Date of birth: 11th September 1876 Place of birth: Gosport, Hampshire Marital status: Married Age: 35 (in 1912) Spouse: Eliza Jean Glendenning Steele Children: Herbert John Dean(1908–1973), Elizabeth P Dean (1921–1983) Date of death: 6th February 1943 (age 66)
In 1839, Samuel Cunard was awarded the first British transatlantic steamship mail contract, and the next year formed the British and North American Royal Mail Steam-Packet Company in Glasgow with shipowner Sir George Burns together with Robert Napier, the famous Scottish steamship engine designer and builder, to operate the line's four pioneer paddle steamers on the Liverpool–Halifax–Boston route. For most of the next 30 years, Cunard held the Blue Riband for the fastest Atlantic voyage. However, in the 1870s Cunard fell behind its rivals, the White Star Line and the Inman Line. To meet this competition, in 1879 the firm was reorganised as the Cunard Steamship Company Ltd, to raise capital. In 1919, Cunard relocated its British homeport from Liverpool to Southampton, to better cater for travellers from London.
(Source: Wikipedia)
First Officer Horace Dean - Early Life
Horace John Dean was born on the 11th of September 1876, in Gosport, Hampshire. His father was John Dean (1850/1851–1921) and his mother Francis Caroline Dean nee McCormick (1854/1858–1932). He was baptised on the 29 September 1876 at the Holy Trinity church, in Gosport.[1.]
Horace was the first in a large family that endured much bereavement (indeed it seems, according to findmypast genealogical records the previous year his parents lost a baby - Florence Evelyn Dean in 1875). When he was a 1 year old his baby sister Edith Dean ((1878–1878) died on the 12th of April 1878. Three younger brothers followed: Herbert J Dean(1880–1901), George Ernest Albert Dean (1880–1884), Frederick G Dean(1883–1921), all of whom died at young ages. Another sister, Lillian Dean(1883–1883) died as a baby on the 2nd of December 1883, at less than a month old. A year later his younger brother George Ernest Albert Dean died at the age of 4. Another brother and sister followed who fortunately lived to reasonable ages: George L H Dean(1887–1944) and Gladys M Dean(1889–1940).[2.]
The family had been living in the Aldershot, Hampshire area until 1891 when they were listed in the census as living in Hammersmith, London, when Horace Dean was aged 14 and listed as a "scholar". The followung year, on the 21st of January 1892 15 year old Horace Dean signed on as an apprentice to the Hawksdale, a ship registered at 1,723 tons that made regular passages to Australia. It was a steel ship built at Londonderry in 1890, and owned by P. Iredale & Porter of Liverpool.
Dean's Second Mate Board of Trade certificate. (Source: Author's collection.)
Horace Dean worked aboard the Hawksdale as an apprentice for 5 years from 21.1.92 - 20.1.97. From 21.1.97 - 1.6.97 he completed his apprenticeship and became an able-bodied sailor. By 1897 Horace Dean's address was 17 Grosvenor Square Dublin, when he applied for his second mate Board of Trade certificate and passed the examination on first attempt on the 24th of June 1897.[3.]
He stayed with the Hawksdale, as he climbed through the ranks, as Third Mate (29.7.97 - 4.7.98) and then Second Mate (5.7.98 - 31.10.98 - 3 months 26 days) before moving on to the British iron barque the Embleton, 1233 tons, owned by Iredale & Porter, of Liverpool, also as Second Mate (19.1.99 - 13.4.1900 - 1 year 2 months) under Captain Hasler. It frequently was on a service to New Zealand.[4.]
Dean's First Mate Board of Trade certificate. (Source: Author's collection.)
Horace Dean was fortunate that he left the ship in April to pursue his First Mate certification in May 1900, as in July 1900 the Embleton was struck and sunk by Cunard's Campania (with Thomas Hankinson aboard, who would become the Carpathia's Chief Officer) with only 7 of the 18 crew aboard surviving.
Dean's Board of Trade certificate test was taken on the 10th of May 1900 and issued on the 11th of June - the delay caused by Dean failing in Navigation and re-sitting the exam on the 7th of June. At the time his address was listed as 20 Exeter Road, East Southsea, Hampshire.[5.]
His next ship was the square rigged Glasgow ship the 4 masted barque Hinemoa, which he worked aboard firstly as its Second Mate (27.11.00 - 14.4.01) and then as its First Mate for one year (15.4.01 - 17.4.02) The Hinemoa was also in the Australian service, initially in the frozen meat trade (fitted with refrigerating machinery for her maiden voyage to New Zealand), and then a general trader by 1902. It was during the time he reached the rank of First Mate that on the 28th of June 1901 he lost his brother Herbert J Dean, who was only 21 years old.[6.]
HINEMOA, Glasgow. 2203 tons. Built at Greenock. 1890. Four masted barque which was sunk by German submarine, 1917. (Source: State Library of Victoria, Malcolm Brodie shipping collection.)
In 1902 Dean applied for his Masters certificate and this time he passed on first attempt on the 2nd of July 1902, with the certificate issued on the 10th of July 1902. Again he had a different contact address - Northumberland House, Ash Vale, Surrey.[7.]
Dean's Master Board of Trade certificate. (Source: Author's collection.)
Later in 1902 he also applied for ExtraMasters, a much more complicated and extensive test, with his certificate issued on the 11th of October 1902. This was just prior to him joining the White Star Line in December of that year - his ExtraMasters likely allowing him to aim for a more prestigious line. [8.]
Dean's ExtraMaster Board of Trade certificate. (Source: Author's collection.)
White Star and Lightoller
He first worked aboard the newly built Suevic as Fourth Officer for a year (16.12.02 - 27.11.03) on the Australasian run. The Jubilee class single funneled ship had set off on her maiden voyage in March 1901 and supported the Boer War. Later in May 1903 Charles Lightoller joined the Suevic, serving as her Second Officer between the 13th of May 1903 and April 1904 and is likely where Dean and Lightoller first met. It is also when Lightoller met his wife-to-be Sylvia. Lightoller was 28 and Sylvia 17, aboard the Suevic on the voyage to Australia.
SS Suevic at Hobart, Tasmania, between 1910 and 1920. (Source: State Library of Tasmania - Image Number: PH30-1-7379.)
According to biographer Patrick Stenson, Lightoller was urged on by a fellow officer:
"As the ship was nearing Sydney one of Lightoller's fellow officers seeing him pacing the bridge in an obvious state of lovesick gloom suddenly declared 'Oh, for God's sake "Lights" if it's that bad go ahead and marry the little lame girl' That did it. Instead of punching the man on the chin for his tactlessness which in that instant he felt like doing, he decided right then he was going to do just."[9.]
Some have connected this unnamed "fellow officer" to Fourth Officer Dean. Although Stenson does refer to Dean later in his biography, he does not supply a name. There is also the suggestion that Dean was the best man at Lightoller's wedding (in Daniel Butler's book "The Other Side of the Night: The Carpathia, the Californian, and the Night the Titanic Was Lost"), and that this was later confirmed by one of Lightoller's granddaughters. However, Dean's tenure aboard the Suevic ended on the 27th of November 1903 (after which he moved to the Cretic), while Lightoller was married in Sydney on the 15th of December 1903 and returned to England aboard the Suevic on the return passage. This presently makes it unlikely Dean was the best man - and perhaps also unlikely to be "fellow officer" who urged him to get married.
The Suevic would have connections with other Titanic officers - Pitman and Lowe worked aboard her in 1925, as a purser and officer respectively.
Dean then transferred to the Cretic as fourth officer (27.11.03 - 13.5.04), followed by the Oceanic (13.5.04 - 8.7.04) after which he resigned from the White Star Line on the 8th of July 1904. [10.]
A year later became a RNR sublieutenant on the 24th of July 1905. His new address was this time 12 Marlborough Grove, Birkenhead. Perhaps with the White Star Line he felt he was stagnating in the role of Fourth Officer - and with both an ExtraMasters and RNR his first appointment with his next employer showed promise as he was made Third Officer.
Footnotes:
1. Ancestry.com and findmypast.co.uk↩ 2. Ancestry.com and findmypast.co.uk ↩ 3. Board of Trade certificates - second mate↩ 4. Board of Trade certificates - first mate↩ 5. http://iredale.de/maritime/embleton.htm ↩ 6. Board of Trade certificates - Masters, https://www.clydeships.co.uk/view.php?ref=19867, https://collections.slsa.sa.gov.au/resource/PRG+1373/27/94 ↩ 7. Board of Trade certificates - Masters, 1902 ↩ 8. Board of Trade certificates - ExtraMasters 1902 ↩ 9. "Titanic Voyager: The Odyssey of C.H. Lightoller" 1998, by Patrick Stenson, p135↩ 10. White Star Line records ↩
