Photo of iceberg that sank the Titanic sold at UK auction Photo of iceberg that sank the Titanic sold at UK auction By Marcus Hondro Oct 25, 2015 in World A photograph believed to be of the very iceberg that sank the RMS Titanic has been sold at an auction in the UK. It sold Saturday for £21,000. A Titanic iceberg The black and white photo has hung for decades on the wall of a boardroom of a firm connected to White Star Line, the now-defunct shipping company that owned the Titanic. It was sold at the Henry Aldridge & Son auctioneer house, along with a Spillers and Bakers pilot biscuit that had been on one of the life boats; the hardtack biscuit went for £15,000. The chief steward of a German vessel, the Prinz Adalbert, took the photo in the early hours of April 15, 1912, not long after the Titanic had sank and before the crew of the Adalbert was aware of the tragedy.

The man who took the photo said he did so because he spotted a streak of red paint along the waterline on one side of the iceberg and believed it must have come in contact with a ship. The photo comes with a written declaration that reads: "On the day after the sinking of the Titanic, the steamer Prinz Adalbert passes the iceberg shown in this photograph. The Titanic disaster was not yet known by us. On one side red paint was plainly visible, which has the appearance of having been made by the scraping of a vessel on the iceberg." That declaration was signed "M. Linoenewald, and three crewmen." Despite that, experts say there is no way to confirm the iceberg is the one the RMS Titanic hit; however, it is widely believed that it is. Largest ocean liner The luxury liner was the world's largest passenger ship when she sailed from Southampton, England bound for New York on April 10, 1912; it was her first and last voyage. In the frigid waters of the North Atlantic she struck an iceberg four days after setting sail and was headed to the bottom of the sea 2 hours and 40 minutes later.

Of the 2,223 passengers and crew, 1,517 died. In May of 2009 the last surviving Titanic passenger passed away. Millvina Dean was but 9-weeks-old when the ship hit the iceberg and sank. Her mother managed to get her and a brother to a lifeboat but her father went down with the ship. It has not been made public who purchased the photo of the iceberg. SS United States: America’s Flagship, Historic Maritime Artifact and Engineering Marvel – gCaptain SS United States: America’s Flagship, Historic Maritime Artifact and Engineering Marvel April 8, 2014 by Basil Karatzas (c) Basil Karatzas/info@BMkaratzas.com She was built as an unsinkable ship, a claim allegedly attributed to Bruce Ismay, the managing partner of the White Star Line, the direct shipowning company of the famous RMS Titanic. The year was 1912, and liner companies were in fierce competition with each other for the Transatlantic passenger trade. Fate would not be kind to Ismay and RMS Titanic as both soon floundered spectacularly, both literally and metaphorically.

Four decades later, a longer, beamier, stronger, more powerful passenger vessel would be built in the US at the Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company in Virginia for the same trade. Like RMS Titanic, her maiden voyage made great news as well at the time as she crossed eastbound the Atlantic Ocean in record time of about three days and eleven hours. Soon thereafter, she pulverized the record for the more challenging westbound leg of the Transatlantic trip with a record of about three days and twelve hours. She earned the Blue Riband, the trophy for the fastest average cruising speed on both directions of the round Transatlantic voyage, a record that she still holds today, six decades later. Now, an arthritic, gracious, old lady past her prime and with the memory token of the trophy misplaced somewhere in the attic that today’s grandchildren of history would barely care getting bothered about. The name of the distinguished old lady is SS United States and her figurative attic is Pier 82 on the Delaware River in Philadelphia. Her speed may have placed her name on the record books, but she has been a remarkable ship in more ways than one.

With 990 ft length overall, the SS United States was 110 ft longer than RMS Titanic and well within comparison to the 1,000-ft length commanded by today’s supertankers and monster containerships. Despite her length, her beam was kept narrow at 101 ft so that she could pass gracefully through the Panama Canal if her voyage called for it. Her steam turbines were capable of producing 248,000 shaft horsepower (SHP) – more than twice the power of today’s either typical supertanker or a two-engined Boeing 777 airplane. She brought the Blue Riband to American shores from Queen Mary by sailing as fast as almost 36 knots (approximately41 mph), which is believed to be even today the fastest crossing of the Atlantic Ocean in both directions by a standard mono-hull, merchant vessel. Last decade, when the world economies were growing robustly and just in time inventory was in vogue, containerships – the fastest commercial vessels these days – were crossing the oceans at twenty-four knots maximum speed, while in today’s anemic economic environment and high bunkering fuel cost, the fastest containeships typically slow steam at sixteen knots.

Cruiseships are capable of achieving close to thirty knots, but usually barely sail above twenty knots in order to economize on fuel expense. Being built after RMS Titanic’s tragedy, the International Convention for Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) in 1914, and after her sistership SS Olympia, SS United States was an embodiment to prevention and safety in the event of unforeseen events. The vessel was launched in 1952 at a contract price of $78 million, or approximately $690 million in today’s purchasing power.

With 4,060 berths, her contract price was 50% more expensive than today’s cruiseships (though she was a different, now extinct ‘asset class’, an ‘ocean liner’); efficiencies in shipbuilding can attribute to savings, but SS United States was distinctly a luxury vessel with half of her passengers traveling in first class (versus one-third of RMS Titanic) and she had one crew member for every two passengers (versus one crew member for every three passengers on RMS Titanic.) The high cost of the vessel was also partially attributed to increased specifications for military use, as less than a decade after World War II and with Cold War just settling in when she was built, the US government wanted access to passenger vessels in order to move rapidly military troops worldwide in case of military action. Although the vessel could accommodate up to three thousand passengers on a commercial voyage, five times as many (15,000) soldiers would be transported on one of the vessel’s military trips. As such, the vessel’s hull was built with re-enforced steel in order to sustain hostile fire and she was heavily compartmentalized with water-tight doors and bulkheads in order to prevent heavy flooding.

For the right of having access to the vessel in time of emergency, the US Navy paid $50 million of the contract price, while $28 million was paid by her official shipowner and manager, the now defunct United States Lines (signage of the company can be seen today along the Chelsea Piers on the Hudson River in Manhattan.) There were twenty-two decks and plentiful luxurious common areas for the enjoyment of her privileged passengers, amenities such as indoor and outdoor promenades and sundecks, huge library with high ceilings and large, sunny windows in the front of the ship, ball room and dance floor with a dome structure, theater stage, tennis court, an elevator to the the master staircase, a luxurious bar opening to the sun deck in the rear of the vessel, a swimming pool complete with sand around it for the passenger’s enjoyment.

All such luxury had to be dispensed without the presence of wood onboard the vessel in order to avoid fires; extensive use of aluminum substituted for wood, and Steinway himself had to demonstrate that the specially made piano for the ship was fire proof indeed and could actually cannot be set on fire (the piano and the butcher’s block were the only two wooden pieces ever allowed onboard.) Two 65-ft tall, brilliantly red-painted funnels with small wings and gently leaning backwards, with a white stripe on top in parallel to a white stripe along the upper end of a black-painted hull, and almost a vertically raked bow and round ‘spoon shaped’ stern typical for ocean liners of that age, SS United States was cutting a graceful figure over the water and on the horizon and her New York City port calls have been immortalized on numerous post cards. Even today, the fainted red color of the two funnels is an eye-catcher when one is crossing the bridge approaching Philadelphia and from afar form the Seaport up the Delaware River; almost like two faint, red candle-flames over the horizon, two candle flames of the memory and glory, a prayer that the wind of modern times will not peel off the colorful existence altogether.

In her 800 Transatlantic crossings over her seventeen year career ending in 1969 (about one crossing per week), notable politicians and celebrities enjoyed unparalleled luxury in her fast and graceful sliding over the ocean; Marlon Brando, Coco Chanel, Sean Connery, Gary Cooper, Walter Cronkite, Salvador Dali, Walt Disney, Duke Ellington, Judy Garland, Cary Grant, Charlton Heston, Bob Hope, Marilyn Monroe, Prince Rainier and Grace Kelly, Elizabeth Taylor, John Wayne, and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor are known to travelled with her. Four U.S. presidents sailed aboard SS United States overtime, Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, John Kennedy and Bill Clinton, the last as fresh graduate from Georgetown was on his way to study at Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar in 1968, one year before the retirement of the vessel. SS United States’ spare propeller, image (c) Basil Karatzas Ever since her retirement from active duty in 1969, the ship has been having a tumultuous life seeking a purpose and a permanent home; she has changed ownership several times since then, with buyers hoping to find commercial uses for her.

She was designed as a passenger liner vessel to travel fast and her conversion to a cruiseship or theme vessel or a floating hotel is not absolutely ideal, as she’s too narrow by her beam and her fuel consumption (replacing diesel powered steam turbines) will be high. She has been gutted internally and most of the asbestos has been removed, so she’s ready for her next development stage. There have been proposals for her to be developed as a museum or theme vessel and get relocated to major metropolitan areas, possibly New York, perhaps along the historic aircraft carrier Intrepid or find a place with Vision 2020: New York City Comprehensive Waterfront Plan. At present, the vessel is owned and controlled by the SS United States Conservancy ( ), an non-for-profit organization, under the leadership of Susan L. Gibbs, the granddaughter of ingenious William Francis Gibbs, the naval architect and marine engineer who designed SS United States (and also notably the vessels that would be known as ‘Liberty Ships’ during WWII.) Through sizeable donations and ongoing fund raising efforts, the Conservancy has kept a close watch over the vessel and her constant need for upkeep and continuous cleaning efforts.

However, a couple of recent proposals for the ship’s development have fallen apart, and the running costs of keeping the vessel at her present location is more than $60,000 per month. We have had the distinct honor to be invited recently by the SS United States Conservancy to board and tour the vessel, to be allowed to get a glimpse through history’s spider-webbed, broken glass of a porthole into another age and way of life. It was a breezy, sunny day in March after a long winter in Philadelphia and the Northeast; just to envision for a few hours the luxury ship built with military grade steel and aluminum superstructure careening effortlessly fast over the ocean, with Marilyn Monroe lingering on a chaise lounge chair on one of the sundecks portside and Salvador Dali pondering on surrealism by his cabin starboard, John Kennedy leaning over a book in the library while there was a stage performance in the theater abaft, it was indeed a unique invitation to have a front row viewing to a maritime and historical miracle, a project of supreme American engineering and soaring ambition, to a ship that links us to the roots of American maritime tradition which regrettably seems to slip further away from us by the day.

While ‘unsinkable’ RMS Titanic got crushed by fate soon in her maiden voyage, SS United States, more than sixty years after she was launched from a navy shipyard, still stands tall, a testament to her shipbuilder’s ambition for building a ship that ‘you cannot catch her, you cannot set her on fire and you cannot sink her’. ‘America’s Flagship’ has done her duty to her country and to her owners and her passengers, glamorous or not; she has served history well. We owe it to her to keep her afloat in glamor and perseverance, to get involved, to volunteer or donate for her maintenance until the right development is found for her. One can find more about the vessel and the Conservancy at and donations are strongly encouraged at or at The pictures taken during the recent visit are a testament to her magnificent structure and an invitation and challenge to see the ship restored to her past glory; we owe it to her! R.M.S. TITANIC - AN ELUSIVE TITANIC TURKISH BATH WEIGHT TICKET CONNECTED TO LIFEBOAT NO. 1, THE F In these Conditions: (a) “Auctioneer” means the firm of Henry Aldridge and Son.

(b) “deliberate forgery” means an imitation made with the intention of deceiving as to authorship, origin, date, age, period, culture or source but which is unequivocally described in the catalogue as being the work of a particular creator and which at the date of the sale had a value materially less than it would have had if it had been in accordance with the description; (c) “Hammer price” means the level of bidding reached (at or above any reserve) when the auctioneer brings down the hammer; (d) “Terms of consignment” means the stipulated terms and rates of commission on which Henry Aldridge and Son accepts instructions from sellers or their agents; (e) “total amount due” means the hammer price in respect of the lot sold together with any premium, Value Added Tax chargeable and any additional charges payable by a defaulting buyer under these Conditions; (f ) “sale proceeds” means the net amount due to the seller, being the hammer price of the lot sold less commission at the stated rate, Value Added Tax chargeable and any other amounts due to us by the seller in whatever capacity and however arising; (g) “You”, “Your”, etc.

refer to the buyer as identified in Condition 2. (h) The singular includes the plural and vice versa as appropriate. 2. Bidding procedures and the Buyer (a) Bidders are required to register their particulars before bidding and to satisfy any security arrangements before entering the auction room to view or bid; (b) the maker of the highest bid accepted by the auctioneer conducting the sale shall be the buyer at the hammer price and any dispute about a bid shall be settled at the auctioneer’s absolute discretion by reoffering the Lot during the course of the auction or otherwise. The auctioneer shall act reasonably in exercising this discretion. (c) Bidders shall be deemed to act as principals. (2) Our right to bid on behalf of the seller is expressly reserved up to the amount of any reserve and the right to refuse any bid is also reserved. 3. Increments. Bidding increments shall be at the auctioneer’s sole discretion. 4. The purchase price. Together with a premium thereon of 21% which shall include VAT on the premium at the rate imposed by law. The buyer will also be liable for any royalties payable under Droit de Suite as set out under Information for Buyers. 5. Value Added Tax.

Value Added Tax on the hammer price is imposed by law on all items affixed with an asterisk or double asterisk. Value Added Tax is charged at the appropriate rate prevailing by law at the date of sale and is payable by buyers of relevant Lots. (Please refer to “Information for Buyers” for a brief explanation of the VAT position). 6. Payment (1) Immediately a Lot is sold you will: (a) Give to us, if requested, proof of identity, and (b) Pay to us the total amount due or in such other way as is agreed by us. (2) Any payments by you to us may be applied by us towards any sums owing from you to us on any account whatever without regard to any directions of you or your agent, whether express or implied. (3) Buyers who utilise the services of ATG Live Auctions or any other live internet services are hereby informed that the payment method details that are provided to ATG Live Auctions or any other live internet services as part of the process of registration will, in the absence of compliance with paragraph (1) of this clause, be utilised by us to settle any amounts owing by such buyers to us. 7.

Title and collection of purchases (1) The ownership of any Lots purchased shall not pass to you until you have made payment in full to us of the total amount due. (2) You shall at your own risk and expense take away any lots that you have purchased and paid for not later than 5 working days following the day of the auction or upon the clearance of any cheque used for payment after which you shall be responsible for any removal, storage and insurance charges. (3) No purchase can be claimed or removed until it has been paid for. (4) Henry Aldridge and Son can only accommodate packing and shipping on paper and ephemera at their own discretion. For lots they are unable to provide this service for, successful buyers must make arrangements independently, though the saleroom may be able to suggest specialist shipping companies who can advise buyers, this advice is not a recommendation and the saleroom is not liable for any aspect of the packaging and shipping process. Please note that the cost of packaging and shipping depends on the size/weight of the item(s) purchased, insurance requirements, and the shipping destination, not on the value of the item(s) purchased.

Please note that any items not collected within one week of the sale date may be automatically removed to commercial storage and subject to a storage charge. Please note storage will be charged at £10 per week per item plus any costs incurred in the transportation of lots to a third party storage facility. In the event of item(s) not being collected within the alloted one week period Henry Aldridge and Son are not liable for any breakages or damage to the lot(s) in question. 8.

Remedies for non-payment or failure to collect purchases: (1) If any Lot is not paid for in full and taken away in accordance with these Conditions or if there is any other breach of these Conditions, we, as agent for the seller and on our own behalf, shall at our absolute discretion and without prejudice to any other rights we may have, be entitled to exercise one or more of the following rights and remedies: (a) To proceed against you for damages for breach of contract; (b) To rescind the sale of that Lot and/or any other Lots sold by us to you; (c) to resell the Lot (by auction or private treaty) in which case you shall be responsible for any resulting deficiency in the total amount due (after crediting any part payment and adding any resale costs).

Any surplus so arising shall belong to the seller; (d) To remove, store and insure the Lot at your expense and, in the case of storage, either at our premises or elsewhere; (e) To charge interest at a rate not exceeding 1.5% per month on the total amount due to the extent it remains unpaid for more than 7 working days after the sale; (f) To retain that or any other Lot sold to you until you pay the total amount due; (g) To reject or ignore bids from you or your agent at future auctions or to impose conditions before any such bids shall be accepted; (h) to apply any proceeds of sale of other Lots due or in future becoming due to you towards the settlement of the total amount due and to exercise a lien (that is a right to retain possession of ) any of your property in our possession for any purpose until the debt due is satisfied. (2) We shall, as agent for the seller and on our own behalf pursue these rights and remedies only so far as is reasonable to make appropriate recovery in respect of breach of these conditions 9. Third party liability.

All members of the public on our premises are there at their own risk and must note the lay-out of the accommodation and security arrangements. Accordingly neither the auctioneer nor our employees or agents shall incur liability for death or personal injury (except as required by law by reason of our negligence) or similarly for the safety of the property of persons visiting prior to or at a sale. 10. Commission bids. Whilst prospective buyers are strongly advised to attend the auction and are always responsible for any decision to bid for a particular Lot and shall be assumed to have carefully inspected and satisfied themselves as to its condition we will if so instructed clearly and in writing execute bids on their behalf. Neither the auctioneer nor our employees or agents shall be responsible for any failure to do so. Where two or more commission bids at the same level are recorded we reserve the right in our absolute discretion to prefer the first bid so made. 11. Warranty of title and availability. The seller warrants to the auctioneer and you that the seller is the true owner of the property consigned or is properly authorised by the true owner to consign for sale and is able to transfer good and marketable title to the property free from any third party claims. 12. Agency.

The auctioneer normally acts as agent only and disclaims any responsibility for default by sellers or buyers. 13. Terms of sale. The seller acknowledges that Lots are sold subject to the stipulations of these Conditions in their entirety and on the Terms of Consignment as notified to the consignor at the time of the entry of the Lot. 14. Descriptions and condition (1) Whilst we seek to describe lots accurately, it may be impractical for us to carry out exhaustive due diligence on each lot. Prospective buyers are given ample opportunities to view and inspect before any sale and they (and any independent experts on their behalf) must satisfy themselves as to the accuracy of any description applied to a lot. Prospective buyers also bid on the understanding that, inevitably, representations or statements by us as to authorship, genuineness, origin, date, age, provenance, condition or estimated selling price involve matters of opinion. We undertake that any such opinion shall be honestly and reasonably held and accept liability for opinions given negligently or fraudulently.

Subject to the foregoing neither we the auctioneer nor our employees or agents nor the seller accept liability for the correctness of such opinions and all conditions and warranties, whether relating to description, condition or quality of lots, express, implied or statutory, are hereby excluded. This Condition is subject to the next following Condition concerning deliberate forgeries and applies save as provided for in paragraph 6 “information to buyers”. (2) Private treaty sales made under these Conditions are deemed to be sales by auction for purposes of consumer legislation. 15. Forgeries. Notwithstanding the preceding Condition, any Lot which proves to be a deliberate forgery (as defined) may be returned to us by you within 28 days of the auction provided it is in the same condition as when bought, and is accompanied by particulars identifying it from the relevant catalogue description and a written statement of defects.

If we are satisfied from the evidence presented that the Lot is a deliberate forgery we shall refund the money paid by you for the Lot including any buyer’s premium provided that (1) if the catalogue description reflected the accepted view of scholars and experts as at the date of sale or (2) You personally are not able to transfer a good and marketable title to us, you shall have no rights under this condition. The right of return provided by this Condition is additional to any right or remedy provided by law or by these Conditions of Sale. General 16. We shall have the right at our discretion, to refuse admission to our premises or attendance at our auctions by any person. 17. (1) Any right to compensation for losses liabilities and expenses incurred in respect of and as a result of any breach of these Conditions and any exclusions provided by them shall be available to the seller and/or the auctioneer as appropriate. (2) Such rights and exclusions shall extend to and be deemed to be for the benefit of employees and agents of the seller and/or the auctioneer who may themselves enforce them. 18.

Any notice to any buyer, seller, bidder or viewer may be given by first class mail or email or in which case it shall be deemed to have been received by the addressee 48 hours after posting. 19. Special terms may be used in catalogue descriptions of particular classes of items in which case the descriptions must be interpreted in accordance with any glossary appearing at the commencement of the catalogue. 20. Any indulgence extended to bidders, buyers or sellers by us notwithstanding the strict terms of these Conditions or of the Terms of Consignment shall affect the position at the relevant time only and in respect of that particular concession only; in all other respects these Conditions shall be construed as having full force and effect. 21. English law applies to the interpretation of these Conditions. Description Auction Details Shipping T&Cs & Important Info R.M.S. TITANIC - AN ELUSIVE TITANIC TURKISH BATH WEIGHT TICKET CONNECTED TO LIFEBOAT NO.

1, THE FAMOUS "MONEY BOAT": An extremely rare, practically unique, ticket from the Weighing Chair in Titanic's Turkish Bath, 5/8" × 1-3/4", printed on both sides on heavy off white stock, belonging to First Class passenger Abraham Lincoln Salomon who survived in Lifeboat No. 1. Titanic's opulent Turkish Bath was located on F Deck. For a fee of four shillings, or one dollar, First Class passengers could treat themselves to a steam room, hot room, temperate room, shampooing room and a cooling room. The baths themselves were perhaps the most lavish of amenities aboard Titanic. Decorated in a Moorish theme that utilised blue and green tiles and "Cairo Curtains" that filtered the light from the portholes to convey "something of the grandeur of the mysterious East," according to White Star Line's promotional materials, the Turkish Bath was the ultimate in luxury. Among the Turkish Bath's amenities were heating beds that employed electric lamps and a weighing chair located within the cooling room. This chair was based on its manufacturer's model No.

S133; however, it had been customised for use on Titanic with a geometric design to match the Moorish decor of the room. Next to the chair was a device on which the weight would register. An attendant would then record the individual's weight in stones and pounds, along with the date, on a specially designed ticket, and hand it to the bather as a record they could keep. There was only a single place for a First Class passenger to obtain such a ticket on Titanic, the Turkish Bath. The custom weighing chair was manufactured by Henry Pooley & Son of Birmingham & London. The ticket boldly bears the company's name and location, noting that they were the sole makers of the device. On the reverse of the ticket is printed: "S.S. Titanic" and the headings "STONES" "LBS" and "DATE," with spaces to insert the indicated information after each heading. At some point, likely in the lifeboat, Salomon scrawled on the ticket the names of fellow First Class passengers Lady and Cosmo Duff-Gordon, and their maid, Laura Francatelli. This was possibly the only writing surface available to him at the time.

We are aware of only two other Turkish Bath weight tickets in existence. The first is a printer's sample, which was never on Titanic. It is in the collection of the now defunct Henry Pooley & Son and slated to be exhibited with the company's archives. The other can be seen in the book Titanic: Fortune and Fate (Simon and Schuster 1998) and is not attributed to anyone by name. It is part of a museum collection of Titanic artefacts in America. Lifeboat No. 1 was nicknamed 'The Money Boat' because of the affluent First Class passengers it carried, as well as the rumoured payments to the crew by the Duff Gordons for their purported agreement not to return to rescue survivors. In addition to Salomon and the Duff Gordon party, the occupants of Lifeboat No. 1 included only one other passenger (C. E.H. Stengel). While James Cameron explored Titanic's relatively well-preserved Turkish Baths for a 2005 documentary, there are no known images of the weighing chair on Titanic.

This is an exceptional opportunity to acquire one of the rarest of all things Titanic, meeting the requirements of the finest blue chip Titanic items: (1) It was onboard the ship; (2) It is connected with one of the most famous passengers or crew; (3) If the owner survived he/she did so in one of the "A-List" lifeboats connected to the above. "Titanic 401-104" An Auction of Titanic, White Star, Ocean Liner and Travel Memorabilia Sale Date(s) Wiltshire United Kingdom Other delivery options available from the auctioneer: We use Mailboxes Chippenham for our shipping requirements. They're happy to ship worldwide +44 (0) 1249 446 141 Important Information Buyers Premium: The purchaser shall pay the hammer price together with a premium of 17.5% of the hammer price on lots costing £500,000 and below. For lots costing over £500,000.01 Buyers Premium will be charged at 17.5% on the first £500,000 then at 15% on the excess.

The premium attracts VAT at the standard rate and is payable by all purchasers. Shipping: We use Mailboxes Chippenham for our shipping requirements. They're happy to ship worldwide +44 (0) 1249 446 141 Terms & Conditions These Conditions of Sale and Business constitute the contract between Henry Aldridge and Son (the “Auctioneer”) and the seller, on the one hand, and the buyer on the other. By bidding at the auction, you agree to be bound by these terms. INFORMATION FOR BUYERS 1. Introduction. The following informative notes are intended to assist Buyers, particularly those inexperienced or new to our salerooms. All sales are conducted on our printed Conditions of Sale which are readily available for inspection and normally accompany catalogues. Our staff will be happy to help you if there is anything you do not fully understand. 2. Agency. As auctioneers we usually contract as agents for the seller whose identity, for reasons of confidentiality, is not normally disclosed. Accordingly if you buy your primary contract is with the seller. 3. Estimates. Estimates are designed to help buyers gauge what sort of sum might be involved for the purchase of a particular lot.

The lower estimate may represent the reserve price and certainly will not be below it. Estimates do not include the Buyer’s Premium or VAT (where chargeable). Estimates are prepared some time before the sale and may be altered by announcement before the sale. They are in no sense definitive. 4. Buyer’s Premium. The buyer agrees to pay a buyer’s premium on the hammer price of each lot purchased. The buyer’s premium is 17.5% of the hammer price up to and including £500,000, 15% of the hammer price from £500,001 up to and including £1,000,000, and 10% of the hammer price in excess of £1,000,001. VAT at the prevailing rate of 20% is added to buyer’s premium and additional charges as defined below. 5. VAT. (*) indicates that VAT is payable by the purchaser at the standard rate (presently 20%) on the hammer price as well as being an element in the buyer’s premium.

This imposition of VAT is likely to be because the seller is registered for VAT within the European Union and is not operating the Dealers Margin Scheme or because VAT is due at 20% on importation into the UK. The double symbol (**) indicates that the lot has been imported from outside the European Union and the present position is that these lots are liable to a reduced rate of VAT (5%) on the gross lot price (i.e. both the hammer price and the buyer’s premium). Lots which appear without either of the above symbols indicate that no VAT is payable on the hammer price. This is because such lots are sold using the Auctioneers’ Margin Scheme it should be noted that the VAT included within the Premium is not recoverable as input tax. 6. Descriptions and Conditions. Condition reports are provided on our website or upon request. The absence of a report does not imply that a lot is without imperfections. The detail in a report will reflect the estimated value of the lot, and large numbers of such requests received shortly before the sale may not receive a response to all lots. Members of staff are not trained restorers or conservators and, particularly for higher value lots, you should obtain an opinion from such a professional.

We recommend that you always view a lot in person. We are, primarily, agents for the seller. We are dependent on information provided by the seller and whilst we may inspect lots and act reasonably in taking a general view about them we are normally unable to carry out a detailed or any examination of lots in order to ascertain their condition in the way in which it would be wise for a buyer to do. Intending buyers have ample opportunity for inspection of goods, therefore, accept responsibility for inspecting and investigating lots in which they may be interested. Please note carefully the exclusion of liability for the condition of lots contained in the Conditions of Sale. Neither the seller nor we, as the auctioneers, accept any responsibility for their condition. In particular, mechanical objects of any age are not guaranteed to be in working order. Additionally, in specified circumstances lots misdescribed because they are ‘deliberate forgeries’ may be returned and repayment made. There is a 3 week time limit. (The expression ‘deliberate forgery’ is defined in our Conditions of Sale). 7. Electrical goods. These are sold as ‘antiques’ only and if bought for use must be checked over for compliance with safety regulations by a qualified electrician first. 8.

Export of goods. Buyers intending to export goods should ascertain (a) whether an export licence is required and (b) whether there is any specific prohibition on importing goods of that character because, e.g. they may contain prohibited materials such as ivory. Ask us if you need assistance. 9. Bidding. Bidders are required to register before the sale commences and lots will be invoiced to the name and address on the registration form. Some form of identification may be required if you are unknown to us. Please enquire in advance about our arrangements for telephone bidding. 10. Commission bidding. Commission bids may be left with the auctioneers indicating the maximum amount to be bid excluding buyers’ premium. They will be executed as cheaply as possible having regard to the reserve (if any) and competing bids. If two buyers submit identical commission bids the auctioneers may prefer the first bid received. Please enquire in advance about our arrangements for the leaving of commission bids by telephone or fax. 11. Methods of Payment. The following methods of payment are acceptable. Debit Card drawn on a UK bank and registered to a UK billing address. There is no additional charge for purchases made with these cards.

Bank transfer direct into our bank account, all transfers must state the relevant sale number, lot number and your bid / paddle number. If transferring from a foreign currency, the amount we receive must be the total due in pounds sterling (after currency conversion and the deduction of any bank charges). Our bank details can be found on the front or your invoice Sterling cash payments of up to £10,000 (subject to money laundering regulations). All major UK issued credit cards registered to a UK billing address with the exception of American Express and Diners Club. A surcharge of 3% is payable on all payments made by credit cards. 12. Collection and storage. Please note what the Conditions of Sale state about collection and storage. It is important that goods are paid for and collected promptly. Any delay may involve the buyer in paying storage charges. 13. Droit de suite royalty charges.

From 1st January 2012 all UK art market professionals (which includes but is not limited to; auctioneers, dealers, galleries, agents and other intermediaries) are required to collect a royalty payment for all works of art that have been produced by qualifying artists each time a work is re-sold during the artist’s lifetime and for a period up to 70 years following the artists death. This payment is only calculated on qualifying works of art which are sold for a hammer price more than the UK sterling equivalent of EURO 1,000 – the UK sterling equivalent will fluctuate in line with prevailing exchange rates. It is entirely the responsibility of the buyer to acquaint himself with the precise EURO to UK Sterling exchange rate on the day of the sale in this regard, and the auctioneer accepts no responsibility whatsoever if the qualifying rate is different to the rate indicated. All items in this catalogue that are marked with δ are potentially qualifying items, and the royalty charge will be applied if the hammer price achieved is more than the UK sterling equivalent of EURO 1,000.The royalty charge will be added to all relevant buyers’ invoices, and must be paid before items can be cleared.

All royalty charges are passed on to the Design and Artists Copyright Society (‘DACS’), no handling costs or additional fees with respect to these charges will be retained by the auctioneers. The royalty charge that will be applied to qualifying items which achieve a hammer price of more than the UK sterling equivalent of EURO 1,000, but less than the UK sterling equivalent of EURO 50,000 is 4%. For qualifying items that sell for more than the UK sterling equivalent of EURO 50,000 a sliding scale of royalty charges will apply – for a complete list of the royalty charges and threshold levels, please see There is no VAT payable on this royalty charge. ONLINE BIDDING Henry Aldridge and Son offers an online bidding service via the-saleroom.com for bidders who cannot attend the sale. In completing the bidder registration on and providing your credit card details and unless alternative arrangements are agreed with Henry Aldridge and Son. 1.

You authorise Henry Aldridge and Son, if they so wish, to charge the credit card given in part or full payment, including all fees, for items successfully purchased in the auction via the-saleroom.com, and confirm that you are authorised to provide these credit card details to Henry Aldridge and Son through and agree that Henry Aldridge and Son are entitled to ship the goods to the card holder name and card holder address provided in fulfilment of the sale. Please note that any lots purchased via the-saleroom.com live auction service will be subject to an additional 3% commission charge + VAT at the rate imposed on the hammer price TERMS OF CONSIGNMENT FOR SELLERS 1. Interpretation. In these Terms the words ‘you’, ‘yours’, etc. refer to the Seller and if the consignment of goods to us is made by an agent we assume that the Seller has authorised the consignment and that the consignor has the Seller’s authority to contract. Similarly the words ‘we’, ‘us’, etc. refer to the Auctioneers. 2. Warranty.

The Seller warrants that possession in the lots can be transferred to the Buyer with good and marketable title, free from any third party right and encumbrances, claims or potential claims. The Seller has provided all information concerning the items ownership, condition and provenance, attribution, authenticity, import or export history and of any concerns expressed by third parties concerning the same. 3. All commissions and fees are subject to VAT at the prevailing rate. 4. Commission is charged to sellers at the following rates, please enquire at our auction rooms. 5. Removal costs. Items for sale must be consigned to the saleroom by any stated deadline and at your expense. We may be able to assist you with this process but any liability incurred to a carrier for haulage charges is solely your responsibility. 6. Loss and damage of goods. (a) Loss and Damage Warranty – Henry Aldridge and Son are not authorised by the FSA to provide insurance to its clients, and does not do so. However Henry Aldridge and Son for its own protection, assumes liability for property consigned to it at the lower pre-sale estimate until the hammer falls.

To justify accepting liability, Henry Aldridge and Son make a charge of 1.5% of the hammer price plus VAT, subject to a minimum charge of £1.50, or if unsold 1.5% of our lower estimate. The liability assumed by Henry Aldridge and Son shall be limited to the lower pre- sale estimate or the hammer price if the lot is sold. (b) If the owner of the goods consigned instructs us in writing not to take such action, the goods then remain entirely at the owners risk unless and until the property in them passes to the Buyer or they are collected by or on behalf of the owner, and clause 6 (a) is inapplicable. 7. Illustrations. The cost of any illustrations is borne by you. If we consider that the Lot should be illustrated your permission will be asked first. The copyright in respect of such illustrations shall be the property of us, the auctioneers, as is the text of the catalogue. 8. Minimum bids and our discretion. Goods will normally be offered subject to a reserve agreed between us before the sale in accordance with clause 9.

We may sell Lots below the reserve provided we account to you for the same sale proceeds as you would have received had the reserve been the hammer price. If you specifically give us a “discretion” we may accept a bid of up to 10% below the formal reserve. 9. Reserves. (a) You are entitled to place prior to the auction a reserve on any lot consigned, being the minimum hammer price at which that lot may be sold. Reserves must be reasonable and we may decline to offer goods which in our opinion would be subject to an unreasonably high reserve (in which case goods carry the storage and loss and damage warranty charges stipulated in these Terms of Consignment). (b) A reserve once set cannot be changed except with our consent. (c) Where a reserve has been placed only we may bid on your behalf and only up to the reserve (if any) and you may in no circumstances bid personally or instruct any person to bid on your behalf. (d) Reserves are not usually accepted for lots expected to realise below £100 10. Electrical items. These are subject to detailed statutory safety controls. Where such items are accepted for sale you accept responsibility for the cost of testing by external contractors.

Goods not certified as safe by an electrician (unless antiques) will not be accepted for sale. They must be removed at your expense on your being notified. We reserve the right to dispose of unsafe goods as refuse, at your expense. 11. Soft furnishings. Soft furnishings. The sale of soft furnishings is strictly regulated by statute law in the interests of fire safety. Goods found to infringe safety regulations will not be offered and must be removed at your expense. We reserve the right to dispose of unsafe goods as refuse, at your expense. The rights of disposal referred to in clause 10 and 11 are subject to the provisions of The Torts (Interference with Goods) Act 1977, Schedule 1, a copy of which is available for inspection on request. 12. Descriptions. Please assist us with accurate information as to the provenance etc. of goods where this is relevant. There is strict liability for the accuracy of descriptions under modern consumer legislation and in some circumstances responsibility lies with sellers if inaccuracies occur. We will assume that you have approved the catalogue description of your lots unless informed to the contrary.

Where we are obliged to return the price to the buyer when the lot is a deliberate forgery under Condition 15 of the Conditions of Sale and we have accounted to you for the proceeds of sale you agree to reimburse us the sale proceeds. 13. Unsold. If an item is unsold it may at our discretion be re-offered at a future sale. Where in our opinion an item is unsaleable you must collect such items from the saleroom promptly on being so informed. Otherwise, storage charges may be incurred. We reserve the right to charge for storage in these circumstances at a reasonable daily rate. 14. Withdrawn and bought in items. These are liable to incur a charge of 15% commission, 1.5 % Loss and Damage Warranty and any other costs incurred including but not limited to illustration and restoration fees all of these charges being subject to VAT on being bought in or withdrawn after being catalogued. 15. Conditions of Sale. You agree that all goods will be sold on our Conditions of Sale. In particular you undertake that you have the right to sell the goods either as owner or agent for the owner.

You undertake to compensate us and any buyer or third party for all losses liabilities and expenses incurred in respect of and as a result of any breach of this undertaking. We will also, at our discretion, and as far as practicable, confirm that an item consigned for sale does not appear on the Art Loss register, which is administered by an independent third party. 16. Authority to deduct commission and expenses and retain premium and interest. (a) You authorise us to deduct commission at the stated rate and all expenses incurred for your account from the hammer price and consent to our right to retain beneficially the premium paid by the buyer in accordance with our Conditions of Sale and any interest earned on the sale proceeds until the date of settlement. (b) You authorise us in our discretion to negotiate a sale by private treaty not later than the close of business 72 hours after the day of sale in the case of lots unsold at auction, in which case the same charges will be payable as if such lots had been sold at auction and so far as appropriate these Terms apply. 17. Warehousing.

We disclaim all liability for goods delivered to our saleroom without sufficient sale instructions and reserve the right to make minimum warehousing charge of £10 per lot per day. Unsold lots are subject to the same charges if you do not remove them within a reasonable time of notification. If not removed within three weeks we reserve the right to sell them and defray charges from any net proceeds of sale or at your expense to consign them to the local authority for disposal. 18. Settlement. After sale settlement of the net sum due to you normally takes place within 21 Working days of the sale (by crossed cheque to the seller) or via bank transfer if specified unless the buyer has not paid for the goods. In this case no settlement will then be made but we will take your instructions in the light of our Conditions of Sale. You authorise any sums owed by you to us on other transactions to be deducted from the sale proceeds. You must note the liability to reimburse the proceeds of sale to us as under the circumstances provided for in Condition 12 above. You should therefore bear this potential liability in mind before parting with the proceeds of sale until the expiry of 28 days from the date of sale.

CONDITIONS OF SALE Henry Aldridge and Son carries on business with bidders, buyers and all those present in the auction room prior to or in connection with a sale on the following General Conditions and on such other terms, conditions and notices as may be referred to herein. 1. Definitions Save SS ‘United States’, called ‘America’s Flagship’ | Full Steam Ahead! The Maritime Blog Full Steam Ahead! The Maritime Blog 4 Replies She was built as an unsinkable ship, a claim allegedly attributed to Bruce Ismay, the managing partner of the White Star Line, the direct shipowning company of the famous RMS Titanic. The year was 1912, and liner companies were in fierce competition with each other for the Transatlantic passenger trade. Fate would not be kind to Ismay and RMS Titanic as both soon floundered spectacularly, both literally and metaphorically. Forward Portside View of SS United States Four decades later, a longer, beamier, stronger, more powerful passenger vessel would be built in the US at the Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company in Virginia for the same trade.

Like RMS Titanic, her maiden voyage made great news as well at the time as she crossed eastbound the Atlantic Ocean in record time of about three days and eleven hours. Soon thereafter, she pulverized the record for the more challenging westbound leg of the Transatlantic trip with a record of about three days and twelve hours. She earned the Blue Riband, the trophy for the fastest average cruising speed on both directions of the round Transatlantic voyage, a record that she still holds today, six decades later. Now, an arthritic, gracious, old lady past her prime and with the memory token of the trophy misplaced somewhere in the attic that today’s grandchildren of history would barely care getting bothered about. The name of the distinguished old lady is SS United States and her figurative attic is Pier 82 on the Delaware River in Philadelphia. Ship’s badge: SS United States Her speed may have placed her name on the record books, but she has been a remarkable ship in more ways than one. With 990 ft length overall, she was 110 ft longer than RMS Titanic and well within comparison to the 1,000-ft length commanded by today’s supertankers and monster containerships.

Despite her length, her beam was kept narrow at 101 ft so that she could pass gracefully through the Panama Canal if her voyage called for it. Her steam turbines were capable of producing 248,000 shaft horsepower (SHP) – more than twice the power of today’s either typical supertanker or a two-engined Boeing 777 airplane. She brought the Blue Riband to American shores from Queen Mary by sailing as fast as almost 36 knots (approximately41 mph), which is believed to be even today the fastest crossing of the Atlantic Ocean in both directions by a standard mono-hull, merchant vessel. Last decade, when the world economies were growing robustly and just in time inventory was in vogue, containerships – the fastest commercial vessels these days – were crossing the oceans at twenty-four knots maximum speed, while in today’s anemic economic environment and high bunkering fuel cost, the fastest containeships typically slow steam at sixteen knots. Cruiseships are capable of achieving close to thirty knots, but usually barely sail above twenty knots in order to economize on fuel expense.

Being built after RMS Titanic’s tragedy, the International Convention for Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) in 1914, and after her sistership SS Olympia, SS United States was an embodiment to prevention and safety in the event of unforeseen events. Where first class cabins used to be – SS United States The vessel was launched in 1952 at a contract price of $78 million, or approximately $690 million in today’s purchasing power.

With 4,060 berths, her contract price was 50% more expensive than today’s cruiseships (though she was a different, now extinct ‘asset class’, an ‘ocean liner’); efficiencies in shipbuilding can attribute to savings, but SS United States was distinctly a luxury vessel with half of her passengers traveling in first class (versus one-third of RMS Titanic) and she had one crew member for every two passengers (versus one crew member for every three passengers on RMS Titanic.) The high cost of the vessel was also partially attributed to increased specifications for military use, as less than a decade after World War II and with Cold War just settling in when she was built, the US government wanted access to passenger vessels in order to move rapidly military troops worldwide in case of military action. Although the vessel could accommodate up to three thousand passengers on a commercial voyage, five times as many (15,000) soldiers would be transported on one of the vessel’s military trips. As such, the vessel’s hull was built with re-enforced steel in order to sustain hostile fire and she was heavily compartmentalized with water-tight doors and bulkheads in order to prevent heavy flooding.

For the right of having access to the vessel in time of emergency, the US Navy paid $50 million of the contract price, while $28 million was paid by her official shipowner and manager, the now defunct United States Lines (signage of the company can be seen today along the Chelsea Piers on the Hudson River in Manhattan.) Pioneering luxury: swimming pool onboard with layer of beach sand all around! There were twenty-two decks and plentiful luxurious common areas for the enjoyment of her privileged passengers, amenities such as indoor and outdoor promenades and sundecks, huge library with high ceilings and large, sunny windows in the front of the ship, ball room and dance floor with a dome structure, theater stage, tennis court, an elevator to the the master staircase, a luxurious bar opening to the sun deck in the rear of the vessel, a swimming pool complete with sand around it for the passenger’s enjoyment.

All such luxury had to be dispensed without the presence of wood onboard the vessel in order to avoid fires; extensive use of aluminum substituted for wood, and Steinway himself had to demonstrate that the specially made piano for the ship was fire proof indeed and could actually cannot be set on fire (the piano and the butcher’s block were the only two wooden pieces ever allowed onboard.) Forward funnel, radar and crow’s nest – SS United States Two 65-ft tall, brilliantly red-painted funnels with small wings and gently leaning backwards, with a white stripe on top in parallel to a white stripe along the upper end of a black-painted hull, and almost a vertically raked bow and round ‘spoon shaped’ stern typical for ocean liners of that age, SS United States was cutting a graceful figure over the water and on the horizon and her New York City port calls have been immortalized on numerous post cards.

Even today, the fainted red color of the two funnels is an eye-catcher when one is crossing the bridge approaching Philadelphia and from afar form the Seaport up the Delaware River; almost like two faint, red candle-flames over the horizon, two candle flames of the memory and glory, a prayer that the wind of modern times will not peel off the colorful existence altogether. Funnels – SS United States In her 800 Transatlantic crossings over her seventeen year career ending in 1969 (about one crossing per week), notable politicians and celebrities enjoyed unparalleled luxury in her fast and graceful sliding over the ocean; Marlon Brando, Coco Chanel, Sean Connery, Gary Cooper, Walter Cronkite, Salvador Dali, Walt Disney, Duke Ellington, Judy Garland, Cary Grant, Charlton Heston, Bob Hope, Marilyn Monroe, Prince Rainier and Grace Kelly, Elizabeth Taylor, John Wayne, and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor are known to travelled with her. Four U.S.

presidents sailed aboard SS United States overtime, Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, John Kennedy and Bill Clinton, the last as fresh graduate from Georgetown was on his way to study at Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar in 1968, one year before the retirement of the vessel. Indoors promenade: SS United States Ever since her retirement from active duty in 1969, the ship has been having a tumultuous life seeking a purpose and a permanent home; she has changed ownership several times since then, with buyers hoping to find commercial uses for her. She was designed as a passenger liner vessel to travel fast and her conversion to a cruiseship or theme vessel or a floating hotel is not absolutely ideal, as she’s too narrow by her beam and her fuel consumption (replacing diesel powered steam turbines) will be high. She has been gutted internally and most of the asbestos has been removed, so she’s ready for her next development stage. There have been proposals for her to be developed as a museum or theme vessel and get relocated to major metropolitan areas, possibly New York, perhaps along the historic aircraft carrier Intrepid or find a place with Vision 2020: New York City Comprehensive Waterfront Plan.

Stern – SS United States registered with New York as her homeport At present, the vessel is owned and controlled by the SS United States Conservancy ( ), an non-for-profit organization, under the leadership of Susan L. Gibbs, the granddaughter of ingenious William Francis Gibbs, the naval architect and marine engineer who designed SS United States (and also notably the vessels that would be known as ‘Liberty Ships’ during WWII.) Through sizeable donations and ongoing fund raising efforts, the Conservancy has kept a close watch over the vessel and her constant need for upkeep and continuous cleaning efforts. However, a couple of recent proposals for the ship’s development have fallen apart, and the running costs of keeping the vessel at her present location is more than $60,000 per month. We have had the distinct honor to be invited recently by the SS United States Conservancy to board and tour the vessel, to be allowed to get a glimpse through history’s spider-webbed, broken glass of a porthole into another age and way of life.

It was a breezy, sunny day in March after a long winter in Philadelphia and the Northeast; just to envision for a few hours the luxury ship built with military grade steel and aluminum superstructure careening effortlessly fast over the ocean, with Marilyn Monroe lingering on a chaise lounge chair on one of the sundecks portside and Salvador Dali pondering on surrealism by his cabin starboard, John Kennedy leaning over a book in the library while there was a stage performance in the theater abaft, it was indeed a unique invitation to have a front row viewing to a maritime and historical miracle, a project of supreme American engineering and soaring ambition, to a ship that links us to the roots of American maritime tradition which regrettably seems to slip further away from us by the day. While ‘unsinkable’ RMS Titanic got crushed by fate soon in her maiden voyage, SS United States, more than sixty years after she was launched from a navy shipyard, still stands tall, a testament to her shipbuilder’s ambition for building a ship that ‘you cannot catch her, you cannot set her on fire and you cannot sink her’. Save SS United States!

‘America’s Flagship’ has done her duty to her country and to her owners and her passengers, glamorous or not; she has served history well. We owe it to her to keep her afloat in glamor and perseverance, to get involved, to volunteer or donate for her maintenance until the right development is found for her. One can find more about the vessel and the Conservancy at and donations are strongly encouraged at or at The pictures taken during the recent visit are a testament to her magnificent structure and an invitation and challenge to see the ship restored to her past glory; we owe it to her! © 2013-2014 Basil M Karatzas & Karatzas Marine Advisors & Co . All Rights Reserved. IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: Access to this blog signifies the reader’s irrevocable acceptance of this disclaimer. No part of this blog can be reproduced by any means and under any circumstances, whatsoever, in whole or in part, without proper attribution or the consent of the copyright and trademark holders of this website.

Whilst every effort has been made to ensure that information here within has been received from sources believed to be reliable and such information is believed to be accurate at the time of publishing, no warranties or assurances whatsoever are made in reference to accuracy or completeness of said information, and no liability whatsoever will be accepted for taking or failing to take any action upon any information contained in any part of this website. Thank you for the consideration.

Question: Which now defunct company operated the luxury liner Titanic?
Answer: White Star