Arthur Rostron Sir Arthur Henry Rostron , KBE , RD , RNR ( 14 May 1869 – 4 November 1940 ) was a Captain for the Cunard Line . He was the master of the ocean liner RMS " Carpathia " when it rescued the survivors of the RMS " Titanic " which sank on 15 April 1912 after striking an iceberg . Captain Rostron won wide praise for his energetic efforts to reach the " Titanic " before she sank , and his efficient preparations for and conduct of the rescue of the survivors . He was awarded a Congressional Gold Medal by the U . S . Congress , and in 1926 was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire . He rose to become the Commodore of the Cunard fleet , and retired in 1931 . History . Arthur Rostron was born in Astley Bridge , north of Bolton , Lancashire , England to James and Nancy Rostron in 1869 . Educated at Bolton Grammar School from 1882 to 1883 and Bolton Church Institute in 1884 , Rostron then joined the Merchant Navy Cadet School Ship HMS " Conway " as a cadet . After two years of training on the " Conway " , he was apprenticed to the Waverley Line of Messrs , Williamson , Milligan and Co . in Liverpool on the iron clipper ship , " Cedric the Saxon " . In 1887 Rostron joined the barque " Red Gauntlet " as a second mate . Soon after , he left the Waverly Line and joined the barque " Camphill " . In December 1894 Rostron served on board the steamship " Concord " where he passed the extra master ' s certificate . He joined the Cunard Line in January 1895 and earned a position as fourth officer on the ocean liner . In the years afterward he would also serve on other Cunard ships including the " Aurania " , " Etruria " , " Servia " , " Cherbourg " , " Ultonia " and " Saxonia " . As a member of the Royal Naval Reserve , Rostron temporarily left the Cunard Line to serve with the Royal Navy during a period of international tension occasioned by the Russo - Japanese War of 1904 – 1905 . Rostron subsequently returned to the Cunard Line . He was made first officer of the RMS " Lusitania " in 1907 , but was transferred to the " Bresica " and made the ship ' s Captain the day before the " Lusitania " < nowiki > ' s < / nowiki > maiden voyage . The " Bresica " and his next several ships served the Mediterranean region , including his first passenger ship , the " Pennonia " , whose New York - Mediterranean route he commanded in 1911 . He was subsequently given command of the passenger liner RMS " Carpathia " . The " Titanic " rescue . The " Carpathia " was on its regular route between New York City and Fiume when early on 15 April 1912 she received a distress signal from the White Star Line ocean liner RMS " Titanic " , which had struck an iceberg and was sinking . Rostron was asleep when " Carpathia ' s " ' wireless operator , Harold Cottam , contacted " Titanic " at 12 : 15am to relay regular private party wireless traffic from Cape Race . The sinking Titanic , which had struck an iceberg approximately an hour before , replied with a distress message and call for help . Cottam ran to Rostron ' s cabin to alert him . Rostron immediately ordered the ship to race towards the " Titanic " < nowiki > ' s < / nowiki > reported position , posting extra lookouts to help spot and maneuver around the ice he knew to be in the area . Only after ordering the Carpathia turned to the disaster scene did he confirm with Cottam if he was sure about the Titanic ' s distress call . About 58 nautical miles ( 93 km ) separated the " Carpathia " from " Titanic " < nowiki > ' s < / nowiki > position . Rostron and his engineering crew ( led by Chief Engineer A . B . Jones ) skilfully obtained the maximum speed possible from the engines of " Carpathia " , coaxing her up to 17 . 5 knots - three and a half faster than her rated speed . Even so , " Carpathia " , travelling through dangerous ice floes , took about 3½ hours to reach the " Titanic " < nowiki > ' s < / nowiki > radioed position . During this time Rostron turned off heating to ensure maximum steam for the ship ' s engines and had the ship prepared for the survivors ; including getting blankets , food and drinks ready , and ordering his medical crew to stand by to receive the possibly injured survivors . Altogether , 23 orders from Rostron to his crew were successfully implemented before " Carpathia " had even arrived at the scene of the disaster . Rostron was a pious man : issuing orders he often raised a hand to his cap and closed his eyes in prayer . Speaking of the risk taken by running through dense ice at speed at night he is reported to have said , " I can only conclude another hand than mine was on the helm . " When Rostron believed he was getting close to the " Titanic " he had green starburst rockets launched to encourage the " Titanic " if she was still afloat , or her survivors if she was not . " Carpathia " began picking up survivors about an hour after the first starburst was seen by those in the lifeboats . The " Carpathia " would end up rescuing 710 survivors out of the 2 , 228 passengers and crew on board the " Titanic " ; at least one survivor is said to have died after reaching the ship . After consulting with White Star Line managing director and " Titanic " survivor J . Bruce Ismay , Rostron decided to turn the ship around and return to New York City to disembark the survivors . Later , Rostron testified at both the US Senate inquiry and the British Wreck Commissioner ' s inquiry into the sinking of the RMS Titanic . " Titanic " survivors , including Margaret Brown , presented Rostron with a silver cup and gold medal for his efforts the night " Titanic " sank . He was also awarded the Congressional Gold Medal , the Thanks of Congress , the American Cross of Honor , a medal from the Liverpool Shipwreck and Humane Society and a gold medal from the Shipwreck Society of New York . Captain Rostron was very highly praised for his efforts in both the American and the British inquiries into the disaster . Later life . Rostron continued in command of the " Carpathia " for a year before transferring to the " Caronia " . Afterwards , from 1913 to 1914 he took command of the " Carmania " , " Campania " , and " Lusitania " . Rostron was Captain of the " Aulania " when World War I began and the ship was turned into a troopship which Rostron continued to command . In 1915 , Rostron and the " Aulania " were involved in the Battle of Gallipoli in Turkey . In September 1915 , Rostron joined the RMS " Mauretania " and in April 1916 he joined the " Ivernia " in the Mediterranean Sea . He returned to the " Mauretania " in 1917 before taking command of the " Andania " , " Saxonia " , " Carmania " and the " Mauretania " again . In December 1918 , he was made Captain on the acting list of the Royal Navy Reserve and made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1919 . Rostron continued to command the " Mauretania " after it returned to normal passenger service in June 1919 , and in 1926 he was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire . In July 1928 Rostron took command of the RMS " Berengaria " and became the commodore of the Cunard fleet . After his retirement in May 1931 , Rostron was a member and Captain of the Southampton Master Mariner ' s Club and wrote an autobiography called " Home from the Sea " . When his former ship , the much - beloved " Mauretania " , sailed for Scotland to the shipbreakers in 1935 , Rostron was supposed to have been on board ; however , overcome with emotion , he refused to board her and instead waved farewell from pierside , preferring to remember the ship as she was when he commanded her . Rostron died of pneumonia at the Cottage Hospital , Chippenham , Wiltshire on 4 November 1940 and is buried at the West End Church in Southampton , next to his wife Ethel Minnie Rostron , who died three years later . Rostron Close in West End is named after him . Portrayals in Titanic films . He has been portrayed in various Titanic films by several actors . In the 1958 " A Night to Remember " he is played by Anthony Bushell . In 1979 ' s " SOS Titanic " he is portrayed by Philip Stone . In the 1996 TV drama " Titanic " he is portrayed by Terence Kelly .