Titanic inquiry plan set for $165,000 Henry Aldridge & Son auction in May

A plan of the Titanic used in the inquest into its sinking in 1912 is coming to auction later this year.

Valued at £100,000, the 33-foot long technical drawing is marked with arrows and notes, depicting where survivors of the disaster thought the iceberg had struck.

It was used in the British Board of Trade's inquiry between May and July 1912, which began just weeks after the disaster.

96 witnesses were called to the investigation, including crew members and maritime experts, which concluded that excessive speed was to blame.

Only three passengers were questioned - all of them first class travellers.

The plan will go on display at Belfast City Hall over the Easter weekend before being sold by auctioneer Henry Aldridge & Son on May 28.

No second or third class passengers were questioned at the inquest

Alan Aldridge of the auction house told the Belfast Telegraph: "The plan was very crucial to the inquiry, as important as anybody who gave evidence to it; and none of them are around any more."

Regular readers will know that collectibles from the tragedy are highly prized by investors. A third class menu sold for $44,650 at Bonhams in 2005.

Around 5,500 historic objects have been recovered from the wreck, following its discovery in 1985.