The CS Minia was a cable repair ship owned by the Western Union (formerly the Anglo-American Telegraph Company).
Design and build[]
The ship was built in 1866 by London and Glasgow Company, Glasgow. Length 328.5 ft. Breadth 35.8 ft. Depth 25.1 ft. Gross tonnage 2,061. Draught 25.1 ft.; registered tonnage 2,061 tons.
Operations[]
The Minia was chartered for three years by the Telegraph Construction and Maintenance Company in 1871 and converted for cable work. Sold by her owners in 1874 to the Anglo-American Telegraph Company and used for cable repair duties.
Recovery of bodies from the wreck of RMS Titanic[]
The bodies of RMS Titanic victims aboard the CS Minia
Sailed under the command of Captain William George Squares deCarteret, the ship was the second of four ships chartered by the White Star Line to search for bodies in the aftermath of the sinking of the Titanic.
As soon as the CS Mackay-Bennett had reached the search area, it was apparent that a second recovery vessel would be needed.
On board were Rev. Henry Ward Cunningham of St. George's Church, Halifax, embalmer William H. Snow, and assistant undertaker and surgeon Will Mosher.
The Minia left Halifax on Monday, April 22nd, 1912 and arrived in the search area on the following Friday. Bad weather hampered the search and only 17 bodies (body numbers 307 to 323) were eventually recovered after a week of searching. Two, those of unidentified firemen, were buried at sea. The fifteen brought to Halifax, Nova Scotia.
List of victims recovered by the CS Minia
The Minia returned to Halifax on Monday, May 6th where all of her unused coffins and embalming fluid were transferred over to the third ship that was to engage in the search, the steamer Montmagny. The Minia remaining in service until 1922 when sold for scrap.