News Release

Cape Cod National Seashore to Host Commemorative Events About the Titanic and Wireless Communication

Date: March 30, 2018
Contact: Education Specialist Barbara Dougan, 508-255-3421, ext. 0300

WELLFLEET, Mass—Over a century has passed since 2,240 passengers and crew set sail from Southampton, England on April 10, 1912 for a transatlantic voyage on a luxury steamship enroute to the Port of New York.  Four days later, on the night of April 14, 1912, the RMS Titanic struck an iceberg and plunged to the North Atlantic’s ocean floor.  The fate of the steamship and the 1,500 souls lost is ingrained in the American memory, and has inspired countless books and films.  A fact that surprises many is that Marconi’s wireless station in Wellfleet played a role in the rescue of 740 survivors.  The survivors rescued by the Carpathia resulted from wireless messages sent from Marconi’s Wellfleet Station.  Today, the station site is listed as a National Landmark on the National Register of Historic Places (1975) and is part of Cape Cod National Seashore.  

Cape Cod National Seashore will host a memorial event for the Titanic on Saturday, April 14 and a celebration of International Marconi Day on Saturday, April 21.  Both events will be held at the Nauset Coast Guard Station, Coast Guard Beach, 2 Ocean View Drive, Eastham. The events are free, accessible, and open to the public.

April 14
10:00 am to 3:00 pm: Titanic Memorial Event-106 Years Join the Titanic/Marconi Memorial Association of Cape Cod, WIMGY, for a global wireless radio event that honors souls lost on Titanic and for stories of ship-to-shore wireless communication. 

April 21
9:30 am to 3:30 pm: International Marconi Day This annual public event honors Guglielmo Marconi for his contributions to wireless technology.  The Marconi Cape Cod Radio Club, KM1CC, will communicate with radio operators around the globe in voice and Morse code.  Visitors can test their global geography knowledge as they listen to operators making contact with stations from around the world.  Those who can’t visit in person are invited to tune in via shortwave radio.