THE LINKS
As the waters began to pour over the decks of the sinking Titanic, many passengers were washed overboard, some turned to face the sea and jumped into the frigid waters, and still others clung to the dying ship until she sunk below the surface of the Atlantic. The night was soon punctuated with the anguished cries of those left in the 28 degree waters. These cries continued, becoming one long continuous wail, but eventually ceased as those left in the sea mercifully froze to death rather than drowned.
Second Officer Lightoller, along with approximately 30 others, including Marconi operator Harold Bride, managed to climb atop the capsized Collapsible B. They then paddled away from the swimmers to prevent being swamped by them, their position atop the capsized boat, precarious, as it was.
Those left in the lifeboats could only watch helplessly as hundreds of their fellow passengers surrendered to the frigid cold of the sea and passed away. Many of the boats were far from the sight of the sinking ship, for they had rowed far away from her upon launching so as not to be sucked down into the sea when Titanic plunged to the ocean floor. There were those that did attempt to organize a rescue effort. The Countess of Rothes, her cousin, Gladys Cherry, Seaman Thomas Jones, and Margaret Brown wanted to return to give aid to the hundreds stranded in the Atlantic, but unfortunately, these few were over-ruled by others who were fearful of being swamped by the survivors. It was reported that Molly Brown told the group of survivors sharing a lifeboat with her, "Ladies, if any of us are saved, remember, I wanted to go back. I would rather drown with them than leave them."
Fifth Officer Lowe, in charge of lifeboat 14, was able to round up several other boats and ordered them to stay together so as to be more visible when help arrived. When lifeboat 4 joined the group, Lowe began to distribute the passengers more evenly among the boats. When lifeboat 14 was emptied, Officer Lowe, along with a small crew, rowed toward the scene of the disaster to search for survivors. However, they were able to rescue only three swimmers.
At approximately 3:30a.m., Second Officer Lightoller spotted the mastlight of the Carpathia in the distance, and about 30 minutes later, Carpathia pulled up alongside lifeboat 2. At 4:10a.m., April 15, 1912, the first Titanic survivor, Miss Douglas, stepped aboard the Cunard steamer, Carpathia. After the boat was emptied of its passengers, Officer Boxhall boarded the rescue ship. He was escorted to the bridge by Carpathia's Second Officer Bisset, where he reported to Captain Rostron the fate of Titanic.
As the other survivors were being boarded onto Carpathia, the Californian sped toward the sight. At 7:45a.m., Lifeboat 12, carrying its passengers as well as some of those that had spent hours atop the capsized Collapsible B, pulled up alongside Carpathia. Carrying ten more than her maximum capacity of 65, she threatened to flounder as waves began to wash over her. However, her passengers managed to reach the decks of Carpathia safely. Second Officer Lightoller was the last of Titanic's survivors to board Carpathia. Carpathia secured six of Titanic's lifeboats, leaving the others to the sea. Moments later, the Californian was on the scene.
Onboard Carpathia, J. Bruce Ismay sent a wireless to his offices in New York stating, "Deeply regret to advise you, Titanic sunk this morning, 15th, after collision with iceberg, resulting serious loss of life; further particulars later." The message did not reach New York until April 17. However, at roughly 4:00a.m., before the first Titanic survivor had been boarded onto Carpathia, the New York Times hit the stands. Its headline read, "NEW LINER TITANIC HITS AN ICEBERG; SINKING BY THE BOW AT MIDNIGHT; WOMEN PUT OFF IN BOATS; LAST WIRELESS AT 12:27A.M. BLURRED."
Lacking the necessary supplies to sail to Europe, at 9:00 a.m., Carpathia headed for New York. The Californian stayed behind to scan the waters in search of any remaining swimmers. The search, unsuccessful, ended at 10:30, and the Californian sailed for Boston.
Carpathia, well on its way to New York, reported later that afternoon that all of Titanic's surviving passengers were safely boarded, and she was headed for New York. On Wednesday, April 17, families swarmed the White Star Line offices in England, anxious for word of Titanic's survivors. The first lists, sent via wireless from the rescue ship, Carpathia, were incomplete.
On Thursday, April 18, 1912, at 9:00a.m., Carpathia arrived in the Ambrose Channel. Captain Rostron ordered the ship to stop off at the White Star Line pier where she dropped off Titanic's lifeboats. Carpathia then pulled into Cunard's berth, allowing its passengers to disembark first. Titanic's passengers were then released. As Captain Rostron disembarked, he was approached by a New York Times reporter who inquired of the difficulty in sailing Carpathia at flank speed at night through a field of icebergs. Captain Rostron replied, "Someone else's hand other than mine was on the wheel that night." He later penned his memoirs in which he described his participation in the rescue of Titanic's passengers "....the most drastic and memorable night of my career."
Onboard the Cunard steamer, Carpathia, the closest ship to have responded to Titanic's distress signal, Captain Rostron ordered his ship swung around as he proceeded full speed to Titanic's position. He ordered all power, steam, and hot water diverted to the ship's boilers for extra steam. Lights were dimmed in the forward section and extra lookouts were posted on the bridge to watch for ice. He ordered his ship ready to receive Titanic's survivors. The cooks were ordered to prepare hot soup and coffee. He called for blankets to warm the survivors. The ship's physician, along with those physicians traveling as passengers were put on immediate stand-by. But Carpathia was 58 miles from Titanic's last reported position.........
Lifeboat Rowing Toward Carpathia
