Rare Titanic life jacket worn by survivor to be auctioned

London. A life jacket worn by a survivor of the infamous 1912 RMS Titanic maritime disaster is set to be auctioned for the first time.

 The auction is being described as a once-in-a-generation opportunity. According to the British auction house Henry Aldridge & Son, the jacket is estimated to sell for between 250,000 and 350,000 pounds. 

The jacket was worn by Laura Mabel Francatelli, a first-class passenger on the Titanic. She was traveling to Chicago as a secretary to the famous fashion designer Lucy Duff-Gordon. 

Francatelli, Gordon, and Gordon's husband all successfully survived by boarding Lifeboat No. 1. When the journey began on April 10, 1912, the Titanic was considered the world's largest and unsinkable ship. However, it sank within three hours after colliding with an iceberg in the North Atlantic Ocean on the night of April 14. 

There were approximately 2,220 passengers and crew on board the ship. Of these, only about 700 survived. The life jacket up for auction features 12 canvas pockets filled with cork, shoulder supports, and side straps. 

It is reported that the jacket also bears the signatures of Francatelli and other individuals rescued from the same lifeboat. This item will be auctioned this week alongside other artifacts related to the Titanic.

 The managing director of the auction house described it as one of the most iconic items related to the Titanic, noting that it is extremely rare for such an object to come up for auction again.