Letters from Titanic's second-in-command who "had queer feelings" about doomed ship are sold

Private correspondence from the second-in-command officer on the ill-fated Titanic ocean liner was sold Saturday for more than 25,000 U.S. dollars.

Private archive of correspondence from Henry Wilde revealed his feelings about being transferred at the last minute to serve on what had been described as the unsinkable Titanic.

Auctioneers Henry Aldridge and Son's from Devizes in Wiltshire auctioned the unique archive of letters from Henry Wilde, chief officer and second in command on the Titanic which sank after hitting an iceberg in 1912.

Wilde famously wrote to his sister while on board the Titanic on its maiden voyage and posted when the ship called at Queenstown in Ireland, its last port of call before heading for New York.

Wilde, aged 38, wrote that he had misgivings about the Titanic, saying "I still don't like this ship... I have a queer feeling about it." Within days, on April 15, he was one of the 1,500 who perished when the ship sank.

The archive of letters covered the 20 years Wilde worked with the White Star Line, based in his home city of Liverpool.

Auctioneer Andrew Aldridge said: "The archive is of unparalleled importance to both collectors and historians alike as it gives an unprecedented snapshot into the professional life of the second most senior officer on board Titanic."

The archive was one of over 250 lots of Titanic, White Star and Ocean liner items sold at Saturday's auction. The collection, sold in four separate lots, was bought by collectors in Britain and overseas. Endit