Death Ships

The RMS Carpathia took for hours to rescue Titanic survivors from their lifeboats in the frigid North Atlantic Ocean waters. 

RMS Carpathia arriving in New York City

However, less famous are the CS Mackay-Bennet and CS Minia, the ships that searched and picked up the majority of the dead from the ocean. 

Two days after the sinking of the Titanic, White Star Line chartered the cable ship Mackay-Bennett, based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. They realized they needed more help. They hired additional Canadian ships: the lighthouse supply ship Montmagny, the cable ship Minia, and the sealing vessel Algerine. 

Each ship was outfitted with embalming supplies, coffins, undertakers, and clergy. Out of the 333 bodies found at sea, 328 were found by Canadian ships. The rest were found by ships that were passing through the North Atlantic.

The CS MacKay-Bennett recovered 306 bodies.  116 were buried at sea and 190 brought into port. 

The Mackay-Bennett had embalming supplies

The CS Minia recovered 17 bodies, of which 15 were brought back to Halifax. 

The Canadian Government Ship (CGS) Montmagny recovered 4 bodies, one was buried at sea. 

The SS Algerine recovered one body. 

 

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