Among the forgotten heroes of the tragic sinking of the RMS Titanic was Jack Phillips, a 25-year-old wireless operator aboard the ship that sank April 14, 1912. He and his junior wireless operator, Harold Bride, were responsible for all communications for passenger and liner messages. When Phillips and Bride learned that the Titanic would sink in a matter of hours, the duo worked tirelessly, sending SOS Morse code messages to all nearby liners. When the ship started its inevitable plunge into the North Atlantic Ocean, Captain Edward J. Smith declared “every man for himself.” Bride worked with other passengers to throw chairs into the water, Phillips continued to communicate with other ships until the very last minute. Because of his tireless efforts, Phillips lost his life that day, but without his heroic actions, the RMS Carpathia would have been available to save the 705 passengers and crew in the lifeboats and water.
This article is part of a "Forgotten by History" collection. You can find a complete list of these people here. To promote this and other educational content about art and humanity, please donate to help support our research and writing.