On this day (17th July) WW1 Shipwreckollections

HMS Carpathia (1903-1918)

British ocean liner, HMS Carpathia was built in 1903 by Swan & Hunter Ltd., Newcastle-Upon-Tyne. At the time of her loss 15 years later, she was owned by the Cunard Steamship Co. Ltd., Liverpool.

The Carpathia became famous for rescuing the survivors of the RMS Titanic after she struck an iceberg and sank with a loss of 1,517 lives. She arrived two hours after Titanic had sunk and rescued 705 survivors from the ship’s lifeboats.

On 15 July 1918, Carpathia was travelling from Liverpool to Boston, carrying 57 passengers and 166 crew, when she was torpedoed by a German U-boat. The vessel’s Captain, William Prothero, gave the order to abandon ship with all passengers and the surviving crew members boarding lifeboats. There were 218 survivors of the wreck that sank 120 miles west of Fastnet.

The Shipwrecked Mariners’ Society has offered assistance for fishermen and mariners in need since 1839. The maritime charity provides help for mariners, retired seafarers and their dependants, through financial help including welfare grants, as well as assistance and support.

Photo credit: wrecksite.eu