Henry Tingle Wilde

Lieutenant Henry Tingle Wilde RNR (21 September 1872 – 15 April 1912) was a British Merchant Navy officer who was the chief officer of the RMS Titanic during her ill-fated maiden voyage. Wilde died during the sinking, alongside 1,500 others.

Henry Tingle Wilde was born on 21 September 1872 in Walton, north of Liverpool, England. He was the son of Henry Wilde, an insurance surveyor from Ecclesfield, South Yorkshire. His mother was Elizabeth Tingle of Loxley, Bradfield. Wilde was christened at the Loxley Congregational Chapel in Loxley, Sheffield on 24 October 1872. Henry was known as Harry among his friends.

He went to sea in his teens. He apprenticed with Messrs. James Chambers & Co., Liverpool. His apprenticeship began on 23 October 1889, on board the 1835-ton Greystoke Castle, and concluded four years later on 22 October 1893. From there, he served as third mate aboard the Greystoke Castle, and then moved on to third mate of the 1374-ton Hornsby Castle. His first steamship posting was aboard the S.S. Brunswick in 1895, where he served initially as third mate, then as second mate. In 1896, he transferred to the S.S. Europa and served aboard her as second mate. In July 1897, he joined the White Star Line.

Starting as a junior officer, Wilde rose steadily through the ranks while serving on several White Star ships. These included the Covic, Cufic, Tauric, and Delphic. He also saw service on White Star Line ships Republic, Coptic, Majestic, Baltic and Adriatic. In August 1911, Wilde became Chief Officer of Titanic's sister, the RMS Olympic, where he served under Titanic's future captain, Edward J. Smith.

Wilde was an officer of the Royal Naval Reserve, where he was commissioned a sub-lieutenant on 26 June 1902.

Wilde was scheduled to leave Southampton on Olympic on 3 April 1912, but a reshuffle on board the Titanic caused the lowering of a rank of William Murdoch and Charles Lightoller to First and Second Officer, respectively, with Second Officer David Blair being removed from the ship entirely. Almost as soon as the ship had tied up in Southampton, Wilde had been kept ashore when the Olympic departed Southampton on 3 April, and was assigned to make the Titanic voyage. Lightoller later recalled that Wilde had stayed ashore because he was to receive "command of another of the White Star steamers, which, owing to the coal strike and other reasons was laid up." Wilde was ready and willing to serve, although he was a bit apprehensive about the switch to Titanic; he had been hesitant to accept the appointment until his friends told him that he would be "mad to refuse" the opportunity, so he had accepted the posting. Lightoller called Wilde "a pretty big, powerful chap, and he was a man that would not argue very long." Wilde did not formally join the ship until the evening of 9 April.

On the ship's sailing day, 10 April 1912, Wilde mustered with the crew, and afterwards participated in the ship's lifeboat drill. The officers made their way to their departure stations; Wilde was at the head of the forecastle, overseeing the crew working the mooring lines. Lightoller was a bit further aft on the Forecastle, working under Wilde's direction. Around the time of departure, he was overseeing in casting off mooring ropes and in securing of tug lines. Wilde stood by the anchor crane at the bow, his hands clasped behind his back, watching the crewmen kneeling on the deck next to him, coiling the lines neatly for storage. After the ship was put to sea, Wilde worked the 2:00–6:00 watches every morning and afternoon. On 11 April Third Class Steward John E. Hart recalled that at some point during the day, there was a general bulkhead inspection. He saw Wilde and designer Thomas Andrews checking to make sure that the crew would close the watertight doors manually.

On 14 April Wilde was relieved of Officer of the Watch at 6pm by Lightoller. At 11:40 p.m., on 14 April, the ship hit an iceberg. After the collison with the iceberg, Lamp trimmer Samuel Hemming and Storekeeper Frank Prentice headed up to the forecastle head, just forward of the anchor crane, to investigate air hissing out of the vent pipe with considerable force, indicating the peak tank was flooding rapidly. Wilde came along with Boatswain's Mate Albert Haines and asked Hemming about the hissing noise to which Hemming said water must be flooding the forepeak tank but that the storeroom was dry. Wilde proceeded on his way. Haines later informed Wilde on the bridge that No. 1 hold was flooding. Wilde told him to get his men up, and then to get the boats out.