A gold pocket watch given to the captain of the ship that rescued 700 Titanic survivors It was sold at auction for almost two million dollars.setting a record for shipwreck memorabilia.
He 18K Tiffany & Co. watch was delivered by three surviving women to the captain Arthur Rostron for diverting his passenger ship, the RMS Carpathia, to save them and others after the Titanic struck an iceberg and sank in the North Atlantic on its maiden voyage in 1912.
Auctioneers Henry Aldridge and Son, who sold the watch on Saturday to a private collector in the United States for £1.56 million ($1.97 million)stated that it is the highest price paid for a piece of Titanic memorabilia. The price includes taxes and fees paid by the buyer.
The watch was given to Rostron by the widow of John Jacob Astor, the richest man who died in the disasterand the widows of two other rich businessmen who went down with the ship.
Astor’s pocket watch, which was on his body when it was recovered seven days after the ship sank, had previously set the record for the highest price paid for a Titanic memorabilia, fetching nearly $1.5 million (1 .17 million pounds) at the same auction house in April.
Auctioneer Andrew Aldridge said the fact that Titanic memorabilia has set two records this year demonstrates the enduring fascination with history and the value of declining supply and high demand for ship artifacts.
“Every man, woman and child had a story to tell, and those stories are told more than a century later through memories”said.
Rostron was hailed as a hero for his actions the night the Titanic sank and his crew was recognized for their bravery.
The Carpathia was sailing from New York toward the Mediterranean Sea when a radio operator heard a distress call from the Titanic in the early hours of April 15, 1912 and woke Rostron in his cabin. He turned his ship around and headed full steam ahead toward the stricken ship, navigating between icebergs to get there.
When the Carpathia arrived, the Titanic had already sunk and 1,500 people had died, but the crew located 20 lifeboats and rescued more than 700 passengers, who returned to New York.
Rostron received the United States Congressional Gold Medal from President William Howard Taft and was later Knighted by King George V.
Madeleine Astor, who was helped into a lifeboat by her husband, presented the watch to Rostron during a lunch at their Fifth Avenue mansion in New York.
The inscription says it was donated “with the sincere gratitude and appreciation of three survivors”. Next to Astor’s married name are the names of Mrs. John B. Thayer and Mrs. George D. Widener.
“It was given primarily as a token of gratitude for Rostron’s bravery in saving those lives,” Aldridge said. “Without Mr. Rostron, those 700 people would not have made it.”
(With information from AP)
