Plan of Titanic sells at auction for £195,000

A plan of the Titanic used during the investigation into the ship’s sinking in 1912 has been auctioned for nearly £200,000.

The 32-foot (9.7m) cross-section plan fetched £195,000 from a UK buyer when it went under the hammer on Saturday.

The extraordinary plan was used by witnesses and experts to determine the cause of the tragedy and even includes original chalk markings showing what happened.

The huge canvas-mounted drawing was so central to the investigation that it was hung in the official hearing room for constant reference by witnesses.

The hand-drawn plan of the Titanic was created by the architects of the White Star Line for the British 1912 inquiry into the ship’s sinking just weeks after the disaster.

It allowed the 96 summoned witnesses to point to different parts of the ship with a pointer.

After the investigation concluded that the ship’s loss had been caused by “overspeeding,” the plan was returned to White Star.

In 2011 it was bought by a private collector for £220,000, which was a world record for Titanic memorabilia at the time.

It has been on public display in Belfast since 2012 and has been seen by millions of people.

The plan was put up for sale alongside a host of other Titanic memorabilia, with a £60,000 accommodating plan for the ship being picked up.

Meanwhile, a mural of the RMS Queen Mary has sold for £55,000.

Auctioneer Andrew Aldridge of Henry Aldridge & Son said: “We were delighted with the auction, the prices reflect the rarity of the material being auctioned but also the enduring appeal of the Titanic story.

“She sank 111 years ago, but the memory of those passengers and crew lives on through the memorabilia.”