How did the captain of carpathia help titanic?

Answer 1

Capt. Arthur H. Rostron of the Carpathia is one of the true heroes of the Titanic disaster. Although he was only 43 at the time, Capt. Rostron had been a seaman for over 25 years. He had been a skipper for only two years, and at the helm of the Cunard steamer RMS Carpathia for just two months.

When the Titanic's distress call came through, the Carpathia was 58 miles away. Capt. Rostron was asleep, and when his wireless operator and 1st Officer woke him to tell him the news, he asked if they were certain it was the Titanic that was in danger. Once assured of this, he drew up a detailed plan of action immediately.

Rostron redrew the ship's course to get her there are quickly as possible, concluding that with luck and planning, the Carpathia could arrive at the Titanic's location in about 3 1/2 hours. He ordered the heat in the cabins and hot water be turned off to conserve steam, and that all the lights on the ship be ablaze so that the Titanic could see them. All crew members were awakened and put to work readying the ship's own lifeboats. They gathered blankets, rugs, chairs and prepared unoccupied cabins for use by Titanic survivors. The Carpathia's passengers were puzzled by all the comings and goings in the middle of the night, but once they were assured their own ship was not in danger and that it was heading toward a vessel which was, many of them helped the crew in its preparations.

Rostron also alerted the ship's doctor to be prepared to treat hypothermia, shock and physical injuries. He ordered the galleys and saloons to have hot beverages, food and spirits laid out. Crew members were enlisted to note the names of and all pertinent details about the survivors once they came aboard -- hometowns, ages, which ship's class they had been traveling in, relatives, next of kin and so on. Thus a relatively accurate picture of the Titanic's final hours began to take shape quite quickly.

The Carpathia reached a top speed of 17 knots on its way to the Titanic, very fast for a ship of its size and class. The Titanic continued to send out wireless signals until 2:10 a.m., just 10 minutes before the sinking, and its wireless operators advised the ship's officers that the Carpathia was on its way. It came within view of the lifeboats at 3:30 a.m., but Rostron had to slow down considerably at times to navigate the enormous field of ice surrounding the Titanic's last given coordinates.

Once on the scene, Capt. Rostron, his crew and passengers were dismayed to see that the Titanic truly had gone down, and that all that remained of her was a tiny convoy of open boats, stretched across several miles of bitter cold, choppy seas.

After some discussion about where to deliver the survivors, it was decided to take them to their intended destination of New York. The journey would take another 3 1/2 days, and the official silence from the ship during that time was maddening and frustrating. But one of the many kindnesses and considerations Capt. Arthur H. Roston showed his unexpected passengers was 24-hour access to the ship's wireless service. No messages other than those to and from the Titanic survivors and Carpathia passengers whose travel plans had been upended, were exchanged until the ship docked in New York Harbor.

For his conspicuous bravery, Capt. Rostron received numerous commendations, awards and decorations on both sides of the Atlantic. In the US he received a Congressional Gold Medal. He received Knighthood in his home country of the UK in 1919, and he retired in 1931 as Commodore of the Cunard Shipping Line. He died in 1940.