RMS <I>Titanic</I> Life Vest

1912

Chicago physician Dr. Frank Blackmarr, a passenger aboard <I>Titanic</I>'s rescue ship RMS <I>Carpathia</I>, helped the survivors suffering from hypothermia, exposure, and shock. He collected a <I>Titanic</I> life vest during the voyage as a souvenir. Five days into its maiden voyage in 1912, the White Star ocean liner <I>Titanic</I> struck an iceberg at full speed in the North Atlantic, en route from England to the United States. For the next few hours, the giant ship took on water and began to nose down into the sea. At 2:20 a.m. on April 15, the gigantic ship sank in 12,500 feet of water 350 miles off the coast of Canada. Within about two hours, <I>Carpathia</I> arrived and rescued the <I>Titanic</I>'s 705 surviving crew and passengers. Around 1,500 people aboard were lost.