Many of us know about the Carpathia as the ship that rescued Titanic’s
survivors from the frigid North Atlantic in the early morning hours of April 15, 1912.
It was a day that would define Carpathia's career—as well as that of her captain’s, Arthur
Rostron—but what was Carpathia's life like in the years before and after the Titanic disaster?
How did she help save the Cunard line from near bankruptcy?
And why was she sent to a watery grave just six years after Titanic?
Today we explore the storied history of one of the world’s most famous
rescue ships … and the life she led outside of Titanic’s shadow.
Named after the Carpathian mountain range—which stretches from the Czech Republic to Romania—the
eponymous Carpathia was one of three mid-sized ships ordered by the Cunard Line at the turn
of the 20th century. Instead of trying to compete with Germany’s speed or White Star
Line’s size and luxury, Cunard’s goal was to build a more practical fleet
that could carry large numbers of tourists and emigrants between Liverpool and New
York. Essentially, she was built to be the Holiday Inn Express of the seas.
And this strategy actually worked. The Cunard
line—which had dominated shipping in the latter part of the 19th century—was
now struggling to keep up with the technology and size of its competitors’ ships.
With a gross tonnage of just over 13,500, the fuel efficient Carpathia and her two sister ships,
the Ivernia and Saxonia, were safe and affordable options for the masses.
With the profits made from these ships, the Cunard Line was able to stay financially
afloat long enough for the company to secure a loan from the British government.
This loan would go on to finance the construction of the Lusitania and Mauretania—two
ships that would effectively put Cunard back on top with their speed and luxury.
So, while the 558-foot-long Carpathia herself was not an extraordinary ship by any means,
her reliable and predictable service helped give Cunard just enough momentum to make a comeback.
At an average speed of just 14.5 knots—or around 16 miles per hour on land— Cunard’s
strategy with Carpathia and her sister ships was a true case of slow and steady winning the race.
Built for efficiency over style, the Carpathia was not the most fashionable ship.
But she did offer passengers a comfortable crossing.
For those in steerage, she offered what must have felt like true luxuries for the
lower class at the time … good ventilation, electric fans and lamps, and a spacious,
oak-paneled dining saloon that spanned the entire width of the ship.
It wasn’t until 1905, when she was refitted as a cruise ship for the Meditteranean route,
that she finally had first-class staterooms added.
It was also at that time that her capacity increased to more than 2,500 passengers,
up from her original capacity of 1,700.
For several years, the Carpathia enjoyed an uneventful but successful career carrying
rich passengers and Hungarian immigrants across the Atlantic.
On April 11, 1912, she departed New York for a weeks-long pleasure cruise to Fiume,
which is now the city of Rijeka in Croatia. She carried around 740 passengers.
At approximately 12:20 am on the morning of April 15, the Carpathia received a
distress signal from the Titanic. The supposedly unsinkable ocean liner—which was nearly 350 feet
longer than Carpathia and more than 3 times her weight—had struck an iceberg and was sinking fast.
The Carpathia was 58 miles from the Titanic.
Forty-two-year-old Captain Arthur Rostron ordered all the firemen to the boilers,
increasing the Carpathia’s speed from its average of 14 knots to 17.5 knots. However,
because of numerous icebergs in the area, it took the Carpathia nearly four hours
to reach Titanic’s position...at which point, the great ship was already gone,
leaving hundreds of people fighting for their lives in the frigid water.
When later asked how he managed to safely maneuver his ship past
dozens of icebergs in the dead of night, the deeply religious Captain Rostron replied:
“A hand other than mine was on the wheel that night.”
From around 4 to 8:30 am, Titanic’s 705 survivors
boarded the Carpathia. With double the passengers on board now, the ship had
insufficient supplies to make it to the next port — so Rostron turned the ship back to New York.
As they approached, the wireless room was bombarded with questions from the press,
which Captain Rostron refused to answer. When the Carpathia arrived in New York around 9:30
the night of April 18, thousands of people had gathered along Pier 54. Reporters shouted
questions to the Titanic’s survivors, as well as the passengers and crew of the Carpathia.
Neither the Carpathia nor its captain had ever been part of such a media frenzy.
In the weeks that followed, Captain Rostron and his crew were praised for their heroic efforts.
They received numerous trophy cups and medals, and President Taft even presented Rostron
with the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest award for a civilian.
The Carpathia was a star herself, receiving tens of thousands of
visitors over the next several weeks as she resumed her Mediterranean route.
Her civilian career came to an end in 1914,
when she and her sister ships were brought into military service at the onset of World War 1.
Her red funnel, a customary trait of Cunard liners, was painted a battle grey. For the
next four years, the Carpathia carried American and Canadian troops to Europe.
It was on July 17, 1918 when the Carpathia made her final voyage. She was traveling as
part of a convoy from Liverpool to Boston, carrying 57 passengers and 166 crew members.
During the journey, the convoy was cut in half, leaving the Carpathia—now the largest ship in
command—to lead six other ships. Just three and a half hours after this new arrangement,
a torpedo fired by German U-boat 55 struck the Carpathia on her portside bow.
A second torpedo struck the engine room, killing five crewmen and disabling the
ship altogether. The six other ships that were part of the convoy steamed away to escape the
submarine. As the ship sank, her 200+ survivors boarded the 11 lifeboats. Meanwhile, the chief
officer and other crew members threw confidential papers overboard to keep them out of enemy hands.
Once the ship was abandoned, the submarine resurfaced to shoot a third and final torpedo,
sealing the Carpathia’s fate.
About two and a half hours later, the Carpathia disappeared beneath
the waves off the southern coast of Ireland. Miraculously only 5 souls went down with her.
For 82 years, the Carpathia was left undiscovered—until the year 2000,
when American author and explorer Clive Custler found her resting upright
at a depth of around 500 feet. In May of 2001, the wreck was purchased for $3 million by
Premier Exhibitions, which also owned the largest collection of Titanic artifacts.
While the Carpathia met a fate like so many ships of that era, the role she played in the Titanic’s
rescue mission and her contributions to the war effort have sealed her legacy for more
than a century. Thanks to Captain Rostron and the many brave men and women who sailed on her,
the Carpathia—built as a modest ship—accomplished so many great feats in her career.