Modern Mysteries

Super rare photo of Titanic iceberg revealed

By T.K. Randall
June 16, 2020

Image: Titanic Wreck Bow
Credit: Courtesy of NOAA/Institute for Exploration/University of Rhode Island (NOAA/IFE/URI). / (PD) While the sinking of the Titanic has long remained one of the most talked about disasters in history, what isn't quite so well known is the large chunk of ice that the ship struck before it sank.

Measuring 400ft long and weighing in at 1.5 million tons, this silent enemy was responsible for the deaths of more than 1,500 people who perished in the freezing waters of the Atlantic.

There do exist, however, photographs of the offending chunk of ice taken from other vessels.

One of these was taken two days before the Titanic sank by Captain W. Wood of the SS Etonian - a passenger ship that was also crossing the Atlantic at around the same time.

Wood had written the co-ordinates at which the image was taken on the back of the picture before sending it, along with a handwritten note, to his grandfather after reaching New York.

"I am sending you a sea picture, the Etonian running before a gale and the iceberg that sank the Titanic," he wrote. "We crossed the ice tracks 40hrs before her and in daylight so saw the ice easily and I got a picture."

Both items are expected to fetch around $15,000 at auction.

"There were never any photographs taken on board the Titanic of the iceberg, only images of ones in the same area in the days before and after," said auctioneer Andrew Aldridge.

"But Captain Wood's photograph must be the most likely of all of these images."

The 'iceberg that sunk the Titanic' : This mound of ice was pictured and recorded along with co-ordinates by captain W Wood of the SS Etonian a ship passing the iceberg TWO DAYS before the Titanic was struck killing 1,522 on board pic.twitter.com/RA1XfcTr7Q

— grant (@grantburt) June 14, 2020

Source: Lad Bible

Tags: Titanic