Mr Frank Oliver Evans

Mr Frank Oliver Evans, age 27, of St. Michael's House, St. Michael's Square, Southampton, signed on as an Able Bodied Seaman on the Titanic.

Perviously, Mr Evans had spent 9 1/2 years in the Royal Navy on various ships, followed by service on the following merchant vessels: the Tintagel Castle of the Union Line, the Ferneo an admiralty collier, and the Olympic, which was his ship prior to the Titanic.

Evans was one of approximately 18 sailors who took part in the Titanic's lifeboat drill on the morning of April 10th, before leaving Southampton.  Unlike many other members of the crew, Evans knew his assigned lifeboat, number 12.

Evans was in the Forward Mess Hall on C Deck, at the time of the collision.  He was ordered by either the 5th or 6th Officer to find the carpenter, and sound all the wells forward.  Unable to find the carpenter, he did find Boatswain Alfred Nichols, and along with Nichols and others of the crew, he went up to the port side and helped uncover the port side boats.  He then crossed over, and helped uncover the starboard boats, and lower Lifeboat 1.  Crossing over again, he helped lower 12, and was ordered into Lifeboat 10 by Officer Murdoch.

Once in the water, 10 pulled away from the ship about 200 yards, according to Evans.  They later tied up with Lifeboats 4, 12, 14 and D.  From the boat, Evans reported seeing the Titanic break in two, between the 3rd and 4th funnel.

Evans was transfered to 14 by Fifth Officer Lowe, and was one of the crewmen who returned to the site of the sinking with Lowe to look for survivors.  They pulled 4 people who were still alive from the water, and later rescued the suvivors on top of Collapsible B, and also in the swamped Collapsible A.

Once Evans reached New York on the Carpathia, he testified at the US Inquiry on Thursday, April 26.

Notes
This is the address given by Evans to the US Senate Inquiry. The address listed in the Senate's crew list is 14 Bond Street, Southampton.
Evans' testimony is very specific that he lowered 12, before he was ordered into 10. However, the British Inquiry came to the conclusion that 10 was lowered before 12.

Available Documents
Crew Particulars of Engagement

Inquiry Testimony
(Courtesy of the Titanic Inquiry Project)
Senate Hearings, 25 April 1912, Testimony
Senate Hearings, 26 April 1912, Testimony

References
United States Senate (62nd Congress), Subcommittee Hearings of the Committee on Commerce, Titanic Disaster, Washington 1912
Colonel Archibald Gracie (1913) The Truth about the Titanic. New York, Mitchell Kennerley
Donald Hyslop, Alastair Forsyth and Sheila Jemima (1997) Titanic Voices: Memories from the Fateful Voyage, Sutton Publishing, Southampton City Council. ISBN 0 7509 1436 X
Walter Lord (1976) A Night to Remember. London, Penguin. ISBN 0 14 004757 3
Walter Lord (1986) The Night Lives On: Thoughts, Theories and Revelations about the Titanic. London, Penguin. ISBN 0 140 27900 8
Don Lynch & Ken Marschall (1992) Titanic: An Illustrated History. London, Hodder & Stoughton. ISBN 0 340 56271 4
Wyn Craig Wade  (1979,1986) The Titanic: End of a Dream
Susan Wels (1997) Titanic: The Worlds Greatest Ocean Liner, Crew list by Michael Findley