A SET of private letters written by the Titanic’s number two officer reveals haunting misgivings about the vessel even before its maiden voyage.

    Henry Wilde wrote to Captain Edward Smith over a period of 20 years, encompassing his entire career with the White Star Line, from junior officer to transfer to the Titanic.

    The highlight of the collection is the final letter Wilde, who was chief officer, wrote while on board the Olympic before he left for the Titanic.

    Written on March 31, 1912, Wilde describes how he was to be given command of the Cymric but is disappointed not be taking it and is being transferred to the Titanic.

    He says he is “awfully disappointed to find the arrangements for my taking command of the Cymric have altered. I am now going to join the Titanic until some other ship turns up for me.”

    In late March 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.

    Wilde only signed onto the Titanic on April 9, and reported for duty at 6 a.m. the following morning — the day of sailing.

    In a letter to his sister, written onboard Titanic and posted at Queenstown, Wilde gave some indication that he had misgivings about the new ship.

    “I still don’t like this ship ... I have a queer feeling about it,” he wrote.

    The chilling letters went under the hammer at an auction in Wiltshire last week and according to the Telegraph, they fetched £22,000 (US$26,859).

    The maiden crossing went smoothly until the Titanic struck an iceberg on the evening of April 14, killing 1,500 crew and passengers, including Wilde.

    After the collision, Wilde spoke to bosun Albert Haines and lamp trimmer Samuel Hemmings — who said they could hear air escaping from the tank and that water was getting in, but that the storeroom was dry.

    Wilde went up to report this to the bridge and then joined Captain Smith and Thomas Andrews on a brief inspection to see the extent of the damage.

    Wilde took charge of the even numbered lifeboats and oversaw their loading and lowering into the water.

    Auctioneer Andrew Aldridge, of Henry Aldridge and Son, said, “It is without doubt one of the finest Titanic-related letters, written by one of the liner’s most senior officers on Olympic stationery.”

    (SD-Agencies)