Charles Osker Hendrickson was one of the Leading Firemen of the Titanic. He survived the sinking in the infamous lifeboat 1. He was the fireman who suggested to the 11 other occupants to go back to the disaster site, but Sir Cosmo Duff-Gordon refused.
Charles Hendrickson was born in Northam, Southampton on 7 June, 1883. He had a Swedish father, Peter John Hendrickson (1833-1908), who was a seaman, and a German mother, Catherine Mary Sophia Gurbing.
He had worked on Oceanic before. When he signed-on to the Titanic, on April 6th, he gave his address as 255 Northumberland Road, Southampton. As a Leading Fireman he received monthly wages of £6 10s.
On the night of April 14, Hendrickson slept through the impact but was later wakened by another leading fireman, Thomas Ford. He came up, had seen some ice but that didn't concern him, so he went back. T. Ford however woke him up again and reported to him that there was water coming in a few decks below, on the spiral staircase, so he got out and dressed.
Second Engineer John Hesketh asked him to collect lamps. Junior Assistant Second Engineer Jonathan Shepherd asked him to light the lamps, stall them at the water-gauges of the boilers and then draw the fires. Another Junior Assistant Second Engineer, Herbert Harvey then asked him to get some men down to help in this, and he did so.
A while later he was ordered to get to the boats. He assisted in lowering 5 of them. He was one of twelve people rescued in Emergency Lifeboat 1. After the Titanic sank, Hendrickson asked the people in the lifeboat whether they thought to go back to help the people struggling and dying in the water but his suggestion was vetoed by the passengers in the boat, mainly Sir Cosmo Duff-Gordon. He was later called to testify at the British Inquiry into the disaster.
His testimony contradicts that one of the Look Out in charge of his boat, George Symons, who denied that anyone objected to rowing back to pick up possible survivors from the water, but Hendrickson, who knew Symons, testified two female passengers were against returning.
Portrayals[]
A Night to Remember (1958)[]
Charles Hendrickson in 'A Night to Remember' (1958)
Charles Hendrickson is potrayed in 'A Night to Remember' (1958) by Lane Meddick. He suggested to turn back but nobody in lifeboat 1 agree with him, because they afraid that the people in the water will swamp the boat.
Titanic (1997)[]
Charles Hendrickson in Titanic (1997)
Hendrickson is also portrayed in the 1997 film by Sean Lawlor. He only appeared in the deleted scene: "Out of the Question". After Titanic has sunk, people in the water are fighing for their lives, screaming for help. The people in Emergency Lifeboat 1 hear those screams and Hendrickson says they have to do something. But Sir Cosmo denies this, saying that "it's out of the question."
Titanic (2012)[]
In the 2012 'Titanic' Miniseries, the fictional seaman Hawkins is based on Hendrickson.