Cook Islands has issued commemorative dollars under licensing arrangements that have little to do with the territory itself — this piece marks the centenary of the April 1912 sinking, referencing the hymn reportedly played by the ship's band as the vessel went down. Whether Wallace Hartley's ensemble actually played "Nearer My God to Thee" remains disputed among maritime historians; survivor accounts named at least three different pieces of music.
Cook Islands has issued commemorative dollars under licensing arrangements that have little to do with the territory itself — this piece marks the centenary of the April 1912 sinking, referencing the hymn reportedly played by the ship's band as the vessel went down. Whether Wallace Hartley's ensemble actually played "Nearer My God to Thee" remains disputed among maritime historians; survivor accounts named at least three different pieces of music.