The sinking of the Titanic is the best known maritime tragedy of the modern age. “We are sinking fast” - this SOS message sent from the Titanic, arrived at 00:25 on April 15, 1912, to RMS Carpathia, 25 minutes after the iceberg tore through the ship’s hull.

At that moment, Carpathia was 58 miles southeast of the Titanic, sailing towards Rijeka. Captain Rostron immediately commanded the ship to head towards the Titanic at maximum speed. They arrived at the scene of the accident two hours after the ship had sunk.

The crew of the Carpathia saved 705 castaways.

As a sign of gratitude for their bravery and humaneness, the crew was awarded a silver chalice, and each crew member a special medal and monetary prize. The money for the awards was also collected by the survivors from the Titanic. The medals were presented to them in the ship salon on May 29, 1912. One of the crew members of the Carpathia was also the Karlovian Herman Godler, who served as a waiter, and at 17 was one of the youngest crew members. He spent his whole life at sea. During World War I he served in the Austro-Hungarian Navy, and then continued to sail. Only when he fell ill with tuberculosis did he return to Karlovac, where he also died. He was buried at the Dubovac cemetery in Karlovac.

The medal is of asymmetric oval shape, and placed on a red silk ribbon woven with gold threads. A shallow relief of Art Nouveau design on the front represents the head of Neptune, god of sea in Roman mythology, accompanied by two dolphins holding an anchor with their mouths. The long stylized beard and dolphins frame the Carpathia, surrounded by rescue boats, with icebergs in the background.

The reverse side of the medal reads: “PRESENTED / TO THE / CAPTAIN / OFFICERS & CREW / OF / R.M.S. “CARPATHIA” / IN RECOGNITION OF GALLANT & / HEROIC SERVICES / FROM THE SURVIVORS / OF THE S.S. ”TITANIC” / APRIL 15TH 1912.” / DIGGES & CLUST / N.Y.