Titanic hero's pocket gold watch sold for £46k

A gold pocket watch owned by the lead engineer of the RMS Carpathia, which rescued 700 people from the Titanic, has been sold for £46,000.

The item had an estimated value of £100,000 at an auction on Wednesday in Penshurst, and was purchased by an anonymous buyer from the UK.

The watch was awarded to John Richardson, who played a pivotal role in the rescue mission in the North Atlantic in April 1912, following the sinking of the liner in which more than 1,500 crew and passengers perished.

Justin Matthews, director of Hansons Auctioneers, said the "hairs on his neck stood up" when he first held the item.

"We had a phone call from a gentleman who said he wanted to have some items valued," he said.

"It was a beautiful watch and we initially valued it between £8,000 to £10,000."

Matthews said they then realised the significance of the watch when they saw the inscription on the back.

He described Richardson, who was 27 at the time, as an "incredible hero" who braved the icy and dangerous conditions to rescue the survivors.

Auctioneer Charles Hanson said the watch was awarded to Richardson to thank him for his courage.

"We are extremely honoured to have handled the watch. You can imagine time stood still for those frightened and panic-stricken people," he said.

"If objects could talk, this pocket watch could tell us so much about what happened during the rescue."

The Titanic was built in Belfast and launched in May 1911.

It was, at the time, the largest ship ever to have sailed.

It set off on its fateful journey from Southampton to New York, on 10 April 1912, carrying 2,240 passengers.

After it struck an iceberg on 15 April the vessel broke apart and sank, and more than 1,500 passengers and crew died.

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