A life jacket worn by a survivor of the ill-fated RMS Titanic has been sold at auction for £670,000 (approximately $906,000), underscoring the enduring global fascination with the 1912 maritime disaster. The rare artifact was auctioned on Saturday by Henry Aldridge & Son in Devizes, western England, far exceeding its pre-sale estimate of £250,000 to £350,000.

The flotation device belonged to Laura Mabel Francatelli, a first-class passenger who escaped the sinking vessel aboard a lifeboat. The life jacket is particularly notable for bearing signatures from Francatelli and other survivors who shared the same lifeboat, adding to its historical and emotional value.

The auction also featured other memorabilia from the Titanic. A seat cushion believed to have come from one of the ship’s lifeboats sold for £390,000 (about $527,000) to owners of Titanic museums in the United States. Both sale prices included the buyer’s premium, a standard auction-house fee.

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According to auctioneer Andrew Aldridge, the record-breaking figures highlight the continued public interest in the Titanic and the stories of those who experienced its tragic voyage. He noted that such artifacts serve as tangible connections to the lives of passengers and crew whose experiences remain deeply embedded in history.

The Titanic, once billed as the world’s most luxurious and “unsinkable” ocean liner, struck an iceberg during its maiden voyage from England to New York and sank in the early hours of April 15, 1912. The disaster claimed approximately 1,500 lives out of more than 2,200 passengers and crew, making it one of the deadliest peacetime maritime tragedies.

Francatelli had been traveling with fashion designer Lucy Duff Gordon and her husband Cosmo Duff Gordon. All three survived aboard lifeboat No. 1, which departed with only 12 people despite having capacity for 40—a decision that later sparked controversy when the boat failed to return to rescue others in the freezing waters.

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