Quite out of the blue, some 88 years after the Titanic went down in the Atlantic, probably the first authentic photograph of the iceberg has come to light. It lay unpublished in private ownership for decades until it was recognised in April this year. The photograph not only shows the shape of the iceberg but also scars of damage.

The Bohemian seaman Stephan Rehorek was employed on board the German steamer Bremen. This ship sailed past the scene of the accident on its way from Bremerhaven to New York. Stephan Rehorek, too, was witness to the horrifying consequences of the tragedy and he took photographs of at least two icebergs. After his arrival in New York he sent a first postcard home, postmarked 25th April. On the front of this card was a picture of the Titanic:

”Dear Mother and Father, Best wishes from New York. I am sending you a picture of a (...)fast ocean liner which sank on its maiden voyage. It was the biggest in the world. Two days away from New York it collided with an iceberg and the ship was severely damaged on one side. Almost 1,600 people drowned and about 670 were rescued. I have a photograph of the iceberg and will send it to you (...) I also saw the bodies of the drowned and the wreckage from the ship. It was a dreadful sight.”

Some weeks later he had the photographs of the icebergs printed onto postcards and from Cherbourg sent the one best picture - see the card above- to his parents, and wrote:

”Dear Mother and Father, (...) This card is a view of the iceberg that collided with and sank the Titanic liner.”

Below: The German steamship Bremen. From this ship Rehorek took the picture of the iceberg.

One remarkable account was given to the British Commission. Titanic seaman Joseph Scarrott had seen the iceberg in that fateful night:

Mr. Butler Aspinall: " What was the shape of this iceberg?"

Scarrott: " Well, it struck me at the time that it resembled the Rock of Gibraltar looking at it from Europa Point. It looked very much the same shape as that, only much smaller."

The Commissioner: "Like a lion couchant?"

Scarrott: "As you approach Gibraltar - it seemed that shape. The highest point would be on my right, as it appeared to me."

Scarrott first described the view as from the "Europa Point". But the commissioner asked for another point of view - the "lion couchant". The widely known shape of the Rock of Gibraltar (with the highest point on the left side) usually was compared with a "lion couchant" . It is the view that ships get right after they have entered the Bay of Gibraltar heading for the harbour. It is remarkable that Scarrott resembled the Rock with the highest point on the right side. That means: Scarrott saw an iceberg that looked like the Rock but inverted.

Fortunately the steamer Bremen had the same position to the iceberg as the Titanic has had some days before: so Rehorek took his iceberg picture from the same point of view as the eye-witness Scarrott has had on board the Titanic a few seconds after the collision. For this reason we can create a direct comparison between both views: the shape of the Rock (as to be seen as a "lion couchant" from the Bay) and the shape of the iceberg. Indeed the Rehorek iceberg matches the Rock - with the highest point on the right side, as Scarrott has said.

The town where Rehorek sent the iceberg poscard to. The name of the town today is Dolni Stepanice with nearly 100 houses.

Part 2:

The Iceberg  Collage