Beschreibung:

R.M.S. OLYMPIC/TITANIC - BELFAST TITANIC-OLYMPIC HARLAND & WOLFF COLLECTION RIVET Charlotte E. Irwin (née Brennan) was 20 years old and a secretary at the drafting offices at Harland & Wolff when Titanic was being built. During her tenure, she was privy to much of the day-to-day workings of the Olympic Class liners and acquired simply stellar original snapshot photographs of the people and places important in Titanic's construction and launch. These items were acquired via descent by Ms. Irwin's daughter, who passed away last year. In its April 2016 auction Henry Aldridge & Son was privileged to offer Irwin's Titanic VIP Launch ticket stub and a unique photograph of the Harland and Wolff drawing room with the Titanic model in attendance! We are now delighted to offer this exceptionally well-provenanced original rivet head from the Olympic. On September 20th 1911 Olympic was in a collision with the H.M.S. Hawke off the Isle of Wight requiring her to return to Belfast for repairs. February 1912 would also see the Olympic back in Belfast for repairs. These incidents required workers assigned to Titanic's construction to divert their attention to Olympic causing a delay in Titanic's completion. Irwin had written a letter explaining that she was present for the launches of Titanic and Olympic and how she received this rivet head in 1912 when it was still "red hot." Rivets are heated as part of the construction process before they are placed in the steel hull plates. We know of no example of any rivet head with such exceptional provenance as it comes from the family of the employee who obtained it at the time. Also, the lot is accompanied by the original handwritten letter signed by the very Harland and Wolff employee who acquired it while it was still hot! The rivet head measures approximately 2½ins. long and is quite heavy for its size. R.M.S. TITANIC: A unique archive of letters that represent a priceless insight into the life and career of Titanic 's Chief officer Henry Tingle Wilde from his early days with the White Star Line through to the final letter he wrote before boarding the Titanic. Mr Wilde grew up in Walton, Liverpool and went to sea as a young man serving his apprenticeship on the sailing vessels of Messrs. James Chambers & Co., Liverpool. After gaining his second mate's certificate, he joined the Maranhan Steamship Company as a second officer. He soon obtained his masters certificate, and joined the White Star Line as a junior officer. Wilde served on a number of White Star Line ships, mainly in the Liverpool to New York, and Australian routes. These included the Arabic (June to October 1905), Celtic (December 1905 to April 1906), Medic (September 1906 to April 1908) and the Cymric (June to September 1908). Wilde held the extra masters certificate and was a Lieutenant in the Royal Naval Reserve. In 1911 he became Chief Officer of the Olympic and was aboard that vessel, under the command of Captain Edward John Smith when she was in collision with H.M.S. Hawke on 20th September 1911. In 1912 Henry Tingle Wilde was living at 25 Grey Road, Walton, Liverpool. His wife had died on 24th December, 1910 and their twin sons died in infancy, also in December 1910. S. Wilde had four surviving children: Jane, Harry, Arnold and Nancy and a sister Mrs Williams (Wilde). In April 1912 Wilde may have been expecting to remain as Chief Officer on the Olympic under her new skipper Captain Herbert James Haddock but instead he was posted to Southampton to await orders. On April 3rd 1912 the Olympic sailed out of Southampton; although it was Haddock's first command of a vessel so large as the Olympic he had been deprived of his Chief Officer, his First Officer William Murdoch, Chief Engineer Joseph Bell, Chief Surgeon William O'Loughlin and Chief Purser Hugh McElroy as well as a great number of less senior crew. It seems likely that Wilde was originally posted by the company's marine superintendent for his own command, probably one of Whi