Did You Know...

"WE HAVE STRUCK AN ICEBERG. BADLY DAMAGED. RUSH AID." This was the message received by ships up and down the Northern Lane on the night which Titanic sank. The message, which was sent by J. G. Phillips (head of the RMS Titanic's wireless at the time of the crash), prompted a large number of ships to turn around and rush to aid the foundering vessel. Among these ships were sea-faring vessels such as the Carpathia, Parisian, Virginian, and Olympic. Certainly a memorable ship, of all of those which sailed to rescue the doomed Titanic that fateful night, is the Virginian.


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The Virginian was only 170 miles from the RMS Titanic when it received the message, making it the closest of all of the ships to hear the plight of the doomed White Star liner. Not only was Virginian the closest ship, she was also the first ship to get the Marconigram.

As soon as she heard the Titanic's plight she began her journey. The agile Allan Liner ship threw all it had into trying to save those aboard the foundering Titanic. Within her belly people tirelessly laboured through the day and night, powering the Virginian's engines as far as they could go. Unfortunately she was not fast enough and, while in route to the White Star's sinking ship, she heard the chilling final message sent out by Titanic's wireless.

WORKS CITED:
Marshall, Logan. Sinking of the Titanic and Other Great Sea Disasters, The. 1912. Print.