A letter from a lucky Titanic survivor describing the ‘near miss’ moment upon departure that could have changed the ship’s fate is tipped to sell for £20,000.
Stanley May witnessed the near-miss Titanic had with a smaller passenger liner as it left the quayside at Southampton, Hants.
The wash created by the huge vessel caused the SS New York to break free from its moorings and drift.
The two ships came within a few feet of colliding before tug boats nudged the Titanic clear.
Had they hit, then the Titanic’s departure would have been delayed and it would never have struck the iceberg that caused her to sink with the loss of 1,522 lives four days later.
Stanley May’s letter dated April 11th 1912 – he was one of the survivors and only spent 24 hours on the Titanic
During his brief time on board he wrote a letter home to his daughters, Hilda and Gladys
Stanley May, centre right, his brother Dick, left, their sister Lily Odell and nephew Jack on the deck of the Titanic
Mr May spent 24 hours on the Titanic, from when it left Southampton to its last port of call at Cobh, Ireland.
He and his family got off to enjoy a motoring holiday around the Emerald Isle.
During his brief time on board he wrote a letter home to his daughters, Hilda and Gladys, describing the brief but eventful trip.
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He explained that the Titanic was late arriving at Cherbourg, France, ‘owing to an accident shortly after starting’.
He wrote: ‘New York broke loose from her moorings and drifted on to the Titanic and as she had not steam (sic) up, was in a very lifeless condition, any how tugs saved her and no great damage done, but am afraid a lot of people would have been injured by the broken ropes, but we shall not hear until we land.’
Mr May, a first class passenger, went on to describe the luxury liner as like a ‘palace’.
He added: ‘We have had a very nice trip and shall be leaving the ship (or rather it’s more like a palace) in a few hours time.’
He finished the letter by telling his daughters that he had sent them a booklet of postcards of the Titanic he bought on board as a souvenir.
The two page letter has now surfaced for sale at Henry Aldridge & Son Auctioneers of Devizes, Wilts, and will be sold on Saturday.
Andrew Aldridge said: ‘It is a fascinating letter that gives a very good, first-hand account of the New York incident.
R.M.S. Titanic, right, leaving Southampton alongside, centre, R.M.S. New York and, left. R.M.S. Oceanic
A tug boat leads R.M.S. Titanic from Southampton – the images are not being sold at auction
A photo from Stanley May’s scrap book – sat in his holiday hire car, oblivious to his narrow escape from death
‘You can tell by reading Stanley’s letter that it was a real sliding doors moment. He describes it as an ‘accident’ and how Titanic was saved from sustaining damage.
‘You get the sense that it was a real near miss. Had there been a collision, it wouldn’t have been terminal but it would have delayed the Titanic’s departure by a few hours or more.
‘Had that happened then the iceberg the Titanic went on to hit would have floated clear of its path by the time it reached that area of the north Atlantic.
‘Stanley May and his family had a lucky escape and got off in Ireland.’
Mr May was an architect from Middlesex. He was travelling as a first class passenger with brother Richard, sister Lily Odell and nephew Jack Odell.
The family left Titanic on April 11, 1912. The ‘unsinkable’ vessel hit the iceberg on the evening of April 14 and it sank at 2.20am on April 15.
