Rescuing Titanic

Rescuing Titanic tells with exquisite illustrations and richly-detailed text the story of the little ship Carpathia and its heroic journey rescuing passengers from the Titanic. This dramatic and visually-immersive story was meticulously researched by astonishing debut talent Flora Delargy, whose own grandfather worked in the shipyard where Titanic was built.

This engagingly illustrated book tells in thrilling detail the story of the Carpathia, the small vessel which saved hundreds of people from drowing during the sinking of the Titanic.

Written and illustrated by debut Northern Irish artist Flora Delargy, whose grandfather and great grandfather both worked in the Belfast Shipyards where the Titanic was built, this exquisitely illustrated story of quiet bravery tells in rich detail how the little ship Carpathia saved 705 passengers of the Titanic from the icy waters of the North Atlantic.

‘A visual feast […] Exquisite artwork […] A triumphant debut’— The Observer, Best Picture Books

‘A tour de force – a gripping account [..] spare, well-judged text and delicate but powerful illustrations'— The Guardian

‘I don't often cry while reading non-fiction, but this powerful story, beautifully told, brought me to tears [...] one of my books of the year'— Irish Examiner

With the approaching 110-year anniversary of the ship’s sinking, Rescuing Titanic and its story of the Carpathia offers a fresh perspective on the incident from an author-illustrator uniquely connected to the story.

In the middle of the night, the Carpathia received a distress call from the sinking Titanic. The intrepid little ship heroically changed course and headed straight into the frozen sea to help save as many people as it could. Follow the Carpathia as it risks everything to navigate remote, treacherous ice fields in the dark and come to the rescue of passengers on the world-famous ocean liner.

Along the journey, you will learn all about Morse code, navigation tools, the different roles of the crew, how the ships found each other, and by-the-minute details of exactly what happened on this cold and fateful night.

The illustrations set the scene and take the reader into the frozen eerie night in the North Atlantic. Beautiful full-bleed illustration and vignettes give great detail about how everyone on the ship made their own contribution and showed true bravery.

Rescuing Titanic shows that a glimmer of hope can be found even in great tragedy and that heroes are not always big and mighty, but can also be small and unassuming.

This is the debut book in the Hidden Histories series, which explores with beautiful illustrations and vivid details the untold parts of stories we thought we knew.

About the Author

Flora Delargy is an author and illustrator from Belfast. She has a master’s degree in Children’s Book Illustration from Cambridge School of Art. In 2019, she was selected for the Illustrators Exhibition at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair. Her first book Rescuing Titanic has been translated into 6 languages and was shortlisted for the Yoto Carnegie Medal in 2023.