A whistle that belonged to a hero of the Titanic disaster is up for auction in the U.K., along with a host of other artifacts.
The whistle is among a trove of items that belonged to Harold Lowe, a fifth officer on the Titanic.
“Harold Lowe was without doubt one of the heroes of the Titanic disaster,” explained auctioneer Andrew Aldridge of UK auction house Henry Aldridge & Son in a statement emailed to Fox News. The archive has been in the possession of Lowe’s direct descendants.
The Titanic hit an iceberg at 11:40 p.m. ship’s time on April 14, 1912, and sank just over two hours later with the loss of more than 1,500 lives. The wreck, which is lying on seabed at a depth of 12.467 feet, is approximately 350 miles south of Newfoundland.
Lowe commanded Titanic’s lifeboat 14 and retrieved survivors from the icy waters. The officer, who was born in North Wales, was portrayed by Welsh actor Ioan Gruffudd in James Cameron’s blockbuster Hollywood movie “Titanic.”
It is not known whether the whistle, engraved with Lieut. H.G. Lowe RNR (Royal Naval Reserve), was used by the officer on the night Titanic sank. “It is unknown if this was the whistle Officer Lowe had on Titanic, however it is without doubt his Officer’s whistle,” explained Aldridge, in the statement emailed to Fox News. The whistle has a pre-sale estimate of $2,526 to $3,788.
Other items in the auction include a photograph of officers on the Titanic rescue ship Carpathia that is signed by the officers, as well as Carpathia’s captain Arthur Rostron. The photo has a pre-sale estimate of $7,578 to $12,628. The auction takes place on June 20.
More than 100 years after the Titanic’s sinking, the disaster continues to be a source of fascination.
In 2017, a sea-stained letter recovered from the body of a Titanic victim was sold at auction for $166,000. A year prior, the sextant used by the captain of rescue ship Carpathia sold for just under $97,000.
A cup presented to the captain by Titanic survivor Molly Brown to the Carpathia captain sold for $200,000 in 2015.
Last year remarkable images from the Titanic wreck site revealed the doomed liner’s deterioration on the North Atlantic seabed.