Does this telegram from the Titanic change history? (video)

A document that has recently come up for auction offers insights into one of the most famous shipping disasters in history.

Heritage Auctions is selling an artefact from the RMS Titanic, described as 'distress telegram sent to the White Star Line'.

See also: Experts dispute Titanic iceberg theory

The telegram was sent via Western Union on 15 April 1912 from the ship and was addressed to Philip A.S Franklin, an executive with the ship's operator, White Star Line.

It reads: "We have struck iceberg. Sinking fast. Come to our assistance. Position: Lat 41.46 N. Lon 50.14 W."

See also: Was a 'mirage' to blame for the sinking of the Titanic?

This message is the first piece of evidence that confirms that White Star Line was indeed notified about the collision.

This fact may contradict Franklin's sworn testimony at a US Congressional hearing about that disaster.

He claimed that he received no notice of the accident after it had happened. As initial reports began to come in about the disaster he dismissed them and claimed the Titanic was 'unsinkable'.

A director at Heritage Auctions said: "Either he was lying to the Congressional Committee or he never got to see the telegram."

The opening bid for the telegram is $20,000 with the auction scheduled to end on 7 November.

The British passenger liner sank on its maiden voyage, taking the lives of more than 1,500 people.