Titanic Iceberg Artefact

You are bidding for an authenticated cube of ice (approc 8cc - 4cm x 2cm x 1cm) in a sealed container with commemorative Titanic label.

This ice is authenticated as a sample being very similar to the ice from the original iceberg that was struck by the Titanic at 11.40pm on 14 April 1912 and finally sinking the ill fated ship at 2.20am on 15 April.

More than 1,500 of the 2,208 passengers died.

Some facts about the iceberg.

There were 6 ice warnings received by Titanic on the day of the collision. They were all ignored by the wireless operator who was preoccupied with transmitting passenger messages.

On the night of the collision, because the moon was not out, and the water was so still, it was very difficult to see the iceberg. A less calm water would have caused breakers around the iceberg making it easier to see it from afar.

The iceberg that the Titanic struck was not a very big one. It did not even come up as high as the bridge of the ship. Some of the ice fell on to the second class deck and was collected by second class passengers who were on deck at the time. The ice you are bidding for has a similar chemical make up to that of the original ice collected and preserved on that night.

The iceberg that the Titanic struck was unusual in such a way that it was not white like most others, but more of a clear look caused by continuous melting. The clear surface in effect reflected the dark night sky and water like a mirror, thereby making it a black object, almost impossible to see from a certain distance. The term for this kind of iceberg is "blackberg", and is similar to the black ice found on cold icy roads.

An iceberg exposes only 1/10th of it's mass above water. With the other 9/10ths of it's mass below water, It makes them impossible to budge. Even with a force of a ship like the Titanic.

The item is for collection only and would need to be stored in a vacuum to avoid melting.

Proceeds made from this auction will be presented to CAFOD's "Thirst for Change Campaign"; http://www.cafod.org.uk/thirst  and The RNLI - Royal National Lifeboat Institution.