Recovery of Titanic’s Last Valuables
The Carpathia rescued the survivors of the disaster in a period of four hours and thirty minutes, during which time it also picked up 13 lifeboats. There was no space for the remaining five, so they were set adrift. This photo shows lifeboat number 12 being hoisted and drained of water after conveying about 70 people to safety. It was the final one to be rescued by the Carpathia.
These lifeboats were considered the only valuable things salvaged from the Titanic and were returned to the White Star Line at New York Harbor. However, over time, they disappeared from history.