06/12/2026
On Monday, April 15, 1912, at 8:30 a.m., the RMS Carpathia had spent the past four hours carefully recovering all of Titanic’s lifeboats. After picking up the final lifeboat, she made one last search of the area but found only floating wreckage and a single body.
Many of the women survivors still did not fully understand that they were now widows. They continued to believe their husbands might be safe on another ship or still alive somewhere in the sea.
Meanwhile, the SS Californian arrived from the north. Her wireless operator, Evans, had only just turned on his radio and learned of the Titanic’s sinking. Captain Stanley Lord was reminded of the eight rockets his crew had reported seeing in the distance the night before. The ship they had seen, only about 10 miles away, had indeed been the Titanic.
At 8:50 a.m., the Carpathia prepared to sail back to New York. As she began her journey, the crew spotted an iceberg with a streak of red paint along its base — likely a mark left by the Titanic during the collision. Prayers were held in the lounges for the survivors as the ship headed westward, carrying the rescued passengers to safety.