(FOXNEWS) – The first letter written onboard the Titanic, penned just hours before
the ship embarked on its doomed maiden voyage, will be sold at a U.K. auction this
month.

The letter was written on April 10 1912 before Titanic set sail from Southampton
for New York. The author, Paul Danby, wrote the note while visiting his wife’s
uncle Adolphe Saalfeld, who was a passenger on the ship.

The Titanic struck an iceberg at 11:40 p.m. ship’s time on April 14 1912 and sank
just over two hours later with the loss of more than 1,500 lives.

The letter, which has a pre-sale estimate of $14,117 to $21,175 will be sold at
auction in Devizes, U.K. on April 23.