Gold watch belonging to Titanic ‘unsung hero’ set for auction more than 100 years after tragedy

The Titanic leaves Southampton, England, April 10, 1912, on her maiden voyage. (AP file photo)

A rare gold watch tied to the rescue of survivors from the RMS Titanic sinking is set to go up for auction this month — just as the world marks another anniversary of the tragedy.

The 18-karat gold timepiece belonged to John Richardson, an engineer aboard the RMS Carpathia, the vessel that famously saved more than 700 Titanic passengers with lifeboats in the icy North Atlantic, according to Hansons Auctioneers.

Richardson, described by auctioneers as one of the disaster’s “unsung heroes,” played a critical role below deck, helping keep the ship’s engines running at full speed after the distress call was received.

The watch — engraved in recognition of his “conspicuous services” during the rescue on April 15, 1912 — is expected to sell for up to £100,000 (more than US$135,000) when it comes under the hammer at Hansons Auctioneers on April 22.

The timing of the auction is particularly poignant. Wednesday marks the 114th anniversary of the Titanic’s sinking when the luxury liner struck an iceberg and went down in the early hours the night, killing more than 1,500 people.

The Carpathia, en route from New York to Europe, diverted course after receiving the distress signal and arrived hours later to rescue survivors drifting in lifeboats.

While Captain Arthur Rostron was widely praised for the rescue, auctioneers say engineers like Richardson, who was then 26 years old, were essential to the mission’s success, working in extreme heat to push the ship to maximum speed.

Auctioneers said “the engine room crew had to keep multiple coal-fired boilers running at peak output with stokers shovelling coal in intense heat.”

The watch was one of several presented to Carpathia engineers in December 1912 by the mayor of Liverpool, U.K., to recognize crew members whose efforts had largely gone unnoticed.

Auction director Justin Matthews said the piece offers a power connection to a lesser-known side of the Titanic story.

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“When I first held it in my hand I had goosebumps – it was spine tingling to know its connections to one of the most famous, and tragic, events of the 20^th century. It is an honour to offer it for sale," he said on the company’s website.

“Their work wasn’t visible to passengers, or survivors, but without it, the rescue simply wouldn’t have happened,” Matthews said.

According to the auction, Richardson was a married man and father of two by the time of Carpathia rescue. Little was known about his whereabouts, however in the 1930s his family moved to New York.

The watch stayed in Richardson’s family for nearly a century before first being offered for sale in 2003.