On the night of the 14th of April, 1912, RMS Titanic struck an iceberg. On the morning of the 15th April 1912, RMS Carpathia arrived on the scene of the world’s worst maritime tragedy.
Carpathia
An Atlantic night in April, Carpathia steamed ahead
The air was cold the sea was calm most people were in bed
Sailing from New York and heading for Gibraltar
Shortly after midnight their course they’d have to alter
The wireless man received the news a ship was going down
He knew the implications, get there fast or people drown
The Captain was informed that they’d received an SOS
Could that really be the Titanic in distress?
A reply was sent immediately that help was on its way
Although they couldn’t get there until the break of day
The heating was turned off, want gave way to need
Every bit of power was converted into speed
The crew made preparations and tried not to make a sound
They did not tell the passengers they’d turned the ship around
The captain thought it best to avoid unnecessary panic
The passengers would soon know what had happened to Titanic
Two hours since the call came in, two more hours to go
The ship was giving all it had but still, it felt too slow
Californian was closest, she could be there by now
The last message from Titanic, she was sinking by the bow
The first lifeboat was sighted in the early morning light
There was no sign of Titanic, she had not survived the night
The lifeboats were located and the people brought aboard
Where was Californian, where was Captain Lord?
The survivors were looked after by the passengers and crew
Some gave up their cabins, it was something they could do
Blankets were distributed and the Galley had been told
To have hot drinks at the ready, the survivors would be cold
The search for more survivors turned out to be in vain
Husbands, wives, kith and kin would not be seen again
Everybody was in shock, there was very little talk
Eventually, the Captain set a heading for New York
The rescue ship sailed off with the seven hundred souls
Who only hours ago had watched the tragedy unfold
The sea was getting rough, then it began to rain
Many people vowed not to cross the sea again
It was hard to comprehend that only days had passed
Since Titanic left her moorings in the city of Belfast
Embarkation at Southampton, Cherbourg and Queenstown
Many people said she was the jewel in White Star’s crown
Now that jewel lay broken at the bottom of the sea
And fifteen hundred souls were lost, a dreadful tragedy
Some had claimed that man now was nature’s master
Nature had replied with this maritime disaster
The rescue ship drove on and then on Thursday night
New York came into view, a very welcome sight
Thousands stood out in the rain to see the ship arrive
Many still not knowing if their loved ones were alive
On the pier people waited, hoping against hope
Dockers at the capstans, each tied off a rope
The survivors came ashore, each with a tale to tell
Of the night they lost Titanic, of the night they went through hell.
Author Author 
Beautiful thank you, and starkly tragic. I’d never thought about the rescue boats…
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Thanks for the comment, G, Jean here replying for Angela, (fingers out of action due to enthusiastic demolition of shed)
I, – Angela – this is getting confusing, was curious about the immediate aftermath and the days the survivors spent on the Carpathia before arriving in New York. It’s a facinating story all round.
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Hi Jean! And Angela, nice to ‘meet’ you : ) Hope you’re still enjoying some Wallis Bird music? All the best for speedy finger recovery, G in Oz : )
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Such a wast of so many lives. Sometimes I wonder if that’s the only way we humans learn the really important lessons – when we’ve lost something.
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Jean here, typing for Angela, (fingers hurt demolishing garden shed!). Yes, such a horrible waste of lives. We do learn, by loss, after this tragedy adequate lifeboats became mandatory.
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