On the night of 14 April, the "Carpathia"s wireless operator, Harold Cottam, had missed previous messages from the "Titanic", as he was on the bridge at the time. After his shift ended at midnight, he continued listening to the transmitter before bed, and received messages from Cape Cod, Massachusetts, stating they had private traffic for the "Titanic". He thought he would be helpful, and at 12:11 a.m. on the night of the 15th of April, sent a message to the "Titanic", stating that Cape Cod had traffic for them. In reply he received the "Titanic"s distress signal, stating that they had struck an iceberg and were in need of immediate and urgent assistance.