Wooden lifeboat from the Titanic was spotted drifting in the Atlantic nearly a month after the sinking of the liner

Crew from a passing ship rowed out to recover the boat and discovered three decomposing corpses on board

Gruesome handwritten account and three photographs documenting the operation will be auctioned later this week

Pictured drifting in the Atlantic, this is the Titanic lifeboat on which three rotting bodies were discovered a month after the liner sunk on its maiden voyage.

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The wooden lifeboat, the last to cast off from the doomed passenger ship as it plunged into the icy water, was spotted some 200 miles from the wreck site by crew on board the passing RMS Oceanic on May 13, 1912.

On board were the corpses of two firemen from the Titanic's engine room and that of first class passenger Thomson Beattie, 37, who was still dressed in his dinner jacket.

At the bottom of the boat, the crew found a wedding band engraved with the words 'Edward to Gerda' - the only remains of a husband and wife who perished at sea after escaping the sinking liner.

Photographs of the recovery mission, combined with a detailed first-hand account, help build a picture of those who lost their lives aboard lifeboat 'Collapsible A' - and the gruesome discovery that awaited the crew of the RMS Oceanic.

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Recovery: A black-and-white photograph shows crewmen from the RMS Oceanic on board the Titanic lifeboat spotted in the Atlantic

Discovery: A lifeboat from the passing liner, bottom right, is cast off to investigate the lifeboat from the doomed Titanic, marked with an 'X'

Thomson Beattie

The crew from the RMS Oceanic

Gruesome: This account penned by a passenger on board RMS Oceanic reveals the decomposed state the bodies were in when recovered

Extraordinary photographs of the recovery will be auctioned alongside a gruesome handwritten account, which describes how one of the bodies was so decomposed its arm fell off during the operation.

The well-preserved note, penned by a passenger on board the RMS Oceanic, reveals how those on board the liner used binoculars to take a closer look at the bodies as the captain manoeuvered closer to the lifeboat.

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One image shows six crew members from the RMS Oceanic being lowered on to a lifeboat, preparing to row towards the Titanic craft. Another shows the crew setting off for the life vessel - which looks like nothing more than a plank being tossed around in the waves.

The third image shows two crewmen aboard the Titanic lifeboat, which is rapidly taking on water.

The boat was later identified as Collapsible A, believed to be the last craft to leave the ship at around 2.15am on the morning of April 15.

TRAGIC VICTIMS OF LIFEBOAT 'COLLAPSIBLE A': THE DEVOTED HUSBAND WHO DIED HOLDING HIS LATE WIFE'S WEDDING RING AND THE FIRST CLASS PASSENGER WHO WAS DISCOVERED WEARING HIS DINNER JACKET THOMSON BEATTIE In January 1912, Thomson Beattie, 36, escaped the freezing winter of his native Canada for the milder French climate. The wealthy bachelor was not due to travel on the Titanic but changed his plans when one of his travelling companions fell ill on their trip. After making the journey across the Channel, the group snapped up their tickets on the vessel's maiden journey across the Atlantic. Mr Beattie paid £75 4s 10d to join some of the world's most successful businessmen in the 1st class cabin of the Titanic. Days before he set sail, Mr Beattie wrote to his mother: 'We are changing ships and coming home in a new, unsinkable boat.' He was one of roughly 30 people who clambered on board lifeboat 'Collapsible A', securing one of the last places. However he later died of exposure alongside two firemen from the Titanic's engine room. In a heart-wrenching coincidence, Mr Beattie was buried at sea on his mother's birthday after his body was discovered by the RMS Oceanic. Gerda Lindell Edward Lindell, who was buried at sea after he succumbed to exposure after surviving the Titanic disaster EDVARD AND GERDA LINDELL Labourer Edvard Bengtsson Lindell, and his wife, Elin Gerda, 30, had decided to relocate to the US from their home in Helsingborg, Sweden. The couple travelled to Southampton, securing their immigration papers less than a week before the Titanic set sail. Records show they were due to continue their journey from New York to Hartford, Connecticut, where they are understood to have had a connection. Mr and Mrs Lindell boarded the Titanic as third class passengers, paying some £15 11s each for their tickets. After the liner collided with the iceberg on April 14, 1912, the couple met up with two fellow Swedes and together they struggled up the sloping deck. However it became too steep to climb and, holding hands, the friends slid down towards lifeboat 'Collapsible A' on the starboard side. Mr Lindell, 36, and August Wennerström managed to climb into the boat - but Mrs Lindell was not so lucky. Mr Wennerström tried to haul her on to the boat but was weakened by the cold and eventually had to let go. He described how the heartbreak of losing his wife caused Mr Lindell's hair turned grey in less than 30 minutes. Mr Lindell died soon afterwards, clutching his wife's wedding ring as he took his last breaths. Neither of the Lindells' bodies were ever discovered, although it is believed his body was buried at sea to lighten the load. Mrs Lindell's wedding ring, which was engraved, 'Edward to Gerda', was found at the bottom of the boat by the crew of RMS Oceanic. The ring was returned to White Star Line who eventually returned it to Gerda's father, Nils. The ring is now stored in a safety deposit box in Sweden, but is taken out for exhibitions around the world.

Passing liner: A log from the RMS Oceanic, which recovered a lifeboat from the Titanic nearly a month after the tragic sinking

Doomed voyage: The Titanic was the largest ship in the world when it set sail from Southampton to New York in 1912

FINAL HOPE: WHAT HAPPENED TO THOSE ON BOARD COLLAPSIBLE A Collapsible A is believed to be the last lifeboat to come off the Titanic, entering the water at around 2.15am on the morning of April 15. First Officer Murdoch and Sixth Officer Moody were trying to attach to the boat to ropes so that it could be lowered into the water when the deck became partially-submerged. The crew abandoned the task but the boat washed off the ship, offering one final lifeline to desperate survivors struggling in the freezing water. Between 12 and 20 people are believed to have hauled themselves over the side of the dinghy, including Mr Beattie and Mr Lindell. Mrs Lindell tried desperately to reach the craft but was too weak and later drowned. Over the course of the night, many passengers on Collapsible A died. It is believed that their bodies, including that of Mr Lindell, were lowered into the sea to lighten the load of the unstable boat. The survivors - believed to be around 12 or 13 people, including one woman - were picked up the following morning by Collapsible D before being rescued by RMS Carpathia. Meanwhile Collapsible A was allowed to drift away with the bodies of the two firemen and Mr Beattie on board.

Titanic First Officer Murdoch and Sixth Officer Moody were trying to attach to the boat to ropes so that it could be lowered into the sea when the deck became partially-submerged.

The crew abandoned the task but the boat washed off the ship, offering a final option to desperate survivors struggling in the freezing water.

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Accounts of how many people climbed into the boat place the number at somewhere between 12 and 20.

What is known is that over the course of the night, many passengers fell ill or died. It is believed that the bodies, including Mr Lindell, were lowered into the sea to lighten the load of the unstable boat.

The survivors - believed to be around 12 or 13 people, including one woman - were picked up the following morning by Collapsible D before being rescued by RMS Carpathia.

Meanwhile Collapsible A was allowed to drift away with the bodies of the two firemen and Mr Beattie on board.

Believed to have been among those who perished overnight is Edward Lindell, whose wife, Gerda, drowned while trying to reach the lifeboat.

Mr Lindell was clutching her wedding ring when he later died from exposure.

The handwritten account describes how the corpses were unrecognisable, adding the one was so badly decomposed that its arms came off when lifted by crew members. The bodies were wrapped in canvass and buried at sea.

The remarkable records, which have been held by a private collector for the last 20 years, will go under the hammer at Henry Aldridge and Son of Devizes, Wiltshire, on Saturday.

Auctioneer Andrew Aldridge, said: 'These are three first generation photographs of the recovery of Titanic's last lifeboat. Acompanying them is a very graphic handwritten description by a passenger of the condition of those on board and the recovery operation.

Sadly it is not known who the Oceanic passenger was who wrote the description which states: "I crossed the Atlantic one month after the Titanic catastrophe.

"We picked up one of the lifeboats with two unrecognisable corpses of a passenger in evening dress and two firemen.

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"The arms came off in the hands of the Oceanic boarding officer. The bodies were buried and a prayer service read. The lifeboat then hauled on to our deck".'