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Marconi telegram from OLYMPIC to CARPATHIA, 15 April 1912

 Item
Identifier: 2020.39.7453

Abstract

A Marconi wireless telegram from Captain Haddock of the OLYMPIC to Captain Arthur Rostron of the CARPATHIA, sent at 4.50 EST on April 15, 1912. Haddock asks: "Can you give me names survivors to forward." OLYMPIC, the TITANIC's sister ship, was about 500 miles southwest of TITANIC, heading eastbound from New York to England, when it received the first distress signal. Captain Haddock immediately fired up all boilers and raced towards the coordinates, but he was much further away than several other ships. The CARPATHIA reached the site to find the ship gone, and it rescued the survivors in lifeboats. Haddock was, however, in place to communicate with the CARPATHIA and pass on details to the White Star office in New York, and this is one of a string of communications that afternoon. Haddock originally intended to meet the CARPATHIA to transfer over the survivors, but Captain Rostron dissuaded him, suggesting it would be traumatic for TITANIC survivors to encounter another ship that looked just like the one that had sunk. Once they agreed a transfer would be a bad idea, Haddock sent this message asking for the names of the survivors. Over the next few hours, CARPATHIA reported the deaths of many of the crew and shared the names of the survivors who were safe aboard CARPATHIA. Captain Rostron refused to respond to any press inquiries, reserving the telegram for the survivor reports and passengers' private communications. He famously did not even respond to President Taft, who sent a telegram asking about his friend and advisor Archibald Butt. The initial confusion about the ship's fate had turned to a media frenzy by the time the CARPATHIA arrived in New York three days later.

Dates

  • Creation: 15 April 1912

Extent

1 item(s) : paper ; overall: 5 11/16 x 8 7/8 in.

Language of Materials

English

Repository Details

Part of the Manuscripts Repository

Contact:
G. W. Blunt White Library
Mystic Seaport Museum, Inc.
112 Greenmanville Avenue
Mystic CT 06355 United States
860.572.5367