A Titanic Experience

 

Greetings, Fire Enthusiasts.

I can remember having a laugh at the “failure” of James Cameron’s film Titanic in the summer of 1997. The talk was of how expensive the film was and now, suddenly, the film found itself pushed back until closer to Christmas. I laughed at the film-makers…until we screened the film.

There was no more laughter after that. It was so good. So very well done. Like nearly everyone, I found myself captivated. The story of what happened to that great ship on that fateful night, April 15th, 1912, came alive in my mind and has been there, somewhere, ever since - like it never had before. In yours, too, I imagine.

We took our first international trip to Ireland in 2017 (there’s a lot less snow in that beard, as you can see). That’s when we were first blessed to visit Titanic Belfast which, according to the site, “is a world-leading visitor attraction in Belfast’s Titanic Quarter, telling the story of the Titanic from conception to sinking and legacy through interactive galleries, special effects, and full-scale reconstructions.” This year, we visited Ireland once again and that legendary ship seemingly met us on every turn.

We traveled Ireland and Northern Ireland this past June, moving in a clockwise motion starting in Dublin and ending in Belfast 13 days later. On day 6, we visited the seaport town of Cobh - originally called Queenstown until 1920. It was the final port of call for the doomed ship. On April 11, 1912, the Titanic and its 1308 passengers and 898 crew members sailed away and never docked again. Today, in addition to telling the story of how the town was at the center of rescue efforts for the sinking of the Lusitania and recounting emigration and maritime history, the Cobh Heritage Center tells the tragic story of the ill-fated Titanic.

At Belfast City Hall, the Titanic Memorial Garden commemorates the 1512 people who perished that fateful night, including the captain. It’s a free exhibit on the public grounds that surround the impressive building. By the way, I understand some count the lost at 1517 (see below).

There’s a lot more gray in the beard of that guy - and a lot less hair come to think of it. Ugh! Although I am about ten pounds lighter, so I’ll take it.

The website reads: “The self-guided Titanic Experience extends over nine interactive galleries where you discover the sights, sounds, smells and stories of the ship, as well as the people and city that made her.” They are not kidding around when they state that. Whether you stay for several hours or make a day of it, you will walk away knowing and understanding so much more about the ship, the politics at play and the every day lives of the people who put everything they had into designing it on paper, building the structures needed and ultimately bringing Titanic physically to life. By the way, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that part of the thrill of your visit is where you’re standing. According to the Site, it is “located beside the Titanic slipways, the Harland & Wolff Drawing Offices and Hamilton Graving Dock - the very place where Titanic was designed, built and launched”.

I haven’t mentioned how exactly we take these tours. Perhaps I will cover this in more detail in a future article. Suffice it to say, it ends up being a large group on a private tour. This one was 29 travelers, mostly friends from our town. We have an itinerary and travel around by fancy coach. However, whenever we have free time, my wife and I are gone like a shot! There is always something we’d like to see. One of the last things was to visit Belfast Cathedral. We got there too late the day before and found it closed, so we made special effort to arrive all the earlier the very next day. We knew nothing about it other than it looked like something to see. Wouldn’t you know it, there was one last Titanic thing to see. The Titanic Pall was dedicated on the 100 year anniversary on April 15, 2012. A pall is a funeral cloth and this one has 1517 hand-embroidered Gold Crosses, Star of Davids and Crescents to commemorate a person who died. As I mentioned earlier, the number of the dead varies. Perhaps they went with the larger number to ensure no one was left out. I don’t know. What I do know is it is amazing. According to the pamphlet, “It was designed and crafted by two staff members at the School of Art and Design at the University of Ulster. Made from Merino felt, with a backing of pure Irish linen and a fine velvet border, the Pall is hand died with indigo.”

My lovely wife, as you can see, is far braver than I. Well, somebody had to hold the camera, right? #liar

We didn’t take this tour to learn about the Titanic. As far as I knew, she was only to be a small part of it. Perhaps a few hours one day out of 13. Little did I know.

We’ll talk soon.