A letter from a lucky Titanic survivor describing the ‘near miss’ moment on 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 dock at Southampton, Hants.
The wash caused by the massive ship caused the SS New York to break free from its moorings and set adrift.
The two ships collided within a few feet of each other before tugs pushed the Titanic free.
Had they touched, the Titanic’s departure would have been delayed and it would never have hit the iceberg that sank her four days later with the loss of 1,522 lives.
Stanley May’s letter dated April 11, 1912 – he was one of the survivors and spent only 24 hours on the Titanic
During his short time on board, he wrote a letter home to his daughters, Hilda and Gladys
Stanley May, center right, his brother Dick, left, their sister Lily Odell and cousin Jack on the deck of the Titanic
Mr May spent 24 hours on the Titanic from its departure from Southampton to its final port of call in Cobh, Ireland.
He and his family left to enjoy a driving holiday around the Emerald Isle.
During his brief time on board, he wrote a letter home to his daughters, Hilda and Gladys, describing the short but eventful journey.
He explained that the Titanic arrived late in Cherbourg, France, “due to an accident shortly after takeoff.”
He wrote: “New York broke free from her moorings and drifted towards the Titanic and as she had not taken off she was in a very lifeless condition anyway tugs rescued her and no great damage was done but I am afraid a lot of people might have been injured by the broken ropes, but we won’t hear it until we land.’
Mr May, a first class passenger, went on to describe the luxury liner as a ‘palace’.
He added: “We’ve had a very nice trip and will be leaving the ship (or rather it’s more like a palace) in a few hours.”
He ended the letter by telling his daughters that he had sent them a booklet of Titanic postcards that he had bought on board as a souvenir.
The two-page letter is now on sale at Henry Aldridge & Son Auctioneers in Devizes, Wilts, and will go on sale Saturday.
Andrew Aldridge said: ‘It’s a fascinating letter that gives a very good first-hand account of the New York incident.
RMS Titanic, right, leaving Southampton alongside, centre, RMS New York and left. RMS Oceanic
A tugboat leads the RMS Titanic from Southampton – the images are not sold at auction
A photo from Stanley May’s scrapbook – sat in his vacation rental car, oblivious to his narrow escape from death
“You can see from Stanley’s letter that it was a real sliding-doors moment. He describes it as an ‘accident’ and how the Titanic was saved from damage.
“You get the feeling it was a near miss. Had there been a collision, it would not have been terminal, but it would have delayed the Titanic’s departure by a few hours or more.
If that had happened, the iceberg that hit the Titanic would have drifted out of its path by the time it reached that part of the North Atlantic.
“Luckily, Stanley May and his family escaped and got off in Ireland.”
Mr May was an architect from Middlesex. He was traveling as a first class passenger with brother Richard, sister Lily Odell and cousin Jack Odell.
The family left the Titanic on April 11, 1912. The ‘unsinkable’ ship hit the iceberg on the evening of April 14 and sank at 2:20 am on April 15.
