Stanley Lord

Stanley Phillip Lord (13 September 1877 – 24 January 1962) was a British merchant seaman who was captain of the SS Californian on the night the RMS Titanic sank on 15 April 1912. The ship, which was primarily a freighter that could carry a small number of passengers, has been named in sources as the unidentified ship that failed to come to the aid of the foundering Titanic. On the eve of the sinking, Captain Lord had stopped the Californian for the night when it had entered an ice field 5 mi (8.0 km) to 20 mi (32 km) away from Titanic's final position. Over the next few hours, crew members on Lord's ship reported seeing white rockets on the horizon, something Lord ascribed to company signals. The sinking of the Titanic resulted in the deaths of more than 1,500 people. Lord and the crew of the Californian only became aware of the disaster the following morning when wireless signals were received from the SS Frankfurt. Despite remaining in the area to help recover bodies, the Californian crew were criticised for not rendering timely assistance to the Titanic. Both the United States and British inquiries concluded Lord was captain of the ship that was closest to the Titanic at the time of its sinking. However, neither suggested he should face any criminal charges. Subsequent authors have offered differing opinions on Lord that night, with some defending and others criticising him; resulting in two factions now labelled as "Lordites" or "Anti-Lordites". The debate about Lord focuses on several factors. These include his response to the rockets, whether his ship and the Titanic (and its rockets) were visible to one another, the presence of one or more "Mystery Ships" between the Californian and the sinking liner, and whether or not Lord could...