David Blair (mariner)
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David Blair (or Davy) (11 November 1874 – 10 January 1955) was a British merchant seaman with the
White Star Line The White Star Line was a British shipping company. Founded out of the remains of a defunct packet company, it gradually rose up to become one of the most prominent shipping lines in the world, providing passenger and cargo services between t ...
, which had reassigned him from the RMS ''Titanic'' just before its maiden voyage. Due to his hasty departure, he accidentally kept a key to a storage locker believed to contain the
binoculars Binoculars or field glasses are two refracting telescopes mounted side-by-side and aligned to point in the same direction, allowing the viewer to use both eyes (binocular vision) when viewing distant objects. Most binoculars are sized to be held ...
intended for use by the
crow's nest A crow's nest is a structure in the upper part of the main mast of a ship or a structure that is used as a lookout point. On ships, this position ensured the widest field of view for lookouts to spot approaching hazards, other ships, or land by ...
lookout. The absence of any binoculars within the crow's nest is believed to be one of the main contributory factors in the ''Titanic''’s ultimate demise.


''Titanic'' posting and rearrangement

Blair, from
Broughty Ferry Broughty Ferry (; Scottish Gaelic: ''Bruach Tatha''; Scots: ''Brochtie'') is a suburb of Dundee, Scotland. It is situated four miles east of the city centre on the north bank of the Firth of Tay. The area was a separate burgh from 1864 until ...
, was originally appointed the second officer of ''Titanic''.Mr. David Blair. ''Encyclopedia Titanica''. http://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/biography/2245/ He had been with the ship during its trial voyages to test the ship's seaworthiness and the final journey from its place of construction in
Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...
. The
White Star Line The White Star Line was a British shipping company. Founded out of the remains of a defunct packet company, it gradually rose up to become one of the most prominent shipping lines in the world, providing passenger and cargo services between t ...
, however, decided that with the ''Titanic'''s sister ship, the RMS ''Olympic'', currently undergoing layovers, to have the ''Olympic'''s
Chief Officer A chief mate (C/M) or chief officer, usually also synonymous with the first mate or first officer, is a licensed mariner and head of the deck department of a merchant ship. The chief mate is customarily a watchstander and is in charge of the ship ...
, Henry Wilde take the position, citing his experience with ships of the ''Titanic'' class as a reason. Chief Officer
William Murdoch William Murdoch (sometimes spelled Murdock) (21 August 1754 – 15 November 1839) was a Scottish engineer and inventor. Murdoch was employed by the firm of Boulton & Watt and worked for them in Cornwall, as a steam engine erector for ten yea ...
and First Officer
Charles Lightoller Charles Herbert Lightoller, (30 March 1874 – 8 December 1952) was a British mariner and naval officer. He was the second officer on board the and the most senior member of the crew to survive the ''Titanic'' disaster. As the officer in ch ...
were thus demoted one step in rank, removing Blair from the command roster. Blair wrote about the disappointment of losing his position on the ''Titanic'' in a postcard to his sister-in-law days before the ''Titanic'' left for
Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
, remarking, "This is a magnificent ship, I feel very disappointed I am not to make her first voyage."


Key to the binoculars

When Blair left the ''Titanic'' on 9 April 1912, he took with him the key to the
crow's nest A crow's nest is a structure in the upper part of the main mast of a ship or a structure that is used as a lookout point. On ships, this position ensured the widest field of view for lookouts to spot approaching hazards, other ships, or land by ...
locker, presumably by accident. This is believed to be a reason why there were no binoculars available with the crew during the voyage. According to other versions, the binoculars were not in the locker, but were left behind in his cabin, or he took them along with him when he left the ship, as they were his personal set of binoculars. The absence of binoculars being a factor in the sinking of the ''Titanic'' became a point of investigation in the subsequent inquiries into the sinking. The
lookout A lookout or look-out is a person in charge of the observation of hazards. The term originally comes from a naval background, where lookouts would watch for other ships, land, and various dangers. The term has now passed into wider parlance. ...
s at the time of the collision,
Frederick Fleet Frederick Fleet (15 October 1887 – 10 January 1965) was a British sailor, crewman and a survivor of the sinking of the . Fleet, along with fellow lookout Reginald Lee, was on duty when the ship struck the iceberg; it was Fleet who first ...
and
Reginald Lee Reginald Lee (19 May 1870 – 6 August 1913) was a lookout stationed in the crow's nest of the RMS ''Titanic'' when the ship collided with an iceberg at 23:40 on 14 April 1912. Biography Born in Benson, England, Lee served in the Royal Navy as ...
, maintained during the inquiries that they were informed they were to have no binoculars during the voyage. According to legal expert Gary Slapper, though, Blair's "forgetfulness wasn't a material reason for the disaster" as there were other
intervening cause In tort law, an intervening cause is an event that occurs after a tortfeasor's initial act of negligence and causes injury/harm to a victim. An intervening cause will generally absolve the tortfeasor of liability for the victim's injury ''only i ...
s. The key itself survived and was donated by Blair's daughter to the International Sailors Society.Titanic 'crow's nest key' auction. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/wiltshire/6979508.stm On 22 September 2007, it was sold in a group of items including a postcard Blair wrote on board the ''Titanic'' via an auction held by Henry Aldridge, including a ticket from Belfast that fetched £32,000 and a postcard sent by a passenger which sold for £17,000. The key was purchased by Shen Dongjun, the CEO of jewellery retailer TESIRO's Chinese division for £90,000, and is currently on display in
Nanjing Nanjing (; , Mandarin pronunciation: ), alternately romanized as Nanking, is the capital of Jiangsu province of the People's Republic of China. It is a sub-provincial city, a megacity, and the second largest city in the East China region. T ...
. On the importance of the key, the auctioneers said that it was a conjecture that the key could have saved the ''Titanic'' had it not left the ship. They also said that the money from the auction of the key will be used to set up
bursaries A bursary is a monetary award made by any educational institution or funding authority to individuals or groups. It is usually awarded to enable a student to attend school, university or college when they might not be able to, otherwise. Some awa ...
and scholarships in Blair's name.


Later events

Blair was First Officer on the SS ''Majestic'' in 1913 when a coaler jumped overboard; the night before, a fellow crew member had succeeded in drowning himself. While a lifeboat was organized, Blair jumped into the ocean waters and swam toward the man, who was now swimming for the ship. Though the boat reached the man first, Blair was commended for his action in ''
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'' and received money from the passengers and a medal from the
Royal Humane Society The Royal Humane Society is a British charity which promotes lifesaving intervention. It was founded in England in 1774 as the ''Society for the Recovery of Persons Apparently Drowned'', for the purpose of rendering first aid in cases of near dro ...
. Blair (and
Charles Lightoller Charles Herbert Lightoller, (30 March 1874 – 8 December 1952) was a British mariner and naval officer. He was the second officer on board the and the most senior member of the crew to survive the ''Titanic'' disaster. As the officer in ch ...
, who survived the ''Titanic'' disaster) served aboard the when it ran aground in 1914. As the navigator, Blair received the blame for the grounding at the resulting enquiry. Blair died on 10 January 1955 in Hendon, Middlesex. Blair was survived by his son, Donald (a school teacher and author of Lake District hiking books). Don Blair felt considerable guilt during his entire life for the actions regarding his father being "bumped off the ship" and the issue with the keys to the binoculars. Don Blair has since also passed on, leaving a widow (Gladys) and three step sons (Neil, Nigel, and Iain Douglas).


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blair, David 1874 births 1955 deaths British sailors RMS Titanic survivors People from Broughty Ferry British Merchant Navy officers