The captain from Bolton who helped with Titanic rescue

The captain who helped to rescue Titanic survivors

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When RMS Titanic hit an iceberg at about 23:40 BST on 14 April 1912, it was not until an hour later that an emergency call went out to other ships in the area.

The morse code message was picked up by the RMS Carpathia which was on its way to Gibraltar from New York.

It was captained by Arthur Rostron from Bolton.

His story is the subject of a new episode of Hidden Manchester on BBC Sounds.

Dik Barton, from the British Titanic Society, said it was pure luck the Carpathia received the message in the middle of the night.

"It was most extraordinary that the Carpathia radio operator picked it up because other vessels in the proximity - the California, for example - the actual radio operator was asleep at the time," he said.

Rostron turned his ship around but the Carpathia was still hours away from where the disaster was unfolding.

RMS Titanic, the ship that was labelled as "practically unsinkable," foundered and went beneath the waves at 02:20 on 15 April.

The Carpathia continued its own dangerous journey, unaware that the Titanic had already sunk.

Rostron pushed the engines to its limit through an iceberg field.

Dik Barton Titanic Explorer

His granddaughter Rosemary Pettet spoke to the BBC in 2012.

"They were aware as they got closer that there was a huge amount of ice and icebergs in the area," she said,

"As the dawn came they saw where they had been actually sailing through and said it was a miracle they didn't actually catch one themselves."

Pettet said Rostron was no stranger to dangerous situations after serving in World War One, commanding ships at Gallipoli campaign in Turkey.

The Carpathia finally reached the site of the disaster at about 04:00.

Among those on board was 28-year-old Chorlton-born violinist John Frederick Preston Clarke, who was a member of the eight-piece orchestra known as the Wallace Hartley group.

It is widely reported that Clarke and his fellow musicians continued to play their instruments as the ship began to sink.

Barton said there was a sense of pride that was typical of the Edwardian era.

"They wanted to do the right thing, that was their professional role as professional musicians and they probably found sanctuary in themselves in that way as well," he said.

John Freeman

The Carpathia docked in New York on 18 April 1912 after rescuing more than 700 people.

"I think the logistics of actually managing 705 people on a vessel of that size were absolutely extraordinary," said Barton.

"People in a terrible condition, frightened, scared, extremely cold, hypothermia onset, and of varying ages and all sexes across the board.

"So it's a very big rescue challenge."

News of the Titanic's sinking made headline news.

About 1,500 people died in the disaster - Clarke was one of them.

Barton said his body was recovered with his violin strapped to him.

Clarke was buried at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Halifax on 8 May 1912.

Barton said following the tragedy, Rostron was nicknamed "the electric spark",

"He was actually given a knighthood and a US Congressional Gold Medal as well, in recognition for his extraordinary efforts," he said.

Rostron carried on sailing until he retired and died in 1940.

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