The Carpathia

If there were heroes the morning of April 15, 1912, I would definitely classify Captain Arthur Rostron among them. He was captain of the Carpathia, the first ship to get to the Titanic. When he was informed of Titanic's call for help by the telegraph operator, he ordered the ship to turn around and go full speed (17 knots, for them) to Titanic's assistance. He then asked the telegraph operator if he was sure. Nine out of 10 captains would have done it the other way around (That's from The Night Lives On).

The Carpathia got there (actually, half an hour earlier than expected) after the Titanic had already sunk. It did take on all the survivors in the lifeboats. When daylight broke, the sun revealed a sea studded with huge bergs. Captain Rostron attributed his safe journey to God. I thought that was extremely admirable, and extremely correct.

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