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The Other Side of the Night: The Carpathia, the Californian and the Night the Titanic Was Lost
Captain Arthur Rostron and Captain 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 answer the call for help, while the other would decide the risk too great.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published June 29, 2009
298 people are currently reading
1462 people want to read
About the author
Daniel Allen Butler
21 books27 followersDaniel Allen Butler is a maritime and military historian, the author (through September 2011) of nine books. Some of his previous works include Unsinkable: the Full Story of RMS Titanic (1998); Distant Victory: The Battle of Jutland and the Allied Triumph in the First World War (2006); The Age of Cunard (2003); The Other Side of the Night: The Carpathia, theCalifornian, and the Night the Titanic was Lost (2009); The Burden of Guilt: How Germany Shattered the Last Days of Peace, Summer 1914 (2010); and Shadow of the Sultan’s Realm: the Destruction of the Ottoman Empire and the Creation of the Modern Middle East (2011).
Educated at Hope College, Grand Valley State University, and the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Butler served in the United States Army before becoming a full-time author. He is an internationally recognized authority on maritime subjects and a popular guest speaker, having given presentations at the National Archives in Washington, DC, the Mariners’ Museum, and in the United Kingdom. He has also been frequently included in the on-board enrichment series of Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth 2 andQueen Mary 2, as well as the ships of the Royal Caribbean and Norwegian cruise lines.
Butler is currently at work on three new projects: The Field Marshal, a biography of Erwin Rommel; The Last Field of Glory: Waterloo, 1815, a history of the Hundred Days; and But for Freedom Alone, the story of the Declaration of Arbroath.
A self-proclaimed “semi-professional beach bum,” Butler divides what little time he spends away from his writing between wandering long stretches of warm, sandy beaches, his love of woodworking, his passion for British sports cars, and his fascination with building model ships. After living and working in Los Angeles, California, for several years, Butler has recently relocated—permanently, he hopes!—to Atlantic Beach, Florida, where the beaches are better.
Educated at Hope College, Grand Valley State University, and the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Butler served in the United States Army before becoming a full-time author. He is an internationally recognized authority on maritime subjects and a popular guest speaker, having given presentations at the National Archives in Washington, DC, the Mariners’ Museum, and in the United Kingdom. He has also been frequently included in the on-board enrichment series of Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth 2 andQueen Mary 2, as well as the ships of the Royal Caribbean and Norwegian cruise lines.
Butler is currently at work on three new projects: The Field Marshal, a biography of Erwin Rommel; The Last Field of Glory: Waterloo, 1815, a history of the Hundred Days; and But for Freedom Alone, the story of the Declaration of Arbroath.
A self-proclaimed “semi-professional beach bum,” Butler divides what little time he spends away from his writing between wandering long stretches of warm, sandy beaches, his love of woodworking, his passion for British sports cars, and his fascination with building model ships. After living and working in Los Angeles, California, for several years, Butler has recently relocated—permanently, he hopes!—to Atlantic Beach, Florida, where the beaches are better.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 134 reviews
July 4, 2021
This short but informative book approaches the Titanic tragedy from another angle......the actions taken by the two ships, the Californian and the Carpathia, which were in the closest positions to the foundering liner. The author, who has also written other books on the age of the luxury liner, utilizes transcripts from both the American and British hearings that were held after the sinking to paint a picture of the actions taken by the two captains in response to the distress signals from the Titanic.
For almost 100 years there has been violent disagreement concerning the unfortunate decisions made by Cpt. Lord of the Californian. He appeared to ignore the plight of the sinking liner and when he finally arrived on the scene it was too late. Inversely, Cpt. Rostron of the Carpathia steamed full speed toward the site and was able to rescue 700+ survivors from the lifeboats. The subsequent hearings supported the Carpathia captain's actions and basically condemned those of the Californian's captain. Cpt. Rostron went on to greater glory with the White Star/Cunard lines while Cpt. Lord was reduced to, basically, tramp steamer status.
I find that the author whitewashes the American hearings under the leadership of Senator William Smith which were rather risible. The British hearing board which was comprised of members of the Royal Navy and other mariners was much more learned. Regardless, both hearings arrived at the same decision with which the author agrees. This reader agrees as well.
For almost 100 years there has been violent disagreement concerning the unfortunate decisions made by Cpt. Lord of the Californian. He appeared to ignore the plight of the sinking liner and when he finally arrived on the scene it was too late. Inversely, Cpt. Rostron of the Carpathia steamed full speed toward the site and was able to rescue 700+ survivors from the lifeboats. The subsequent hearings supported the Carpathia captain's actions and basically condemned those of the Californian's captain. Cpt. Rostron went on to greater glory with the White Star/Cunard lines while Cpt. Lord was reduced to, basically, tramp steamer status.
I find that the author whitewashes the American hearings under the leadership of Senator William Smith which were rather risible. The British hearing board which was comprised of members of the Royal Navy and other mariners was much more learned. Regardless, both hearings arrived at the same decision with which the author agrees. This reader agrees as well.
December 14, 2018
I have always been interested in the Titanic disaster and have read extensively about it. This book is another in my quest to puzzle out what happened, how, and why. It is non-fiction about the rescue effort and aftermath of the night the Titanic hit an iceberg and sank. It focuses on the ships that responded (or did not), the rescue of the passengers, and both the American and British inquiries in the aftermath. Butler does not recount the timeline of events on the Titanic itself. There are many other books that cover this information in detail. My favorite is A Night to Remember by Walter Lord, which I highly recommend. Butler instead tackles the calls for assistance, the actions of the responding ships, and the rescue efforts. I was interested to read it as I have always wondered why the Californian, the closest, did not come to the aid of the Titanic. How can a ship’s officers see a distress signal and ignore it?
This book is well-structured. It starts with a short history of maritime travel between Europe and America, the development of wireless communications, and the background of the Carpathia and Californian. It then moves into the experience and temperament of the primary players. The author pays specific attention to the captains of the Carpathia and Californian, Arthur Rostron and Stanley Lord, and their contrasting styles of leadership. Butler’s analysis is clear and logical. He expresses strong opinions and does so articulately. Even when not agreeing completely, I could follow his train of thought. I wish he had included footnotes along the way rather than a solely a list of sources and bibliography at the end.
After reading this book, I feel I have gotten a good sense of what the record shows regarding the action or inaction at the time of the emergency. Some will rise to the occasion and address the challenge while others will do nothing and deny responsibility. It is impossible, of course, to get one hundred percent clarity with an event this long in the past, and with conflicting memories of witnesses, but when reading many sources, the big picture eventually emerges. I feel like Butler has added valuable insights and has provided a plausible answer to my question. Of course, it won’t be the last book I read about the Titanic.
Recommended to those interested in maritime history and, of course, those specifically interested in the Titanic.
This book is well-structured. It starts with a short history of maritime travel between Europe and America, the development of wireless communications, and the background of the Carpathia and Californian. It then moves into the experience and temperament of the primary players. The author pays specific attention to the captains of the Carpathia and Californian, Arthur Rostron and Stanley Lord, and their contrasting styles of leadership. Butler’s analysis is clear and logical. He expresses strong opinions and does so articulately. Even when not agreeing completely, I could follow his train of thought. I wish he had included footnotes along the way rather than a solely a list of sources and bibliography at the end.
After reading this book, I feel I have gotten a good sense of what the record shows regarding the action or inaction at the time of the emergency. Some will rise to the occasion and address the challenge while others will do nothing and deny responsibility. It is impossible, of course, to get one hundred percent clarity with an event this long in the past, and with conflicting memories of witnesses, but when reading many sources, the big picture eventually emerges. I feel like Butler has added valuable insights and has provided a plausible answer to my question. Of course, it won’t be the last book I read about the Titanic.
Recommended to those interested in maritime history and, of course, those specifically interested in the Titanic.
March 2, 2021
This is the story of three ships drawn together in history, but with different fates. The Titanic's fate is well known, however, the other two, the Carpathian and the Californian are less well remembered. The Carpathian arrived too late, but made a gallant effort by saving the 705 survivors of the Titanic. The Californian, commanded by Stanley Lord, did nothing but watch from 10 miles away while the great ship went down. This book describes in great detail the efforts or non-efforts of the two ships and their captains, Rostron and Lord.
If you are interested in the last hours of the Titanic, this is a fine overview of what happened, but more importantly it discusses the differences between two men and their places in history. Lord's is especially telling. It's no surprise that the author is particularly hard on the man. He goes so far as to give his view on why Lord acted as he did. Considering what we know about some men today, I wouldn't dispute his judgment, but the proof is not quite solid on that even after more than a hundred years. Whatever his reasons, Stanley Lord was certainly not the hero that Captain Rostron was.
I would certainly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the Titanic. There are so many things we will never know, but never to be forgotten is the fact that over 1000 people died that icy night.
If you are interested in the last hours of the Titanic, this is a fine overview of what happened, but more importantly it discusses the differences between two men and their places in history. Lord's is especially telling. It's no surprise that the author is particularly hard on the man. He goes so far as to give his view on why Lord acted as he did. Considering what we know about some men today, I wouldn't dispute his judgment, but the proof is not quite solid on that even after more than a hundred years. Whatever his reasons, Stanley Lord was certainly not the hero that Captain Rostron was.
I would certainly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the Titanic. There are so many things we will never know, but never to be forgotten is the fact that over 1000 people died that icy night.
July 5, 2015
Interested in the Titanic? Read this. Butler gives an in-depth look at the rescue and lack of rescue, comparing two captains of two ships and their different responses. There is quite a bit of history here as well about shipwrecks. Nicely detailed and wonderfully read in the audio book version.
April 5, 2021
Yes there really was a small cargo steamer ship stopped less than 10 miles away from the sinking RMS Titanic. Named the Californian, the evidence is indisputable that its crew saw the Titanic's distress signals but failed to rouse their captain to respond. Both the British and American investigations in 1912 arrived at the indisputable conclusion the Californian was so close to the Titanic as to see her distress rockets, and her crew saw her lights canted at a strange angle as she listed before sinking. It is one of the most appalling stories in all maritime disaster history.
Exactly why the Californian failed to respond remains a mystery. Her officers in charge reported seeing the large ship passing them suddenly stop nearby to their captain, Stanley Lord, who was resting below. The observed the firing of multiple distress rockets and saw the ship sitting at a strange angle before disappearing at the exact same time the Titanic sank. Yet none of them bothered to wake up the ship's sleeping part time radio officer, and they were all apparently so terrified of the autocratic Captain Lord that they would not call him to the bridge to see for himself nor tell him plainly they were seeing distress rockets.
History has villified Captain Lord, but reading this book I think the case is less clear. It's very clear the on duty crew did not specifically tell the Captain they were seing distress rockets and never asked him to come to the bridge to see the situation for himself. Throughout the event, the captain seemed to be half asleep and asked repeatedly if they were seeing company signals rather than distress rockets and never once did anyone clearly say there were signs the other ship was in trouble. Nor did any of the on duty crew awaken the sleeping radio officer to call up the other ship. While Lord should have known better, when you read the story in this book it makes it seem like the crew was at least equally at fault. What struck me was their multiple conversations among themselves that something was wrong with the other ship, yet they never made an effort to wake up the radio officer nor clearly state their views to the captain.
No matter what you think of Captain Stanley Lord, it is hard to argue that he was the better captain that night. Unlike the Titanic's captain who sailed full speed towards ice he had been repeatedly warned about by other ships, Captain Lord, having received warnings of ice and encountering ice, actually stopped his ship to await morning. His radio officer actually tried to send a warning to the nearby Titanic before he went to sleep, only to be angrily cut off by the Titanic's radio officer who never bothered to tell Captain Smith about the nearby ship radioing a dire warning.
Meanwhile on the other nearby ship, the Carpathia, Captain Rostron having been alerted by his on duty radio operator to the Titanic's distress call, responded perfectly, turning his ship around, steaming full speed, and being ready for a rescue operation. While he arrived 2 hours too late, he was able to pick up all of the lifeboats without losing a single additional life.
I found this book to be a sobering, fact-based read except I thought the author went too far to call Captain Lord a "sociopath." It seems that while Captain Lord was an aloof autocrat feared by his crew, his one ambition in life was to captain a large ship, and what better way than responding heroically to a nearby sinking ship? I think the evidence shows errors of omission-- Captain Lord may have only seen the Titanic after she had made a crash turn, showing far less of her lights-- and felt she was a smaller vessel. Half asleep, he may actually have thought this small ship was sending up company signals. After all, wouldn't his crew have raised an alarm if they thought it was anything different? The mystery is why he, like his crew, failed to awaken the sleeping radio officer. Was radio such a new means of communication they didn't even think of it? It just seems hard for me to believe that ambitious Captain Stanley Lord would not have wanted to play the role of hero to the sinking Titanic had he ever suspected or known the Titanic was nearby and sinking.
But there is one part of the story that really made me think. Early the next morning the Captain came to the bridge, and seeing the Carpathia in the distance, remarked that the ship looked okay. he didn't realize this was not the ship his crew was talking to him about the previous evening. But if he had ever not thought the ship the previous night was firing distress rockets, why the remark that she looked okay now? If he ever had thought the ship was in trouble the previous night why did he do nothing? It's a damning remark. Only after his crew told him that was not the ship of the previous night and they might have been able to see the lifeboats being picked up too, did an officer of the Californian awaken the radio officer. From there the lies began.
Captain Lord immediately realized his position was in visual range of where the Titanic sank. Instead of setting sail towards the Californian, he actually drove back into the ice and came back through it to make it look like he was farther away and had to come through dangerous ice. The ship's draft log disappeared. The actual log made no mention of the ship everyone had seen firing rockets. His testimony changed so many times it was clear he was lying. He sealed his own fate.
It may be true that the Californian close as she was could not have arrived before the Titanic sank. But it is clear she could have arrived at the time the ship sank, and might have been able to save some of the hundreds thrown into the cold water. That she was so incompetently and callously crewed and captained makes her among the most infamous vesssels in history.
Exactly why the Californian failed to respond remains a mystery. Her officers in charge reported seeing the large ship passing them suddenly stop nearby to their captain, Stanley Lord, who was resting below. The observed the firing of multiple distress rockets and saw the ship sitting at a strange angle before disappearing at the exact same time the Titanic sank. Yet none of them bothered to wake up the ship's sleeping part time radio officer, and they were all apparently so terrified of the autocratic Captain Lord that they would not call him to the bridge to see for himself nor tell him plainly they were seeing distress rockets.
History has villified Captain Lord, but reading this book I think the case is less clear. It's very clear the on duty crew did not specifically tell the Captain they were seing distress rockets and never asked him to come to the bridge to see the situation for himself. Throughout the event, the captain seemed to be half asleep and asked repeatedly if they were seeing company signals rather than distress rockets and never once did anyone clearly say there were signs the other ship was in trouble. Nor did any of the on duty crew awaken the sleeping radio officer to call up the other ship. While Lord should have known better, when you read the story in this book it makes it seem like the crew was at least equally at fault. What struck me was their multiple conversations among themselves that something was wrong with the other ship, yet they never made an effort to wake up the radio officer nor clearly state their views to the captain.
No matter what you think of Captain Stanley Lord, it is hard to argue that he was the better captain that night. Unlike the Titanic's captain who sailed full speed towards ice he had been repeatedly warned about by other ships, Captain Lord, having received warnings of ice and encountering ice, actually stopped his ship to await morning. His radio officer actually tried to send a warning to the nearby Titanic before he went to sleep, only to be angrily cut off by the Titanic's radio officer who never bothered to tell Captain Smith about the nearby ship radioing a dire warning.
Meanwhile on the other nearby ship, the Carpathia, Captain Rostron having been alerted by his on duty radio operator to the Titanic's distress call, responded perfectly, turning his ship around, steaming full speed, and being ready for a rescue operation. While he arrived 2 hours too late, he was able to pick up all of the lifeboats without losing a single additional life.
I found this book to be a sobering, fact-based read except I thought the author went too far to call Captain Lord a "sociopath." It seems that while Captain Lord was an aloof autocrat feared by his crew, his one ambition in life was to captain a large ship, and what better way than responding heroically to a nearby sinking ship? I think the evidence shows errors of omission-- Captain Lord may have only seen the Titanic after she had made a crash turn, showing far less of her lights-- and felt she was a smaller vessel. Half asleep, he may actually have thought this small ship was sending up company signals. After all, wouldn't his crew have raised an alarm if they thought it was anything different? The mystery is why he, like his crew, failed to awaken the sleeping radio officer. Was radio such a new means of communication they didn't even think of it? It just seems hard for me to believe that ambitious Captain Stanley Lord would not have wanted to play the role of hero to the sinking Titanic had he ever suspected or known the Titanic was nearby and sinking.
But there is one part of the story that really made me think. Early the next morning the Captain came to the bridge, and seeing the Carpathia in the distance, remarked that the ship looked okay. he didn't realize this was not the ship his crew was talking to him about the previous evening. But if he had ever not thought the ship the previous night was firing distress rockets, why the remark that she looked okay now? If he ever had thought the ship was in trouble the previous night why did he do nothing? It's a damning remark. Only after his crew told him that was not the ship of the previous night and they might have been able to see the lifeboats being picked up too, did an officer of the Californian awaken the radio officer. From there the lies began.
Captain Lord immediately realized his position was in visual range of where the Titanic sank. Instead of setting sail towards the Californian, he actually drove back into the ice and came back through it to make it look like he was farther away and had to come through dangerous ice. The ship's draft log disappeared. The actual log made no mention of the ship everyone had seen firing rockets. His testimony changed so many times it was clear he was lying. He sealed his own fate.
It may be true that the Californian close as she was could not have arrived before the Titanic sank. But it is clear she could have arrived at the time the ship sank, and might have been able to save some of the hundreds thrown into the cold water. That she was so incompetently and callously crewed and captained makes her among the most infamous vesssels in history.
February 2, 2016
A view of the night the Titanic sank, from the perspectives of the Captains of the Carpathia and Californian. Really fascinating, and a wonderful companion to Walter Lord's histories, and other Titanic books. The Captains had vastly different responses--one, Rostron, immediately changed course and readied everything he could to make the process seamless, the other slept and lied about it. I don't think I'd quite realized the discepancy. It had always seemed a tragedy that the Californian was so close and didn't come, but hearing that the Captain deliberately ignored the rockets multiple times, against Maritime Law, is something else all together. Even if that wasn't the Titanic, as he claims, they ignored someone in distress. The author has determined the Captain to have been a sociopath, not caring of people's lives, but I think it rather more likely he was a lazy coward, who covered up in his inactions. He even destroyed the scrap logs that his staff took notes on all that night. Creepy.
Fascinating bits: Lady Duff Gordon had her photo taken on the Carpathia the morning after, to memorialize the event ("Now smile, everyone!")--even 100 years ago, the selfie/pic or it didn't happen mentality existed. People also essentially used the wireless as a texting tool, or Twitter, giving mundane updates because they could. When the Carpathia landed, they steamed past their port in order to land in Titanic's to return their life boats, before going back to theirs. Chills.
And most interesting: even if the Californian had gone to Titanic's aid, they'd have arrived minutes before it sank. They only would have saved maybe 3-400, and 1200 still would have died. But it would have meant everything to those few hundred and their families.
Fascinating bits: Lady Duff Gordon had her photo taken on the Carpathia the morning after, to memorialize the event ("Now smile, everyone!")--even 100 years ago, the selfie/pic or it didn't happen mentality existed. People also essentially used the wireless as a texting tool, or Twitter, giving mundane updates because they could. When the Carpathia landed, they steamed past their port in order to land in Titanic's to return their life boats, before going back to theirs. Chills.
And most interesting: even if the Californian had gone to Titanic's aid, they'd have arrived minutes before it sank. They only would have saved maybe 3-400, and 1200 still would have died. But it would have meant everything to those few hundred and their families.
September 16, 2020
I am not someone who has read a lot about the Titanic and certainly not much on the controversy over the decades regarding Captain Stanley Lord of the Californian. So I kind of came to this book with a clean slate. I enjoyed the retelling of the rescue attempts of the Carpathia and its noble crew who hazarded ice floes to race to the scene of the disaster.
Heroes for Butler was the Captain Rostron and the crew of the Carpathia and also Senator William Smith who was in charge of the American investigation of the events of April 1912. Butler attempts to explain to the reader the motivations and actions of Captain Lord of the Californian, the closest ship to the Titanic, and why she did not heed the calls for help.
I especially enjoyed the chapters in the book regarding the history of the business of passenger steamers in the 19th and early 20th centuries and how each of the companies involved in transatlantic service came to have their own way of doing business.
This work was readable and for someone not familiar with all the Titanic oeuvre a nice starting point regarding this amazing event which continues to fascinate ensuing generations.
Heroes for Butler was the Captain Rostron and the crew of the Carpathia and also Senator William Smith who was in charge of the American investigation of the events of April 1912. Butler attempts to explain to the reader the motivations and actions of Captain Lord of the Californian, the closest ship to the Titanic, and why she did not heed the calls for help.
I especially enjoyed the chapters in the book regarding the history of the business of passenger steamers in the 19th and early 20th centuries and how each of the companies involved in transatlantic service came to have their own way of doing business.
This work was readable and for someone not familiar with all the Titanic oeuvre a nice starting point regarding this amazing event which continues to fascinate ensuing generations.
April 16, 2025
Officers of a steamship observe 8 rockets fired into the night from a huge ship at a distance of 6 to 10 miles. Their captain makes the decision not to inquire about the situation when those rockets could only be interpreted as a distress signal. Why not wake up the wireless radio operator to verify if something urgent is going on? This book provides some interesting answers to those questions about captain Stanley Lord of the steamer Californian who did not render assistance to the passengers of the Titanic in a form of derelection of duty. It is an important question related to this maritime disaster as the Californian could have helped save many more people before Titanic foundered. The author compares this awful behavior by the man in command in the Californian to the example of leadership set by captain Rostron of the Carpathia who urgently got to the scene as fast as his ship could cover the 58 nautical miles separating him from the survivors of the sinking.
June 24, 2021
4.25 stars
This is a book about the sinking of the Titanic, but more from the points of view of two of the closest ships that night. In fact, one of them – the Californian – was within sight distance and saw the distress rockets go up… and the captain, Stanley Lord, didn’t do anything. He was a very authoritarian captain and his subordinates didn’t feel that they could go against him. Further away (unfortunately a full 4 hours or so), was another ship – the Carpathia – whose captain, Arthur Rostron, immediately set sail as fast as the Carpathia had ever gone in her life to get to the Titanic as soon as possible. It was the Carpathia who plucked as many survivors as she could out of the lifeboats to safety.
This was really good. I’m sure I must have read snippets about these other ships in the other Titanic books I’ve read, but I don’t recall details from those books, though I knew the names of the ships. This was very detailed from those points of view. Leading up to the disaster, this also looked at brief biographies of the captains and a bit of history of the ship/cruise and wireless industries. There was also a close look at the inquiries afterward, both in the US and in Britain to get to the bottom of what happened that night.
This is a book about the sinking of the Titanic, but more from the points of view of two of the closest ships that night. In fact, one of them – the Californian – was within sight distance and saw the distress rockets go up… and the captain, Stanley Lord, didn’t do anything. He was a very authoritarian captain and his subordinates didn’t feel that they could go against him. Further away (unfortunately a full 4 hours or so), was another ship – the Carpathia – whose captain, Arthur Rostron, immediately set sail as fast as the Carpathia had ever gone in her life to get to the Titanic as soon as possible. It was the Carpathia who plucked as many survivors as she could out of the lifeboats to safety.
This was really good. I’m sure I must have read snippets about these other ships in the other Titanic books I’ve read, but I don’t recall details from those books, though I knew the names of the ships. This was very detailed from those points of view. Leading up to the disaster, this also looked at brief biographies of the captains and a bit of history of the ship/cruise and wireless industries. There was also a close look at the inquiries afterward, both in the US and in Britain to get to the bottom of what happened that night.
March 29, 2010
Butler's bias is blatant. For example, he gives full value to Donkeyman Gill's discredited story and evidently has accepted the 1912 in-their-own-interest findings of the Board of Trade. Robert Ballard's discovery of the Titanic in 1985 (its location released to the public in 1987) must have thrown the Merseyites for a loop. It's fun to read how they scramble to make the facts fit their theory. That they fall back so often on character assassination, as Butler does, is less savory to read.
This book needs to be balanced with counter viewpoints. One of the best-written and best-documented books that draws the opposite conclusion is Senan Molony's "Titanic and the Mystery Ship." Read synoptically: don't take the word of one writer and one book.
This book needs to be balanced with counter viewpoints. One of the best-written and best-documented books that draws the opposite conclusion is Senan Molony's "Titanic and the Mystery Ship." Read synoptically: don't take the word of one writer and one book.
March 1, 2019
I need to get this out of the way first:
Hey Daniel Allen Butler?
Let's maybe refrain from diagnosing our subjects as "sociopaths" and claiming they could have saved a thousand lives.
Maybe you're not as good a historian as you want to be. Arm-chair diagnoses are not a good look, and "what-if" history is sloppy, and smacks of pearl-clutching. Thanks.
I wanted very much to like this book. I have read many a' Titanic book in my time (thanks, Dad). Baby's first chapter book was a Titanic book. I know the story well. And I know about the Carpathia rushing to her aid, of the Californian... not doing that. Captain Stanley Lord, aboard the Californian, technically did nothing illegal. He showed a distinct lack of curiosity, that's for damn sure. But there are two facts I would like to remind Butler's readers (because he won't): Lord's ship was 49 souls shy of capacity, which makes the "he could have saved a thousand lives" number somewhat far-fetched. The Californian was a toy compared to the Titanic. Second, the Californian was caught in the same ice field in the middle of the night as the Titanic. It was stopped for the night, and put on another warning to the Titanic.
Yes, I think if the Californian had saved even one more life, 49 more lives, it would have been worth it. Of course Lord should have investigated the rockets. Yes, it's damning that his story kept changing, that his "scrap log" went missing. That calculations and positions were fuzzy. But a sociopath? I'm not so sure I can diagnose that, nor that Butler can diagnose that, nearly a hundred years later. I'm irritated that I'm in the position to be defending Captain Lord because of Butler's sloppy work. A little compassion goes a long way, Mr. Butler.
At the end of the day, there are a lot of factors that contribute to a tragedy this large. Marconis weren't monitored 24 hours a day (and never enough operators to do this), Captain Smith not taking more precautions through the ice, and yes of course, not enough lifeboats for every soul aboard. To say nothing of the iceberg scraping the side of the ship, filling too many watertight compartments. The Titanic tragedy led to changes in maritime laws to help protect those at sea.
But at the end of the day, people are people. Nature is nature. And being caught in between can be a disaster.
Hey Daniel Allen Butler?
Let's maybe refrain from diagnosing our subjects as "sociopaths" and claiming they could have saved a thousand lives.
Maybe you're not as good a historian as you want to be. Arm-chair diagnoses are not a good look, and "what-if" history is sloppy, and smacks of pearl-clutching. Thanks.
I wanted very much to like this book. I have read many a' Titanic book in my time (thanks, Dad). Baby's first chapter book was a Titanic book. I know the story well. And I know about the Carpathia rushing to her aid, of the Californian... not doing that. Captain Stanley Lord, aboard the Californian, technically did nothing illegal. He showed a distinct lack of curiosity, that's for damn sure. But there are two facts I would like to remind Butler's readers (because he won't): Lord's ship was 49 souls shy of capacity, which makes the "he could have saved a thousand lives" number somewhat far-fetched. The Californian was a toy compared to the Titanic. Second, the Californian was caught in the same ice field in the middle of the night as the Titanic. It was stopped for the night, and put on another warning to the Titanic.
Yes, I think if the Californian had saved even one more life, 49 more lives, it would have been worth it. Of course Lord should have investigated the rockets. Yes, it's damning that his story kept changing, that his "scrap log" went missing. That calculations and positions were fuzzy. But a sociopath? I'm not so sure I can diagnose that, nor that Butler can diagnose that, nearly a hundred years later. I'm irritated that I'm in the position to be defending Captain Lord because of Butler's sloppy work. A little compassion goes a long way, Mr. Butler.
At the end of the day, there are a lot of factors that contribute to a tragedy this large. Marconis weren't monitored 24 hours a day (and never enough operators to do this), Captain Smith not taking more precautions through the ice, and yes of course, not enough lifeboats for every soul aboard. To say nothing of the iceberg scraping the side of the ship, filling too many watertight compartments. The Titanic tragedy led to changes in maritime laws to help protect those at sea.
But at the end of the day, people are people. Nature is nature. And being caught in between can be a disaster.
July 3, 2016
This is part of my attempt to read a little more than crime fiction: so this is history and non crime fiction.
It is a very compelling account of what happened on the night of April 14/15 1912, when the unsinkable Titanic sank. It is strongly read, although there are passage that I suspect in the book were accompanied by maps and charts, and so the technical details would have been clearer. Nevertheless the account is very clear, almost vindictive, not just an account of what happened but an attempt to explain why it happened.
Like both the official inquiries, the author concludes that Captain Smith of the Titanic was not sufficiently cautious given that he was entering an ice field, and therefore must take some of the blame for the loss of life. The inadequacy of the life boat provision was a major cause of loss of life, plus the fact that the Titanic sent some boats off only half full, and the fact that they had no clear life boat drill, because of course the Titanic was assumed to be unsinkable. He concludes that the Carpathia was just too far away to get there in time, but that the Californian, though closer, could not have got there in time to pick up all the Titanic's passengers. Nevertheless he claims that a further 300 lives could have been saved.
The loss of the Titanic resulted in considerable changes in safety regulations particularly in relation to provision of life boats, 24 hr radio watches, and clarification of distress signals.
The arguments are well presented and well supported. Makes very interesting reading.
It is a very compelling account of what happened on the night of April 14/15 1912, when the unsinkable Titanic sank. It is strongly read, although there are passage that I suspect in the book were accompanied by maps and charts, and so the technical details would have been clearer. Nevertheless the account is very clear, almost vindictive, not just an account of what happened but an attempt to explain why it happened.
Like both the official inquiries, the author concludes that Captain Smith of the Titanic was not sufficiently cautious given that he was entering an ice field, and therefore must take some of the blame for the loss of life. The inadequacy of the life boat provision was a major cause of loss of life, plus the fact that the Titanic sent some boats off only half full, and the fact that they had no clear life boat drill, because of course the Titanic was assumed to be unsinkable. He concludes that the Carpathia was just too far away to get there in time, but that the Californian, though closer, could not have got there in time to pick up all the Titanic's passengers. Nevertheless he claims that a further 300 lives could have been saved.
The loss of the Titanic resulted in considerable changes in safety regulations particularly in relation to provision of life boats, 24 hr radio watches, and clarification of distress signals.
The arguments are well presented and well supported. Makes very interesting reading.
July 17, 2019
Very interesting to see the Titanic disaster from the points of view of the other ships! Butler did a good job of researching and putting together the information to present a coherent and smooth narrative of the events.
I did have to stop and take a break a few times because I did not like the feeling of being distressed and angry at the tragedy, and in particular at the egregious indifference of Captain Stanley Lord of the SS Californian, who ignored the rockets the Titanic sent up and refused to investigate, and then later tried to cover it up. In contrast it was good to read about the heroic actions of Captain Arthur Rostron of the RMS Carpathia, who rushed to the Titanic's position as fast as possible despite the danger of floating ice, only to arrive too late to do other than pick up the survivors after they had been drifting in the cold for hours.
I did have to stop and take a break a few times because I did not like the feeling of being distressed and angry at the tragedy, and in particular at the egregious indifference of Captain Stanley Lord of the SS Californian, who ignored the rockets the Titanic sent up and refused to investigate, and then later tried to cover it up. In contrast it was good to read about the heroic actions of Captain Arthur Rostron of the RMS Carpathia, who rushed to the Titanic's position as fast as possible despite the danger of floating ice, only to arrive too late to do other than pick up the survivors after they had been drifting in the cold for hours.
March 10, 2021
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I would absolutely recommend that others interested in the events of the Titanic read this. I feel this book only merits 3 stars however and it all comes down to the first chapter of the book as why.
The first chapter is spent describing the extreme dangers of transatlantic travel by tracing the history of British maritime voyages. The problem is that while doing this Butler erases the history and atrocities of slavery and how it is inextricably tied to British and American transatlantic history. As he talks about transatlantic voyages he speaks of "trade routes" and "Merchant ships" and the, "Precision manufactures, specialized materials, luxuries" that were brought on these ships and how, "Britain's economy was the fastest growing in the world, while Canada and the American colonies were its largest markets." He conveniently doesn't point out that by far the LARGEST import to America was SLAVES. His language serves to glorify what the British did for sea travel and the power and grandeur of the British empire at this time. However except for one throwaway mention (literally the word slaving is mentioned once in the chapter) he actively stays far from being truthful of the British empires part in killing millions of people. He speaks of "The Graveyard of the Atlantic" where ships were lost, but not the people thrown overboard WHILE THEY WERE STILL ALIVE from those same "merchant ships" he mourns.
There will of course be those who say, "he didn't need to talk about that, this is a book about the Titanic." Those people are right. He could have chosen to start his book not talking about British maritime history if he was uncomfortable talking about the slavery that is inseparable from the story of Britain and America. But that wasn't the choice he made. and when he chose to talk about this, he also took on a responsibility.
I offer two examples of his own words that this was an active choice on his part:
He has no problem when talking about Spanish and Portuguese ships calling out how they, "began to systematically plunder the cultures and empires of Central and South America." When the British are uninvolved, it seems very clear to him that atrocity is part of maritime transatlantic history that can't be separated, and he has a duty to call out in his writing.
Contrast that with his only mention of slavery when talking about those "merchant ships" and the goods they carried: "be they carrying cotton or tobacco, tea or coffee beans, passengers to Europe or immigrants to the Unite States-or, given over to darker tasks, rum running and slaving". Butler makes a very specific point of drawing a line, he literally uses a hyphen, between good transatlantic ships and their cargo and bad ones. Heres the problem. Butler is trying to reframe slavery. By grouping it with rum running, an illegal activity, he's trying to make us think of slavers as the bad people; bootleggers, pirates, and bandits. While slavers were most definitely bad people, what they were not was criminals. Slavery was a fully sanctioned action of the British empire, performed by men who went home to their families as "good honest men" and heroes. Slavery as it was enacted belongs on the other side of that line, right next to tea perhaps. It would better reflect the truth of how Britain saw those slaves, as a commodity.
I wrote this because it needs to be said, this failure needs to be pointed out. Besides this which is unacceptable, I still think this was a great book which very successfully accomplished its overall goal and that Butler is a good writer. I just wish he hadn't led with his bias...
The first chapter is spent describing the extreme dangers of transatlantic travel by tracing the history of British maritime voyages. The problem is that while doing this Butler erases the history and atrocities of slavery and how it is inextricably tied to British and American transatlantic history. As he talks about transatlantic voyages he speaks of "trade routes" and "Merchant ships" and the, "Precision manufactures, specialized materials, luxuries" that were brought on these ships and how, "Britain's economy was the fastest growing in the world, while Canada and the American colonies were its largest markets." He conveniently doesn't point out that by far the LARGEST import to America was SLAVES. His language serves to glorify what the British did for sea travel and the power and grandeur of the British empire at this time. However except for one throwaway mention (literally the word slaving is mentioned once in the chapter) he actively stays far from being truthful of the British empires part in killing millions of people. He speaks of "The Graveyard of the Atlantic" where ships were lost, but not the people thrown overboard WHILE THEY WERE STILL ALIVE from those same "merchant ships" he mourns.
There will of course be those who say, "he didn't need to talk about that, this is a book about the Titanic." Those people are right. He could have chosen to start his book not talking about British maritime history if he was uncomfortable talking about the slavery that is inseparable from the story of Britain and America. But that wasn't the choice he made. and when he chose to talk about this, he also took on a responsibility.
I offer two examples of his own words that this was an active choice on his part:
He has no problem when talking about Spanish and Portuguese ships calling out how they, "began to systematically plunder the cultures and empires of Central and South America." When the British are uninvolved, it seems very clear to him that atrocity is part of maritime transatlantic history that can't be separated, and he has a duty to call out in his writing.
Contrast that with his only mention of slavery when talking about those "merchant ships" and the goods they carried: "be they carrying cotton or tobacco, tea or coffee beans, passengers to Europe or immigrants to the Unite States-or, given over to darker tasks, rum running and slaving". Butler makes a very specific point of drawing a line, he literally uses a hyphen, between good transatlantic ships and their cargo and bad ones. Heres the problem. Butler is trying to reframe slavery. By grouping it with rum running, an illegal activity, he's trying to make us think of slavers as the bad people; bootleggers, pirates, and bandits. While slavers were most definitely bad people, what they were not was criminals. Slavery was a fully sanctioned action of the British empire, performed by men who went home to their families as "good honest men" and heroes. Slavery as it was enacted belongs on the other side of that line, right next to tea perhaps. It would better reflect the truth of how Britain saw those slaves, as a commodity.
I wrote this because it needs to be said, this failure needs to be pointed out. Besides this which is unacceptable, I still think this was a great book which very successfully accomplished its overall goal and that Butler is a good writer. I just wish he hadn't led with his bias...
August 17, 2012
On the night of the sinking of Titanic, there were two ships whose actions, or inactions, were scrutinised by a relentless press and public after the magnitude of the disaster became apparent. The first was the Carpathia and the second the Californian. This interesting and well written book looks at the dangers ships faced and the way that the invention of Marconi's wireless telegraphy ended the isolation of ships at sea. In theory, this meant that someone would always be near and answer a distress call...
Both Harold Cottam, wireless operator on Carpathia and Cyril Evans, wireless operator on the Californian, received ice warnings and had contact with Titanic shortly before the tragedy. The ice was so bad that the Californian had come to a stop, preferring to wait for daylight to negotiate the waters. On the last time Evans contacted Titanic he was told he was "blocking the signal", as Titanic had had problems with their wireless during the day and had a backlog of messages to send. Evans left his set and went to bed. Thus, when Titanic began to send out a distress signal, Evans was not there to receive it.
This book looks at the differing reactions to Titanic's fate. The Californian was closer to Titanic (possibly within sight of it), but by a series of errors - either wilful or accidental - did not come to the aid of the stricken ship. Meanwhile, the Carpathia received the distress signal and came immediately to help, even though she was further away. The author looks at the ways the actions and behaviour of the ships Captains had repercussions on their careers. The reactions of Arthur Henry Rostrun, Captain of Carpathia and Captain Stanley Lord on the Californian could not have been more different. Was the Californian actually within sight of Titanic? Did Lord ignore the distress rockets? Did he try to cover up the mistakes he had made when he realised the enormity of the loss of life?
Although the Carpathia arrived too late to save those in the water, they carried out a flawless rescue attempt to pick up survivors. As those in lifeboats were also in danger - the Titanic's wireless operator Phillips himself falling from a collapsible lifeboat which was heavily overcrowded and drowning - this was an important operation and undoubtedly saved lives. The author looks at how events may have been changed had Captain Lord reacted a different way - or perhaps been a different kind of man. It also looks at how the media and, later, investigations into what happened viewed Lord's behaviour and what became of the people caught up in the tragedy.
In this book the author is not afraid to draw conclusions. There are those who think Lord should be blamed and others who believe he should be exonerated. This book will give you evidence of what happened that night and afterwards and will allow you to draw your own conclusions. A well researched and readable account and an important book for anyone interested in Titanic.
Both Harold Cottam, wireless operator on Carpathia and Cyril Evans, wireless operator on the Californian, received ice warnings and had contact with Titanic shortly before the tragedy. The ice was so bad that the Californian had come to a stop, preferring to wait for daylight to negotiate the waters. On the last time Evans contacted Titanic he was told he was "blocking the signal", as Titanic had had problems with their wireless during the day and had a backlog of messages to send. Evans left his set and went to bed. Thus, when Titanic began to send out a distress signal, Evans was not there to receive it.
This book looks at the differing reactions to Titanic's fate. The Californian was closer to Titanic (possibly within sight of it), but by a series of errors - either wilful or accidental - did not come to the aid of the stricken ship. Meanwhile, the Carpathia received the distress signal and came immediately to help, even though she was further away. The author looks at the ways the actions and behaviour of the ships Captains had repercussions on their careers. The reactions of Arthur Henry Rostrun, Captain of Carpathia and Captain Stanley Lord on the Californian could not have been more different. Was the Californian actually within sight of Titanic? Did Lord ignore the distress rockets? Did he try to cover up the mistakes he had made when he realised the enormity of the loss of life?
Although the Carpathia arrived too late to save those in the water, they carried out a flawless rescue attempt to pick up survivors. As those in lifeboats were also in danger - the Titanic's wireless operator Phillips himself falling from a collapsible lifeboat which was heavily overcrowded and drowning - this was an important operation and undoubtedly saved lives. The author looks at how events may have been changed had Captain Lord reacted a different way - or perhaps been a different kind of man. It also looks at how the media and, later, investigations into what happened viewed Lord's behaviour and what became of the people caught up in the tragedy.
In this book the author is not afraid to draw conclusions. There are those who think Lord should be blamed and others who believe he should be exonerated. This book will give you evidence of what happened that night and afterwards and will allow you to draw your own conclusions. A well researched and readable account and an important book for anyone interested in Titanic.
September 12, 2012
"Standing on an overturned lifeboat, less than fifty yards from the Titanic, Second Officer Lightoller heard a sound that would haunt him for the rest of his life: as the ship began her final plunge, he could hear people--husbands and wives, brothers and sisters, parents and children--crying out to one another, "I love you.""
Daniel Butler has dedicated this book to Walter Lord, late author of "A Night to Remember" and "The Night Lives on." He also states in the Author's Note that the idea for this book was indeed inspired by Lord's two previous books--not intended as a sequel, necessarily, but perhaps a companion book. I do recommend reading Lord's two books before this one, for that reason. This one, I would say, is not an introductory piece, but for the serious Titanic student.
Whether it is just the author's writing style (I have not read any of his other books), or whether he was taking a cue from that of Lord's, this book bears the same hallmarks of a clean, easily-flowing narrative that, while sometimes delving into technical aspects, is careful to include plenty of human story segments, such as the above quote.
While I had read half-a-dozen Titanic books previously, I learned many new things from this one. And while the author again and again, persistently, drives home the reality of Capt. Stanley Lord's guilt of inaction on April 14-15, 1912, which got a little redundant at times, I felt I finally had a satisfactory answer as to why. (The author goes so far as to suggest sociopathy, with some strong supporting facts.)
An interesting and welcome addition is the inclusion in the back of the book of a few documents that, had they not been printed here, would likely have been difficult for the general reading public to come across and read. These are "The Resolution Authorizing the Senate Investigation into the Loss of RMS Titanic" , "The Order for the Board of Trade Inquiry and the Questions to be Investigated", and "Extract from the British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry Report". (The latter I personally found most interesting.)
Lovely cover art, and an enjoyable book.
Daniel Butler has dedicated this book to Walter Lord, late author of "A Night to Remember" and "The Night Lives on." He also states in the Author's Note that the idea for this book was indeed inspired by Lord's two previous books--not intended as a sequel, necessarily, but perhaps a companion book. I do recommend reading Lord's two books before this one, for that reason. This one, I would say, is not an introductory piece, but for the serious Titanic student.
Whether it is just the author's writing style (I have not read any of his other books), or whether he was taking a cue from that of Lord's, this book bears the same hallmarks of a clean, easily-flowing narrative that, while sometimes delving into technical aspects, is careful to include plenty of human story segments, such as the above quote.
While I had read half-a-dozen Titanic books previously, I learned many new things from this one. And while the author again and again, persistently, drives home the reality of Capt. Stanley Lord's guilt of inaction on April 14-15, 1912, which got a little redundant at times, I felt I finally had a satisfactory answer as to why. (The author goes so far as to suggest sociopathy, with some strong supporting facts.)
An interesting and welcome addition is the inclusion in the back of the book of a few documents that, had they not been printed here, would likely have been difficult for the general reading public to come across and read. These are "The Resolution Authorizing the Senate Investigation into the Loss of RMS Titanic" , "The Order for the Board of Trade Inquiry and the Questions to be Investigated", and "Extract from the British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry Report". (The latter I personally found most interesting.)
Lovely cover art, and an enjoyable book.
January 25, 2025
Holy bias, Batman.
This was overall very interesting, however, it was written with an obvious slant that lost it a star. I'm no Lordite - there is that little hurdle of "doing nothing while a nearby ship fires clearly visible distress rockets" - but some of what was put down here as fact is pure conjecture. There truly is no way to know what went through any of the Californian officers' minds that night, and to make judgments about Lord's character is beyond the scope of any historian working today. It's also not necessary; his actions that night do speak for themselves. Since, again, the one hurdle no Lord defender has ever gotten over is that the rockets were *clearly* visible.
There was some interesting information here that I will need to look further into - the loss of the Californian's scrap log was something I had never heard before, and some of the information about the officers of the other ships was new to me, as was some of the info about shipboard wireless.
That said, the other reason for losing a star is that I have read several Titanic books recently that all but lift sections from A Night to Remember, and I get it. We're all here because of Walter Lord, at least indirectly (if you didn't get into this because you read his book, you got into it because of someone else who did), and then probably read it yourself. But it is SO obvious - most of us who are lifers here in Titanic-land have the passages memorized and we will recognize them when they show up somewhere else. I get not reinventing the wheel, and paying homage to the OG Titanic guy, but at a certain point it's just lazy.
This was overall very interesting, however, it was written with an obvious slant that lost it a star. I'm no Lordite - there is that little hurdle of "doing nothing while a nearby ship fires clearly visible distress rockets" - but some of what was put down here as fact is pure conjecture. There truly is no way to know what went through any of the Californian officers' minds that night, and to make judgments about Lord's character is beyond the scope of any historian working today. It's also not necessary; his actions that night do speak for themselves. Since, again, the one hurdle no Lord defender has ever gotten over is that the rockets were *clearly* visible.
There was some interesting information here that I will need to look further into - the loss of the Californian's scrap log was something I had never heard before, and some of the information about the officers of the other ships was new to me, as was some of the info about shipboard wireless.
That said, the other reason for losing a star is that I have read several Titanic books recently that all but lift sections from A Night to Remember, and I get it. We're all here because of Walter Lord, at least indirectly (if you didn't get into this because you read his book, you got into it because of someone else who did), and then probably read it yourself. But it is SO obvious - most of us who are lifers here in Titanic-land have the passages memorized and we will recognize them when they show up somewhere else. I get not reinventing the wheel, and paying homage to the OG Titanic guy, but at a certain point it's just lazy.
May 31, 2015
The tale of the sinking Titanic is staggering when we see the movies and hear the tales of how this magnificent ship went down. The heroics of the Carpathia, the ship that rescued as many survivors as they could find, comforted the passengers, clothed them, and brought them safely back to New York, is even more humbling. The other huge piece of this story is about the other ship in the area, the Californian, and it's captain Stanley Lord. The Californian and the Carpathian both heard the distress calls from the Titanic, but only the Carpathian captain Arthur Rostron, answered the call to risk his ship and crew to brave the icebergs and weather to go through the ice floes to save the passengers of the doomed ship. The Californian was much closer and could have saved so many more lives by responding to the distress calls, but captain Lord took a nap and did not go until after the Carpathian arrived at the Titanic site. The excuses from Lord are many and clouded, but it's hard to understand why any distress call could be ignored by a fellow ship in any waters. Lord never admitted to any fault, lived into old age, and though his ships weren't first rate, he was still a captain.
January 23, 2022
A non-fiction account of the two ships, closest to the Titanic as it sunk, and the 2 men who commanded those ships. Captain Arthur Rostron, Carpathia and Captain Stanley Lord, California. Rostron threw caution to the wind and charged full throttle to try to aid the sinking ship, while Stanley turned a blind eye. You have to wonder how a ships captain could ignore distress signals, I know I always have,
Butler starts his book with a good 50-75 pages of the birth and life of the 3 ships, then goes into the lives of the sailors aboard those ships. When he finally got to the "after" the Titanic he had me hooked. It is apparent that extensive research was done on the Senate hearings in the U.S. and The Board of Trade hearings in Britain. Butler is not shy about how he personally feels about the 2 captains, but this in no way taints the story. The reasoning behind his conclusions makes all the sense in the world to me. It's not a conclusion I would have reached on my own, without the facts and research.
Highly recommended for all the history nerds
Butler starts his book with a good 50-75 pages of the birth and life of the 3 ships, then goes into the lives of the sailors aboard those ships. When he finally got to the "after" the Titanic he had me hooked. It is apparent that extensive research was done on the Senate hearings in the U.S. and The Board of Trade hearings in Britain. Butler is not shy about how he personally feels about the 2 captains, but this in no way taints the story. The reasoning behind his conclusions makes all the sense in the world to me. It's not a conclusion I would have reached on my own, without the facts and research.
Highly recommended for all the history nerds
April 14, 2022
April 14-15, 1912
Fascinating. While there are details included about the Titanic, this book is primarily about the Carpathia, the Californian and their captains. Also informative about the development of communications technology in the years prior to 1912 as well as the legal trials following the sinking of the Titanic.
Recommended for fans of history. Very interesting!
Fascinating. While there are details included about the Titanic, this book is primarily about the Carpathia, the Californian and their captains. Also informative about the development of communications technology in the years prior to 1912 as well as the legal trials following the sinking of the Titanic.
Recommended for fans of history. Very interesting!
August 31, 2020
Come molte ragazze che hanno vissuto la loro adolescenza nel pieno degli anni '90, sono venuta a conoscenza della storia del Titanic grazie all'omonimo film di Cameron con Leonardo di Caprio.
È solo recentemente, però, che ho scoperto la storia delle altre due navi che, quella notte, videro cambiata la loro storia: la Carpathia e il Californian.
Tre navi, tre capitani, tre storie che ne vanno a comporre una che - se non fosse vera - sembrerebbe troppo assurda sia per un film che per un libro.
The other side of the night ci racconta in modo molto dettagliato (e a volte in modo un po' troppo tecnico) le scelte di tre uomini molto diversi tra loro, la storia di tre navi entrate, ognuna a modo suo, nella grande storia del mare.
Nel libro Daniel Allen Butler comincia come se si stesse preparando a narrarci una tragedia teatrale di Shakespeare: tanto per cominciare abbiamo quella che per certi versi è la presentazione della scena - ossia l'oceano - e degli "attori" principali, che siano umani o navi, che qui si sente bene come i marinai considerino le loro imbarcazioni alla stregua di esseri viventi.
Si cerca di capire come un capitano esperto come Smith possa aver commesso un errore così fatale da portare al naufragio del Titanic, le eccezionali condizioni atmosferiche che resero così difficile accorgersi della presenza dell'iceberg più conosciuto a noi che in mare ci facciamo giusto il bagno, ad agosto
E dopo, abbiamo la cronaca delle decisioni prese: il Capitano Stanley Lord, abbastanza vicino, col suo Californian, da poter vedere il Titanic, che decide di non indagare sui segnali avvistati dai suoi uomini, e il mattino dopo (arrivata la notizia di quanto accaduto), si allontanò per fare il giro lungo e fingere di arrivare da un'altra direzione.
Il Capitano Rostron, grande eroe del libro e della vita reale, e la sua Carpathia, la nave più vicina a ricevere il segnale di soccorso, che prima diede l'ordine di invertire la rotta e poi di confermare la notizia.
Un uomo che non aveva mai gestito una missione di salvataggio, ma che spinse la sua nave ad una velocità che non aveva mai raggiunto prima. Che mentre andavano fece illuminare la nave così che i superstiti la vedessero, che fece lanciare scalette perché eventuali superstiti in mare potessero aggrapparsi, che preparò le scialuppe così che - al momento dell'arrivo - bastasse calarle.
Che fece tutto e oltre per essere pronto ad ogni evenienza, a salvare più persone possibili, sapendo benissimo che con quelle temperature non sarebbe stato possibile salvarli tutti.
Le decisioni e le azioni di Rostron sono certamente ciò che rende il libro degno di essere letto, adrenaliniche anche se già sai come andrà a finire, e che ti fanno chiedere perché non c'è un film anche in suo onore.
Leggendo quella parte, imparerete ad amare la Carpathia, e vi scenderà una lacrima scoprendo che è stata affondata durante la Prima Guerra Mondiale.
Ma è importante ricordare che la storia del Titanic non finì quando, infine, affondò.
Ci fu la mattina, con le notizie che si inseguivano e nessuno sapeva cosa fosse successo. C'era un mondo per certi versi più innocente, che non aveva visto due guerre mondiali, l'Olocausto, o le stragi, per cui la perdita di così tante vite in un solo incidente, era inimmaginabile.
Ci furono i processi per capire cosa fosse accaduto, di chi fosse la colpa.
The other side of the night è un libro molto interessante, ma da leggere se avete un ottimo inglese perché ci sono molti ci sono molti termini tecnici navali, e se piacciono le cronache, le inchieste, senza che ci venga ricamato sopra, senza andare a romanzare quanto accaduto.
Se vi interessa la storia del Titanic, questa lettura potrebbe fare per voi.
È solo recentemente, però, che ho scoperto la storia delle altre due navi che, quella notte, videro cambiata la loro storia: la Carpathia e il Californian.
Tre navi, tre capitani, tre storie che ne vanno a comporre una che - se non fosse vera - sembrerebbe troppo assurda sia per un film che per un libro.
The other side of the night ci racconta in modo molto dettagliato (e a volte in modo un po' troppo tecnico) le scelte di tre uomini molto diversi tra loro, la storia di tre navi entrate, ognuna a modo suo, nella grande storia del mare.
Nel libro Daniel Allen Butler comincia come se si stesse preparando a narrarci una tragedia teatrale di Shakespeare: tanto per cominciare abbiamo quella che per certi versi è la presentazione della scena - ossia l'oceano - e degli "attori" principali, che siano umani o navi, che qui si sente bene come i marinai considerino le loro imbarcazioni alla stregua di esseri viventi.
Si cerca di capire come un capitano esperto come Smith possa aver commesso un errore così fatale da portare al naufragio del Titanic, le eccezionali condizioni atmosferiche che resero così difficile accorgersi della presenza dell'iceberg più conosciuto a noi che in mare ci facciamo giusto il bagno, ad agosto
E dopo, abbiamo la cronaca delle decisioni prese: il Capitano Stanley Lord, abbastanza vicino, col suo Californian, da poter vedere il Titanic, che decide di non indagare sui segnali avvistati dai suoi uomini, e il mattino dopo (arrivata la notizia di quanto accaduto), si allontanò per fare il giro lungo e fingere di arrivare da un'altra direzione.
Il Capitano Rostron, grande eroe del libro e della vita reale, e la sua Carpathia, la nave più vicina a ricevere il segnale di soccorso, che prima diede l'ordine di invertire la rotta e poi di confermare la notizia.
Un uomo che non aveva mai gestito una missione di salvataggio, ma che spinse la sua nave ad una velocità che non aveva mai raggiunto prima. Che mentre andavano fece illuminare la nave così che i superstiti la vedessero, che fece lanciare scalette perché eventuali superstiti in mare potessero aggrapparsi, che preparò le scialuppe così che - al momento dell'arrivo - bastasse calarle.
Che fece tutto e oltre per essere pronto ad ogni evenienza, a salvare più persone possibili, sapendo benissimo che con quelle temperature non sarebbe stato possibile salvarli tutti.
Le decisioni e le azioni di Rostron sono certamente ciò che rende il libro degno di essere letto, adrenaliniche anche se già sai come andrà a finire, e che ti fanno chiedere perché non c'è un film anche in suo onore.
Leggendo quella parte, imparerete ad amare la Carpathia, e vi scenderà una lacrima scoprendo che è stata affondata durante la Prima Guerra Mondiale.
Ma è importante ricordare che la storia del Titanic non finì quando, infine, affondò.
Ci fu la mattina, con le notizie che si inseguivano e nessuno sapeva cosa fosse successo. C'era un mondo per certi versi più innocente, che non aveva visto due guerre mondiali, l'Olocausto, o le stragi, per cui la perdita di così tante vite in un solo incidente, era inimmaginabile.
Ci furono i processi per capire cosa fosse accaduto, di chi fosse la colpa.
The other side of the night è un libro molto interessante, ma da leggere se avete un ottimo inglese perché ci sono molti ci sono molti termini tecnici navali, e se piacciono le cronache, le inchieste, senza che ci venga ricamato sopra, senza andare a romanzare quanto accaduto.
Se vi interessa la storia del Titanic, questa lettura potrebbe fare per voi.
May 13, 2019
There are few historical events that are as well known then the sinking of the SS Titanic, a ship that was as technologically advanced for its day as it was luxurious. Its tragic sinking and loss of life still resonates even though most of the survivors have now passed on. This book, however, concentrates on the actions of the Carpathia and the Californian. Since the events of this book occurred well over 100 years ago, I will not worry about a spoiler alert.
The book uses diaries, interviews, and testimony to piece together the actions of both ships that responded to the Titanic on April 15th, 1912. It is a well written narrative that portrays the events as if in real time. The book spends a lot of time early on to give a bit of history about the Marconi wireless sets and the trans-Atlantic trade routes. While at the time it seemed like filler, it does give a good reference context for the events surrounding the Titanic and her sinking.
My biggest complaint is that it is not necessarily an unbiased narrative. The captain of the Carpathia is written in glowing terms, showing a captain that was well liked by his crew as well as bold and decisive. The captain of the Californian, however, is described as haughty, aristocratic, and self absorbed, who is more feared by his crew than respected. While this may have been the case, I would rather have been presented with the evidence or personal accounts directly and drawn my own conclusion.
That being said, the narrative does a good job of portraying the frustration of the Californian being only 10 miles away, in view of the Titanic as she sank, and not responding. There has been some controversy about that, but I agree with the author that the ship within sight of the Titanic's crew while she was sinking was the Californian, and even when the Titanic was launching distress rockets, her crew did nothing. The book does bring up the point that even if Californian had responded after the first couple of rockets went off, Titanic likely would have sunk before she could have gotten there to have saved the passengers still on the ship. However, she could have saved more of the passengers in the water that succumbed to hypothermia before the Carpathia arrived on scene.
History is made up of men and the decisions they make in times of crisis. Some like the captain of the Carpathia rise to the occasion and as a result shaped history - many people owed their lives to the Carpathia's captain for his decision to race 58 miles into an ice field to save people in distress. Others like the captain of the Californian failed to make the bold decisions, and history has judged them harshly. It is up to us to learn from these decisions in order to keep from repeating the mistakes.
The book uses diaries, interviews, and testimony to piece together the actions of both ships that responded to the Titanic on April 15th, 1912. It is a well written narrative that portrays the events as if in real time. The book spends a lot of time early on to give a bit of history about the Marconi wireless sets and the trans-Atlantic trade routes. While at the time it seemed like filler, it does give a good reference context for the events surrounding the Titanic and her sinking.
My biggest complaint is that it is not necessarily an unbiased narrative. The captain of the Carpathia is written in glowing terms, showing a captain that was well liked by his crew as well as bold and decisive. The captain of the Californian, however, is described as haughty, aristocratic, and self absorbed, who is more feared by his crew than respected. While this may have been the case, I would rather have been presented with the evidence or personal accounts directly and drawn my own conclusion.
That being said, the narrative does a good job of portraying the frustration of the Californian being only 10 miles away, in view of the Titanic as she sank, and not responding. There has been some controversy about that, but I agree with the author that the ship within sight of the Titanic's crew while she was sinking was the Californian, and even when the Titanic was launching distress rockets, her crew did nothing. The book does bring up the point that even if Californian had responded after the first couple of rockets went off, Titanic likely would have sunk before she could have gotten there to have saved the passengers still on the ship. However, she could have saved more of the passengers in the water that succumbed to hypothermia before the Carpathia arrived on scene.
History is made up of men and the decisions they make in times of crisis. Some like the captain of the Carpathia rise to the occasion and as a result shaped history - many people owed their lives to the Carpathia's captain for his decision to race 58 miles into an ice field to save people in distress. Others like the captain of the Californian failed to make the bold decisions, and history has judged them harshly. It is up to us to learn from these decisions in order to keep from repeating the mistakes.
August 8, 2019
Our seven-year-old twins have recently developed a fascination with the Titanic and have been bringing home all sorts of library books from school on the topic. They asked for an audiobook too, but I was not able to find anything really suitable for them, but I did find this book and a few others for me!
I was generally familiar with the broad strokes of the Titanic disaster, and I knew that the Carpathia picked up the survivors. I knew that the Carpathia was not nearby. What I did not know was that the Carpathia steamed all night at high speeds to reach the site of the sinking and that there was a boat much closer to the Titanic that could have helped. That boat was the Californian. The book details the event of that fateful night and the immediate aftermath. I was impressed at how quickly there was an inquiry into the sinking – Congressional hearings were held within days of the Carpathia docking in New York and there was also a subsequent British inquiry.
The book was a fascinating look at two very different Captains. Captain Arthur Rostron of the Carpathia acted immediately and without hesitation. His actions were heroic. Captain Stanley Lord of the Californian was a coward and a sociopath. The account of the actions of these two men on the night the Titanic sank are thrilling and horrifying in equal measure. It is a reminder that not all men are equal to the tasks given to them and not all men are equal. The accounts of the leadership styles of both men make clear that one was a man of clear and unwavering character and the other was not.
I really enjoyed this book and I learned much about the disaster that I did not know. I bored my family senseless every night at dinner recounting all the things I had learned from this book. I can assure you that this book is anything but boring. If you are at all interested in the Titanic this is a great book. It is just as great if you are at all interested in the foibles, failings and virtue of man.
I was generally familiar with the broad strokes of the Titanic disaster, and I knew that the Carpathia picked up the survivors. I knew that the Carpathia was not nearby. What I did not know was that the Carpathia steamed all night at high speeds to reach the site of the sinking and that there was a boat much closer to the Titanic that could have helped. That boat was the Californian. The book details the event of that fateful night and the immediate aftermath. I was impressed at how quickly there was an inquiry into the sinking – Congressional hearings were held within days of the Carpathia docking in New York and there was also a subsequent British inquiry.
The book was a fascinating look at two very different Captains. Captain Arthur Rostron of the Carpathia acted immediately and without hesitation. His actions were heroic. Captain Stanley Lord of the Californian was a coward and a sociopath. The account of the actions of these two men on the night the Titanic sank are thrilling and horrifying in equal measure. It is a reminder that not all men are equal to the tasks given to them and not all men are equal. The accounts of the leadership styles of both men make clear that one was a man of clear and unwavering character and the other was not.
I really enjoyed this book and I learned much about the disaster that I did not know. I bored my family senseless every night at dinner recounting all the things I had learned from this book. I can assure you that this book is anything but boring. If you are at all interested in the Titanic this is a great book. It is just as great if you are at all interested in the foibles, failings and virtue of man.
June 9, 2015
The events of the Titanic as seen from the perspectives of two other nearby ships, one that responded to the distress call (the Carpathia) & one that didn't (the Californian).
The loss of the Titanic remains one of the worst disasters in history even 100 years later. It's such a monumental event that it feels as if it existed in a pause in Time. But of course, it didn't, & that is what Butler examines here.
He covers the history of Atlantic crossings, the development of Marconi's radio system, the growth of the companies that made all 3 ships, & even the personal histories of some of the key men aboard the vessels traversing the North Atlantic that fateful night. All of these factor in to the outcome of that night as much as the iceberg the Titanic hit.
The goings-on of neighboring vessels was nothing I ever considered. Something else I never considered was that a vessel within eyesight of the distress flares sent up by the Titanic would ignore the call for help. But that's exactly what happened, & Butler walks the reader through the night and the subsequent hearings explaining it all.
It's a sharp contrast between Capt Rostron of the Carpathia & Capt Lord of the Californian. One is clearly a hero, the other, a sociopath. One crew was called upon to be heroes themselves. The other was paralyzed by fear of their captain. Literally, the fate of thousands of people was at stake, & time was against everyone. Even under the best circumstances, there would be a loss of life. The stakes were as high as they could be. At the end of the night, one man could say he did all he could do, & he had 700 extra passengers to prove it. The other would have a stack of affidavits obtained from his crew at gunpoint.
This is a great read for anyone with an interest in history, and for Titanic buffs, it's a must.
The loss of the Titanic remains one of the worst disasters in history even 100 years later. It's such a monumental event that it feels as if it existed in a pause in Time. But of course, it didn't, & that is what Butler examines here.
He covers the history of Atlantic crossings, the development of Marconi's radio system, the growth of the companies that made all 3 ships, & even the personal histories of some of the key men aboard the vessels traversing the North Atlantic that fateful night. All of these factor in to the outcome of that night as much as the iceberg the Titanic hit.
The goings-on of neighboring vessels was nothing I ever considered. Something else I never considered was that a vessel within eyesight of the distress flares sent up by the Titanic would ignore the call for help. But that's exactly what happened, & Butler walks the reader through the night and the subsequent hearings explaining it all.
It's a sharp contrast between Capt Rostron of the Carpathia & Capt Lord of the Californian. One is clearly a hero, the other, a sociopath. One crew was called upon to be heroes themselves. The other was paralyzed by fear of their captain. Literally, the fate of thousands of people was at stake, & time was against everyone. Even under the best circumstances, there would be a loss of life. The stakes were as high as they could be. At the end of the night, one man could say he did all he could do, & he had 700 extra passengers to prove it. The other would have a stack of affidavits obtained from his crew at gunpoint.
This is a great read for anyone with an interest in history, and for Titanic buffs, it's a must.
July 17, 2014
My favorite part of this book was the beginning where Butler shines in relating his maritime history expertise. I wish he had a full maritime history book to read because I'm looking to do some further reading in that area solely because the first part of this book whetted my appetite. Mr. Butler is a fine, knowledgeable maritime historian, but
I have to agree with others that he is altogether biased re Capt.Lord of the Californian. It's hard for me to not wonder at Lord's curious refusal to acknowledge he was at the scene of the Titanic's disaster, but still the commentary in this book as I read excerpts from the hearings is far too distractingly editorialized. It's as if Butler believes he can read everybody's minds at those hearings, and they're all as ready to lynch Capt. Lord as Butler himself is. C'mon, just the facts ma'am.
I had just read Butler's earlier book, "Unsinkable," which also covers the Titanic story, and so fresh was it in my mind that while reading this later book I recognized full sentences if not paragraphs imported into this book from the previous one. I suppose he's free to do that, but it somehow seemed like cheating.
This book is an interesting read, but as is becoming increasingly common these days, the book is filled with typos. Doesn't anybody proofread anymore before sending a book to be printed? In this particular book the predominant problem is in leaving out short words such as "by" or "to." Mostly prepositions. I might have given the book another star if it wasn't for how unimpressed I am with typographical errors littering the book. When I was a student, turning in rushed and sloppy work to be graded wouldn't fly and you could be sure that your grade would reflect accordingly.
I have to agree with others that he is altogether biased re Capt.Lord of the Californian. It's hard for me to not wonder at Lord's curious refusal to acknowledge he was at the scene of the Titanic's disaster, but still the commentary in this book as I read excerpts from the hearings is far too distractingly editorialized. It's as if Butler believes he can read everybody's minds at those hearings, and they're all as ready to lynch Capt. Lord as Butler himself is. C'mon, just the facts ma'am.
I had just read Butler's earlier book, "Unsinkable," which also covers the Titanic story, and so fresh was it in my mind that while reading this later book I recognized full sentences if not paragraphs imported into this book from the previous one. I suppose he's free to do that, but it somehow seemed like cheating.
This book is an interesting read, but as is becoming increasingly common these days, the book is filled with typos. Doesn't anybody proofread anymore before sending a book to be printed? In this particular book the predominant problem is in leaving out short words such as "by" or "to." Mostly prepositions. I might have given the book another star if it wasn't for how unimpressed I am with typographical errors littering the book. When I was a student, turning in rushed and sloppy work to be graded wouldn't fly and you could be sure that your grade would reflect accordingly.
November 2, 2020
I moved this book to the head of my list after I listened to Captain Arthur Rostron's audio recording about the evening he rushed his ship, the Carpathia, to the rescue of the Titanic. The recording is listed here on Youtube at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wbtc...
Rostron is a very good storyteller, and his 20-minute oral history is excellent. I would like to say that Butler's book is equally strong, but the author focuses more on the legal proceedings in which he contrasts the behavior of Rostron and Captain Stanley Lord of the Californian, who failed to come to the Titanic's aid, despite being close enough to see the Titanic.
It appears that Lord, who had stopped his ship and let it drift rather than hit an iceberg, simply didn't want to risk maneuvering through the ice field at night to see why the Titanic was sending all those rockets into the air. The only thing I can say for Lord is that he was likely to have believed the Titanic was unsinkable, as the White Star Line proclaimed, and that he was unlikely to have known the Titanic didn't have enough lifeboats. The White Star Line certainly did not advertise this point to the public. However, Lord can be condemned for not reacting to all those distress rockets, and he should have woken up his radio operator to send out a message to find out what was happening.
Rostron ended up with all the laurels, but I don't think Butler does him enough justice. The book lacks drama, though it gives you plenty of information. The audio recording of Rostron's own account is a better place to start.
Rostron is a very good storyteller, and his 20-minute oral history is excellent. I would like to say that Butler's book is equally strong, but the author focuses more on the legal proceedings in which he contrasts the behavior of Rostron and Captain Stanley Lord of the Californian, who failed to come to the Titanic's aid, despite being close enough to see the Titanic.
It appears that Lord, who had stopped his ship and let it drift rather than hit an iceberg, simply didn't want to risk maneuvering through the ice field at night to see why the Titanic was sending all those rockets into the air. The only thing I can say for Lord is that he was likely to have believed the Titanic was unsinkable, as the White Star Line proclaimed, and that he was unlikely to have known the Titanic didn't have enough lifeboats. The White Star Line certainly did not advertise this point to the public. However, Lord can be condemned for not reacting to all those distress rockets, and he should have woken up his radio operator to send out a message to find out what was happening.
Rostron ended up with all the laurels, but I don't think Butler does him enough justice. The book lacks drama, though it gives you plenty of information. The audio recording of Rostron's own account is a better place to start.
July 7, 2024
The writing is lively and interesting for the most part, but there are issues. Captain Stanley Lord may indeed have been a sociopath, but I'm not sure that the author is qualified to make the diagnosis. His notations for latitude and longitude, as well as for true bearings were largely unreadable. Maybe in 1912 mariners would have written a bearing as N45W, but nowadays we would simply say 315T, and I've no idea what his conventions for lat' and long' are supposed to represent. He has a poor appreciation of how astro navigation works. He says that the dead-reckoned position was based on a sun sight in the evening. Well not on any ship that I've ever been on! A morning sight is usually run up to noon and crossed with an observed latitude for a running fix (the "noon fix"), but you don't take sun sights in the evening. They may possibly have got a star sight at evening twilight, when it is dark enough to see the stars but still bright enough to view the horizon, but if that was their last fix, he should say that.
More annoying than my quibbles with technical jargon though is the poor effort that his publishers put into editing and proof reading. The book is littered with childish spelling errors and the inclusion of incorrect words ("were" for "where", or vice versa). It is not enough to use spell check. Someone with a red pen has to read the text and correct it.
More annoying than my quibbles with technical jargon though is the poor effort that his publishers put into editing and proof reading. The book is littered with childish spelling errors and the inclusion of incorrect words ("were" for "where", or vice versa). It is not enough to use spell check. Someone with a red pen has to read the text and correct it.
May 29, 2016
The Other Side of the Night: The Carpathia, the Californian, and the Night the Titanic Was Lost is a fascinating look at the Titanic Disaster from the eminent maritime historian Daniel Allen Butler. Instead of focusing on the Titanic, Butler looks at the other two ships that were most directly involved in the events of the tragedy; the Californian, which stood by and watched as the Titanic sank, and the Carpathia, which raced to the Titanic’s rescue. The histories of the ships and crews are examined, along with what went right and what went wrong on the night of April 14-15, 1912 for the two ships to respond so differently to Titanic’s calls for help. The writing is especially engaging and has a smooth flow that helps to guide the reader through the event and understand them. Extraordinarily compelling, The Other Side of the Night: The Carpathia, the Californian, and the Night the Titanic Was Lost is a terrific book and serves as a wonderful companion to Butler’s previous Titanic work Unsinkable.
January 3, 2020
An intriguing look at the immediate aftermath of the sinking of the Titanic, and the actions of Stanley Lord and Arthur Rostram.
Butler declares that Lord was a 'sociopath'. I'm not going to say whether he's right or wrong, but it is undeniable that, the night of the sinking, Lord saw distress flares, failed to identify them as such, and failed to respond. He could not have saved everyone, but the death toll might have been a few hundred smaller-- still an incomprehensible tragedy, but one where Lord would have responded correctly.
Rostram, on the other hand, responded heroically, and saved people who would have otherwise died.
I would definitely go and see this film.
Butler declares that Lord was a 'sociopath'. I'm not going to say whether he's right or wrong, but it is undeniable that, the night of the sinking, Lord saw distress flares, failed to identify them as such, and failed to respond. He could not have saved everyone, but the death toll might have been a few hundred smaller-- still an incomprehensible tragedy, but one where Lord would have responded correctly.
Rostram, on the other hand, responded heroically, and saved people who would have otherwise died.
I would definitely go and see this film.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 21, 2017
This was a fascinating look at a seldom covered topic in contemporary times. Not the Titanic itself, we've all seen the movie; but the glimpses through the portholes of the Californian and the Carpathia. Butler cited his sources well and presented an unbiased opinion of the occurrences of that night. This is what happens when you are forced to rely on the best and the worst of people.
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