Understand
The captain from Bolton who helped with Titanic rescue
Overview
Arthur Rostron, a captain from Bolton, commanded the RMS Carpathia which rescued more than 700 survivors after the RMS Titanic sank in April 1912. Rostron navigated through dangerous icefields to reach the disaster site and was later recognised with a knighthood and a US Congressional Gold Medal. The story is featured in an episode of Hidden Manchester on BBC Sounds.
Key points
- Arthur Rostron from Bolton captained the RMS Carpathia, which picked up the Titanic's emergency Morse code message in April 1912.
- The Carpathia navigated through an iceberg field in the dark to reach the disaster site by 04:00.
- The ship successfully rescued more than 700 people and docked in New York on 18 April 1912.
- Chorlton-born violinist John Frederick Preston Clarke was among the approximately 1,500 people who died in the disaster.
- Rostron received a knighthood and a US Congressional Gold Medal for his extraordinary rescue efforts.