Ship Antoni & Jozef Traveled on has a Connection to the Titanic

The ship that Antoni and Jozef Raczkiewicz (my grandpa and great uncle) traveled on had a connection to the Titanic. ***** The brothers arrived in the United States in Detroit, Michigan, on October 4, 1912, by train, as passengers, entering as permanent residents. From that information, I was able to find the US Border Crossings from Canada to the U.S., 1895-1960 in Ancestry which told me that Antoni and Josef sailed on the SS Mount Temple, from Antwerp to Quebec, Canada, leaving on September 18, 1912, and arriving October 2, 1912, with a final destination of Grand Rapids, Michigan to their brother Jan. In Family Search, I found the ship manifest (Vermont, St. Albans Canada Border Crossings, 1895-1954, Roll 320, R214, Bernard-R240.) ***** The Mount Temple was originally put into service in 1901 carrying cargo. By 1903, a wireless telegraph was added and the ship was retrofitted to carry passengers in one direction and cargo on the return trip. When Great Britain entered World War I on August 2, 1914, the ship was used to transport food and troops until it was captured and sunk on December 6, 1916. The ship’s history included hitting another ship, being grounded several times, and being stuck in rocks on a shore. The most interesting fact about the ship’s history though is its connection to the Titanic. ***** Earlier the same year Jozef and Antoni traveled on the SS Mount Temple (1912), the boat was on its usual journey from Antwerp, Belgium to St. John, Canada with 1,461 immigrants on board. The wireless operator on the ship picked up a distress signal from the RMS Titanic, on the night of April 14 until the morning of April 15. Even though Captain Moore, in charge of the SS Mount Temple, had been directed to avoid icebergs, they went to the last known position of the Titanic and waited in an area of heavy ice. Without seeing the Titanic or any survivors, they gave up and headed for Canada. There was controversy about the ship’s role in the potential rescue and some accused them of being nearby and not helping with the rescue. Rumors continue to this day. ***** This connection is a reminder of the danger that my relatives potentially faced in their travels. ***** Image: By F.G.O. Stuart (1843-1923) - http://www.uwants.com/viewthread.php?tid=3817223&extra=page%3D1, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2990792