The gold pocket watch given to the ship captain who saved 700 survivors of the Titanic was sold at auction for nearly 2 million dollars, breaking a record as a souvenir from the shipwreck.

18 carat Tiffany & Co. His watch was given to Captain Arthur Rostron by three surviving women for diverting the passenger liner RMS Carpathia to save themselves and others after the Titanic hit an iceberg and sank on its first ship in the North Atlantic. The journey in 1912.

Auctioneer Henry Aldridge and Son, who sold the watch to a private collector in the US for £1.56 million on Saturday, said it was the highest paid for a piece of Titanic memorabilia. The price includes taxes and duties paid by the buyer.

The watch was given to Rostron by the widow of John Jacob Astor, the richest man killed in the disaster, and the widows of two other wealthy businessmen who went down with the ship.

The pocket watch found on Astor’s body when he was found seven days after the ship sank had previously broken the record for the highest price paid for a Titanic souvenir, fetching around $1.5 million (£1.17 million) from the same auction house. April.

Auctioneer Andrew Aldridge said the fact that Titanic memorabilia broke two records this year showed the enduring fascination with the story and the value of dwindling supply and high demand for ship artifacts.

“Every man, woman and child had a story to tell, and those stories are being told through memorabilia more than a century later,” he said.

Rostron was hailed as a hero for his actions on the night the Titanic sank, and his crew was recognized for their bravery.

In the early hours of April 15, 1912, the Carpathia was sailing from New York to the Mediterranean when a radio operator heard a distress call from the Titanic and woke Rostron in his cabin. He turned his boat around and headed towards the stricken ship at full speed, wading through the icebergs to get there.

When the Carpathia arrived, the Titanic sank and 1,500 people died. However, the crew found 20 lifeboats and rescued more than 700 passengers and took them back to New York.

Rostron was awarded the US Congressional Gold Medal by President William Howard Taft and was later knighted by King George V.

Madeleine Astor, who was put into a lifeboat by her husband, presented the watch to Rostron at a luncheon at her mansion on Fifth Avenue in New York.

The inscription states that this was granted “with the heartfelt gratitude and appreciation of the three survivors.” Besides Astor’s married name, it also lists Mrs. John B. Thayer and Mrs. George D. Widener.

“This award is presented primarily out of gratitude for Rostron’s courage in saving these lives,” Aldridge said. “These 700 people wouldn’t have made it if it wasn’t for Mr. Rostron.”