Gold pocket watch given to captain who rescued Titanic survivors sells for record price at nearly $2M

A gold pocket watch given to the ship captain who rescued 700 survivors from the Titanic sold at auction for nearly $2 million, setting a record for memorabilia from the shipwreck.The 18-carat Tiffany & Co.watch was given by three women survivors to Capt.

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 to a private collector in the United States on Saturday for 1.56 million British pounds ($1,968,408 USD) said it’s the most 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 to die in the disaster, and the widows of two other wealthy 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 keepsake, fetching nearly $1.5 million (1.17 million pounds) from 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 the story and the value of the dwindling supply and high demand for ship artifacts.“Every man, woman and child had a story to tell, and those stories are told over a century later through the memorabilia,” he said.Rostron was hailed 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 to 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 boat around and headed at full steam toward the doomed vessel, navigating through ice bergs to get there.By the time the Carpathia arrived, the Tit...