# Binoculars found in Titanic Crows Nest

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/binoculars-found-in-titanic-crows-nest/609480>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 14, 2012, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/binoculars-found-in-titanic-crows-nest/609480 "2012-01-14T04:50:04Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\
**Post date:** [January 14, 2012, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/binoculars-found-in-titanic-crows-nest/609480/21 "2012-01-14T18:36:53Z")

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The crow’s nest itself has fallen off the wreck in the last ten years (and is presumably laying somewhere nearby).

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**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\
**Post date:** [January 14, 2012, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/binoculars-found-in-titanic-crows-nest/609480/22 "2012-01-14T19:14:18Z")

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> [@Colibri](#):
>
> [Here’s an account](http://www.iup.edu/magazine/page.aspx?id=43033) of recovery of a pair of binoculars from the Titanic. There’s nothing in it about them being in the crow’s nest; they were recovered from near the bow section and the article suggests they had been on the bridge. It’s likely that the reference to the crow’s nest was just an assumption on the part of whoever wrote the copy.

This article confuses things even more. It notes that the previously found binoculars were “badly deteriorated” and this new find was “pristine”. Frankly, the binoculars related to the OP article are neither. [I would say they are in good shape considering their location for the past century, but you can see some kind of deterioration on the focus knob between the lenses.](http://avaxnews.com/fact/Artifacts_From_The_Titanic_Previewed_Before_Being_Auctioned.html)  
I thought perhaps the to-be-auctioned binoculars might be the first one found, as there is no mention of when exactly it was recovered. But Colibri’s link casts doubt on my idea.

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**Author:** ![Chickenwrangler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chickenwrangler/32/91_2.png) [@Chickenwrangler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chickenwrangler)\
**Post date:** [January 15, 2012, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/binoculars-found-in-titanic-crows-nest/609480/23 "2012-01-15T04:32:29Z")

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I think it’s very well documented that the lookouts did not have any binoculars.

“OttoDaFe” link covers it pretty well, so how could they make such a statement of them being found in the crows nest.

Anyone interested in bidding for these Titanic artifacts would know the binoculars did not come from the crows nest and could perhaps cast doubt on the authenticity of the whole collection.

Being smart a 100 years later, did they only have one pair of glasses on board? I would have thought a ship that size would have dozens of pairs available.

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**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\
**Post date:** [January 15, 2012, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/binoculars-found-in-titanic-crows-nest/609480/24 "2012-01-15T04:45:53Z")

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If that’s truly the claim of the owner who’s trying to sell, it makes me think “counterfeit”.

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