and outcome for Lifeboat 1 and the other boats.
- TitanicSurvivors.com research guide How the site handles conflicting testimony and later retellings.
Continue through the Lifeboat 1 story
Frequently asked questions
Was George Symons the lookout who saw the iceberg?
No. Symons completed the 8 to 10 p.m. lookout watch. Frederick Fleet and Reginald Lee were in the crow's nest when the iceberg was sighted at about 11:40 p.m.
Which lifeboat did George Symons command?
He took charge of Emergency Lifeboat 1, which carried about twelve people despite a rated capacity of forty.
Did the Duff-Gordons bribe George Symons?
The British inquiry found the bribery accusation unfounded. Sir Cosmo Duff-Gordon gave each crew member £5 after the sinking, but the court did not find that the money caused the boat to stay away.
Did Lifeboat 1 return for people in the water?
No. The British inquiry believed an attempt might have saved people and criticized the boat for not returning.
What happened to George Symons after Titanic?
He continued maritime work, lived in Southampton and died in 1950.