New Titanic discovery smells like money

New York (DPA): Call it Eau de Titanic. It is a fragrance that comes from the wreckage of the Titanic -- and it may soon be coming to a store near you, according to a published report on Wednesday.

Divers searching the debris around the 89-year-old sunken ship have uncovered a leather pouch containing dozens of vials of rare perfume oil lost by a German perfumer, who raced to the lifeboats so fast, he left his life's work on the sinking ship.

Now, a company is using the long-forgotten aromas to synthesize a marketable scent that will give Titanic lovers around the world a memento from the luxury liner, said the report in the New York Post.

"At first, we didn't know what we had," said Dik Barton, the salvage expert who made the discovery.

"But when we got it to the surface, we could tell it was something unusual. There was this strong, flowery odor filling the ship. It was an amazing moment."

The company, RMS Titanic Inc., that holds the salvage rights to the ship's wreckage, is now in talks with several manufacturers, including the maker of Calvin Klein's CK One, to produce the Titanic perfume in time for Christmas, the report said.

The company is kicking around a few names for the scent, but is leaning toward "Heart of the Ocean," after the stunning sapphire necklace that Kate Winslet wore in the movie Titanic.

So what does Eau de Titanic smell like?

"The essence oils smell flowery, some like lavender and some like roses," Barton said. "We are having a chemist analyze them. The next step will be to blend them and make them into a perfume."

Barton told the New York tabloid his dive team found the bag of scents last summer, during a search of debris around the ship's stern.

The vials were in a pouch marked with the name of Adolphe Saalfeld, a German-born perfumer who was carrying his collection of aromas across the Atlantic in hopes of creating a high-end U.S. company to cater to well-heeled society women.

Saalfeld, who was traveling in the first-class quarters, survived the tragedy by jumping into a lifeboat along with the women and children.

After the disaster, the up-and-coming perfumer faded into obscurity, mostly because of the dim view the public took of men who did not go down with the ship.