Descendants of passengers and crew from Titanic rescue ship sought

THEY are the people who helped rescue more than 700 people following the sinking of the Titanic.

And now the great-granddaughter of the RMS Carpathia’s captain wants your help to tell their stories.

It took over four hours to take on all surviving passengers and Captain Rostron was awarded a Congressional Gold Medal by the US Congress and appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire for his actions.

Carpathia braved dangerous ice fields and diverted all steam power to the engines to carry out the Titanic rescue mission.

Although lesser known than RMS Titanic and Captain Smith, RMS Carpathia and Captain Rostron played a fundamental role in the Titanic story.

To not only commemorate but celebrate the ship and the actions of its crew, Titanic Belfast, alongside the Belfast Titanic Society, has teamed up with Janet Rostron, the great-granddaughter of Carpathia’s captain, to shine a spotlight on it once again.

The exhibition will showcase not only Carpathia’s Titanic link but the rest of her life as a passenger ship, through her service in WWI to her sinking when she was serving as a Canadian and USA Expeditor Forces troop transport and was torpedoed off the Irish Coast.

This summer marks the 100th anniversary of her sinking.

Janet said: “As Captain Rostron’s great-granddaughter, I’m keen to find out what happened to those who were saved and those who did the saving on that fateful night.

“I’m asking for relatives of both the passengers who were rescued and the crew members of the Carpathia to send their stories to media@titanicbelfast. com before June 30, 2018 to be part of the exhibition.

“These will be curated by the experts at Belfast Titanic Society, and a selection will be displayed on board SS Nomadic from July 17 until August 17.”

Titanic Belfast’s chief executive Judith Owens said: “Titanic Belfast tells the story of Titanic, from her conception in Belfast, to her famous maiden voyage and tragic end, and Carpathia plays a pivotal role in the story.

“This summer, we want Carpathia, the action she took and the lives she saved, to take centre stage.

“We want relatives of passengers and crew to get in touch and share their families’ stories of what happened after they were saved so we can share these stories not only with Janet but visitors from throughout the world this summer.”