(Cover Photo by David Alan Kilborn)
DIE OVERVIEW
The RMS Carpathia’s radio operator, Mr. Harold Cottam received Titanic’s CQD. He ran up on the bridge and told Captain Rostron the situation of the Titanic and commanded the ship to head towards the given position by the Titanic’s operator, Mr. John Phillips. Here’s what happened to the Carpathia, the ship who rescued the Titanic’s passengers.
Presented by Riley Harder, Benedict Rome, and The Unsinkable team.
Harold Cottam, the Carpathia’s wireless operator, was about to go to bed when the Titanic started sending distress calls. He opened his radio and heard a wireless call from the Cape Cod saying that the Titanic needs assistance. He rushed to the bridge and met First Officer Dean.
They went into the chart room, and burst into the Captain’s cabin. They delivered the news to Captain Rostron, he woke up, and ordered the ship to turn to Titanic’s location. “Are you sure it is Titanic and requires assistance…?”, Rostron asked Cottam. “Yes, sir.”, Cottam replied.
Rostron rushed into the chart room to plan the ship’s new course. In few moments, the new course was set. The Carpathia was 58 miles away from the given position.
He asked one of the crewmen to prepare the boats for lowering. Next, he went to Chief Engineer Johnstone, ordered him to put every ounce of steam to the boilers. Then, he went to First Officer Dean. He told him to organize the ship for rescue operations, open all gangway doors, drop the ladders at gangways to help people up…prepare the whole ship for the passengers and rescue operation. Then, he called three doctors on-board, each assigned for the first, second, and third class, and prepared first-aid stations inside the dining saloons.
The ship’s purser, Purser Brown, the Chief Steward, and his assistant purser was called. Each were assigned to different gangways, receive the passengers, get their names and documents, and escort them to the dining saloons for medical check. Chief steward called every men, prepare coffee, soup, tea, brandy, and whisky for the survivors. Convert the smoking rooms, lounge, and the library for the rescued passengers.
Rostron urged them all to be quiet so that the Carpathia’s passengers could sleep peacefully and earn more energy for the rescue operation. “Tell them that the Carpathia wasn’t in trouble, and urge them to go back to their cabins.”
The ship is now full of busy crewmen, not sleeping for tomorrow’s shift. Down in the engine room, they poured every coal they can, trying to make the ship faster.
The crewmen, sleeping in the crew’s quarters were ordered to get up and dress. They followed the instructions, but they didn’t know where that came from. They collected blankets, shifting chairs, resetting tables in the dining saloon.
Most of them don’t know what’s happening.
Everyone in the bridge are in standby. Harold Cottam received the corrected position and immediately informed the captain.
Other ships nearby also received the distress call. Olympic was also rushing for help. After the crewmen finished preparing the lounges and dining saloons for the rescue operations, they were gathered at a place where the situation was going to be explained.
Chief Steward Hughes gave them a speech, “We received a distress call from the Titanic, and we are rushing to help the passengers”, he told the tasks of every crewman, and ended his speech. Doctors, crewmen, and the stewards are now on standby, waiting for the passengers to come.
The officers are in standby, waiting for the next distress calls to receive.
Carpathia is still driving fast at 17 knots. She’s prepared for the rescue operations.
There are some passengers that tried going out of their cabin, but they were told to go back to the cabins.
Harold Cottam is in the wireless shack, waiting for updates. He did not receive any messages from the Titanic for a long time. Her signals were too weak to receive.
He heard the Titanic at 1:10, telling the Olympic to get the boats ready, going down ahead.
He heard the Titanic again, but her signals, very weak. “Sinking by the head, engine room getting flooded”.
He’s worried. Then, he heard the Titanic asking how long he would take to arrive in the given position. “About four hours”, Cottam replied.
By 1:50 the last signal was received. “Come as quickly as possible, it’s a CQD old man; the engine room is filling up to the boilers”.
He’s still waiting for another call hoping that the Titanic still afloat.
Miss Peterson saw him still waiting for another call, wearing his shirtsleeves. No time for wearing his coat again.
On the bridge, Rostron and the officers are waiting, everything is prepared, ready to rescue the passengers.
By 2:35, Dr. McGhee informed the officers that everything is prepared below.
They saw a green flare from a distance. They thought that the ship is still afloat.
By 2:45, they met icebergs on every side of the ship. They are trying to turn and escaped the danger. By 3:30, Rostron ordered the officers to fire rockets. 3:35, they were near the position, still no signs of her.
3:50 he ordered the ship to standby. By 4:00, they reached the given position.
They saw another green flare, directly ahead. He spotted icebergs, turned the ship away from it.
The boat 2 was beside the ship. Someone shouted from the boat to stop the engines, but no one heard it.
By 4:10, Miss Elizabeth Allen was rescued, climbed to the ladder. He met Purser Brown. He asked where the Titanic was, and she replied it had gone now.
Later that day, the Carpathia rescued the passengers, gave them meals, checked if they have problems, and gave them clothes.
He told the other ships to return to their course, the passengers were rescued. Baltic is also near Carpathia’s position. She was told to return to the course.
Everyone was shocked on what happened to the ship, the news spread to New York and in England. The biggest ocean liner in the history had sunk.
Based on proven facts by the historians, out of 2208 passengers onboard, only 712 survived, and 1,496 died. The rescued Chinese passengers on the Titanic are also onboard the ship.
YOU ARE READING
The Unsinkable Voyage
Non-Fictionbook by Benedict, Riley, and The Unsinkable Voyage team. RMS Titanic, a four-funneled Ocean Liner of White Star Line, was the biggest ship of the world in 1912. She was the second ship of the Olympic Class, launched in May 1911. On April 10th, The...
