The New York Times–bestselling author of Unsinkable “recounts the disaster from the vantage point of nearby vessels” (Publishers Weekly). A few minutes before midnight on April 14, 1912, the “unsinkable” RMS Titanic, on her maiden voyage to New York, struck an iceberg. Less than three hours later, she lay at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. While the world has remained fascinated by the … While the world has remained fascinated by the tragedy, the drama of those fateful hours was not only played out aboard the doomed liner. It also took place on the decks of two other ships, one fifty-eight miles distant from the sinking Titanic, the other barely ten miles away.
The masters of the steamships Carpathia and Californian, Capt. Arthur Rostron and Capt. Stanley Lord, were informed within minutes of each other that their vessels had picked up the distress signals of a sinking ship. Their actions in the hours and days that followed would become the stuff of legend, as one would choose to take his ship into dangerous waters to answer the call for help, while the other would decide that the hazard to himself and his command was too great to risk responding.
After years of research, Daniel Allen Butler now tells this incredible story, moving from ship to ship on the icy waters of the North Atlantic—in real time—to recount how hundreds of people could have been rescued, but in the end, only a few outside of the meager lifeboats were saved. He then looks at the US Senate investigation in Washington, and ultimately, the British Board of Trade inquiry in London, where the actions of each captain are probed, questioned, and judged, until the truth of what actually happened aboard the Titanic, the Carpathia, and the Californian is revealed.
“Powerful . . . very, very well-done.” —New York Times–bestselling author Clive Cussler
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I have read several books and articles about the sinking of the Titanic and this is the first one that has gone into such detail about the other two ships — Carpathia and Californian — that are forever linked to the Titanic. The Carpathia because of her rescue of several hundred survivors and the Californian because of its failure to offer assistance though much nearer. Of course the stories are about the respective captains of the two ships more than anything else and their stories — actions and inactions — add quite a bit to the events of that night. Recommended.
I found Butler’s focus on the other ships surrounding the Titanic and the decisions of their captains and crew very interesting and informative.
For those who are interested in everything they can read about the Titanic, this is a great side story. This book talks of two ships that were directly involved on that fateful night–the Carpathia, and the Californian. The book discusses the captains of those two ships and how their reactions were so vastly different. One man went on to be an honored hero, the other died in disgrace. Great book filled with interesting facts and insight!
Shows a different view of the sinking of the Titanic. Well researched and written.
This book covers two ships, on which went to the aid of the Titanic and the other did not. Well done and informative.
Interesting, but way too much unnecessary detail about the men involved in the rescue. (I really don’t care where the captain was born.)
What fools and just how unprepared the ship Line was. Saving money cost all those peoples lives
Very informative with great insight into the personalities and character of the crews of the Carpathia, the Titanic, and the Californian. Enlightening!
Anyone interested in the history of the Titanic will enjoy this historical report about the ships that were in the area when the Titanic struck an iceberg and started to sink. If the details about the valiant efforts of the Carpathia and the lack of effort by the Californian are depicted in any movie about the Titanic, I missed those stories and these stories really make a difference in knowing the whole story of what went on that night in April 1912. An Historian will love this book.
Fabulous. Interesting to read yet another point of view on the Californian.
I have read a lot of material about the Titanic; however, there are few books about the Californian. This book seemed well researched and informative.
While I Had heard about the rescue of the titanic survivors, and had heard about a boar being not far off from the sinking, I had never heard the complete story of the boat that rushed to her aid and and the closest boat who basically watched her sink and ignored them. How tragic.
Easy read, filled with insight not shown in any movie. Couldn’t put it down
The view from the officers on board the rescue ships introduced a new, and at times surprising, dimension to the tragic story of the Titanic. The pace of the writing kept me interested.
The repetition mentioned in other reviews actually helped keep the various narratives clear, but ultimately the repetition became tedious in the final quarter of the book. Thus it dropped a star.
After completing this book, I immediately read a short book authored by Beesley, a Titanic survivor. The two books combined rounded out the factual history and the human story of the tragic end of the maiden voyage of the Titanic.
Everyone knows about the sinking of the Titanic, but what do you know about the other ocean liners that were in the area? Very interesting and in some ways tragic.
This book gave many new details on the history and the people involved on the night the Titanic sunk. This gsve a new perspective on the rescue of the survivors. Very intetesting
A fascinating book that led me to even further research.