Answer: Carpathia On April 15 the ship received a distress call from the Titanic, which had struck an iceberg and was sinking. Capt. Arthur Henry Rostron ordered the Carpathia to the Titanic's position, which was about 58 miles (107 km) away, and began preparing the ship for any survivors. The carpathia sank on July 17th, 1918, after being struck by a German U-Boat torpedo in the Celtic Sea.