THIS is the iceberg which sank Southampton's ill-fated liner, Titanic beginning a story that refuses to die even after 90 years.

Now one of the last three Titanic survivors, Millvina Dean from Southampton is to see the rare photograph when she is guest of honour at Europe's biggest-ever exhibition about the legendary White Star liner.

The faded sepia image, showing the iceberg which many believed inflicted the fatal damage to Titanic, was snapped by a seaman nearly a week after the disaster in which more than 1,500 passengers and crew on the ship lost their lives.

The postcard photograph is one of the items, which include cabin mock-ups, artefacts and memorabilia, in the major exhibition in Scotland next month.

Stephan Rehorek, a Czech crewman serving on board the German passenger steamer, Bremen, which was diverted to the aid of Titanic, originally took the iceberg photograph which was then made into a postcard and sent it to his family.

Decades later the photograph, by then in the hands of a Titanic enthusiast, was examined and authenticated by an historian and scientist as being the iceberg which gashed a hole in the side of Titanic sending it to the bottom of the Atlantic on its maiden voyage.

The experts were convinced because of the iceberg's location, the time the photograph was taken, the first-hand account of a survivor who said it resembled a mirror-image of Gibraltar and the physical appearance, which is consistent with a collision.

Ninety-one year old Millvina Dean, who was just nine months old when the ship went down in April, 1912, has been invited to tour the Titanic Expo being staged in Dundee from August 10 to 18.

"Thousands of people like me are captivated by the events surrounding the sinking of Titanic,'' said Millvina.

"The stories and new findings from the wreck keep the spirit of Titanic alive. The beauty of this exhibition is that it will introduce and share the many wonderful things linked to the maiden voyage of a truly magnificent ocean liner with a new generation of enthusiasts.

"There will be many artefacts and pictures that no one will have ever seen, including me''

Millvina was on board the liner travelling with her two-year-old brother and her mother and father.

"My brother and I were asleep at the time of the collision and although most passengers didn't react quickly to the impending disaster, my father did,'' said Millvina.

"We were on deck very quickly and my mother wrapped me in a sack before getting into lifeboat number 13. We were off the ship quickly. My father never made it and he drowned.''

Also on show will be room sets including a first class fully set dining table and first class and third class cabins.

- Originally published July 2002.