Complex sentence: Earlier that same day, had sunk the White Star liner with the loss of 44 lives; the "Baralong" had been about from the scene, and had received a distress call from the ship.
Split into simpler sentences: Earlier that same day, had sunk the White Star liner with the loss of 44 lives. The "Baralong" had been about from the scene, and had received a distress call from the ship.