Titanic 100 Years Later

[gaea]

Originally Posted by I'mOneToo

gaea, I also have a fascination for all things Titanic. Nope, no relatives on board nor anyone who knew any of them.

http://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/

I am so glad there is another..here at least we are about to celebrate 100 years...

Im saddened by this event and yet somehow relieved by it at the same time.

[I'mOneToo]

There is this too, if you're interested:



It's an hour and a half long, but interesting.

[gaea]

Originally Posted by I'mOneToo

There is this too, if you're interested:



It's an hour and a half long, but interesting.

thank you for posting this I believe I have seen it however will watch it again.

[gaea]

there is a special in tonight that I am watching.

[macele]

she is 10. and actually, she is my great niece. mom had me late in life. so i have great's lol.

we went last thanksgiving holiday.

[Ciaran]

I have little direct interest in The Titanic, although it was built in the Harland & Wolff shipyard in my beloved home city of Belfast. At the time, Belfast was world's leading manufacturer of ships.

The completion of The Titanic was a thing of pride for Belfast and its sinking damaged the psyche of the city for many years. It was something that was rarely discussed. Following decades of sectarian conflict and the decline of our manufacturing base, the shipyards died. The offices where The Titanic was designed remained but were boarded up. Bus tours of Belfast took visitors to the site where The Titanic was built - it was nothing but desolate wasteland and ghosts.

Until recently, our commemoration of the Titanic had been more discrete through a beautiful memorial to the Titanic victims erected in the grounds of our City Hall in 1920.

Things are very different today - a multi-million dollar Titanic Visitor Centre (http://www.titanicbelfast.com/Home.aspx) opens this month and the city is at the heart of the Titanic celebrations. The Centre is in our Titanic quarter, the rebirth of the wasteland into waterfront apartments, offices and shops in what may become a thriving part of our city.

Not all rests easy with me. There's blatant over-commercialisation from the sale of Titanic-branded potato chips to a range of garish Titanic souvenirs. However, overall, this is incredibly positive and it's beautiful to see my city's contribution to The Titanic being finally recognised and the exorcising of certain ghosts in the process. As we've said in Belfast for many decades, The Titanic was fine when it left here.


As an aside, my grandfather was born only miles away from The Titanic on the same day that it set sale from Belfast. Sadly, I never knew him as he died more than a decade before I was born.

[gaea]

Originally Posted by Ciaran

I have little direct interest in The Titanic, although it was built in the Harland & Wolff shipyard in my beloved home city of Belfast. At the time, Belfast was world's leading manufacturer of ships.

The completion of The Titanic was a thing of pride for Belfast and its sinking damaged the psyche of the city for many years. It was something that was rarely discussed. Following decades of sectarian conflict and the decline of our manufacturing base, the shipyards died. The offices where The Titanic was designed remained but were boarded up. Bus tours of Belfast took visitors to the site where The Titanic was built - it was nothing but desolate wasteland and ghosts.

Until recently, our commemoration of the Titanic had been more discrete through a beautiful memorial to the Titanic victims erected in the grounds of our City Hall in 1920.

Things are very different today - a multi-million dollar Titanic Visitor Centre (http://www.titanicbelfast.com/Home.aspx) opens this month and the city is at the heart of the Titanic celebrations. The Centre is in our Titanic quarter, the rebirth of the wasteland into waterfront apartments, offices and shops in what may become a thriving part of our city.

Not all rests easy with me. There's blatant over-commercialisation from the sale of Titanic-branded potato chips to a range of garish Titanic souvenirs. However, overall, this is incredibly positive and it's beautiful to see my city's contribution to The Titanic being finally recognised and the exorcising of certain ghosts in the process. As we've said in Belfast for many decades, The Titanic was fine when it left here.


As an aside, my grandfather was born only miles away from The Titanic on the same day that it set sale from Belfast. Sadly, I never knew him as he died more than a decade before I was born.

reading this gave me chills more to the point your grandfather was born the day it set sail. amazing to me, this connection you have.

Im so glad you joined this conversation and gave us some insight into Belfast, ironic if you think about it, the way you described Belfast closing up after the ship sank and now is suddenly being reborn around the same ship.

I am not fond of the commercialization of the titanic either, my connection is different i do not own anything titanic not even a movie i keep meaning to buy it and i never do.

for me it is in the "story" the story of those that boarded and lived prior to the sinking, they had lives everyday lives who were they what were they about and what set them in motion to get on board a ship that would take them down? It is the personal stories that fascinate me the most.

Im curious and maybe you can help, why the stigma for so many years? Its not like Belfast had anything to do with the iceberg or the fatalities. They had engineers beyond their time that built this great ship, they had technology and a greater understanding of how things worked and put it all together, that to me is amazing in itself the design the actual building the hard working crew and construction members. etc.


I would go to this visitor centre just to be near, i would want to walk the land and see all around maybe someday i'll make it over to Belfast.

[macele]

my niece is crazy about everything titanic. she and i went to the museum in pigeon forge, tn. she loved it. i went for the picture in front of the famous staircase (really just standing in front of a blue screen) lol.

we went into a room that was cold as cold can get, seemed like. we touched ice/water, ... how cold it would have been to be in the water, ... like those on the titanic. there was an illusion of the hallway. dang that looked real! i could just see rose and jack running together. any titanic fan would enjoy.

the titanic passengers experienced an unimaginable death, horrific. and those that lived, brought the unimaginable horror home with them. it's like 9 11. and katrina. everytime i think of, i close my eyes and feel a loss that's deep, dark, scarey. just can't imagine what they went through.

i've felt a connection with a person that i don't know, historic. it feels too personal to share. but i do understand the connection you are talking about. at least i think i do. i know the connection that i have had, ... has been to soothe my soul. and maybe the other "person's" spirit.

interesting topic. thank you, gaea.

[gaea]

Originally Posted by macele

my niece is crazy about everything titanic. she and i went to the museum in pigeon forge, tn. she loved it. i went for the picture in front of the famous staircase (really just standing in front of a blue screen) lol.

we went into a room that was cold as cold can get, seemed like. we touched ice/water, ... how cold it would have been to be in the water, ... like those on the titanic. there was an illusion of the hallway. dang that looked real! i could just see rose and jack running together. any titanic fan would enjoy.

the titanic passengers experienced an unimaginable death, horrific. and those that lived, brought the unimaginable horror home with them. it's like 9 11. and katrina. everytime i think of, i close my eyes and feel a loss that's deep, dark, scarey. just can't imagine what they went through.

i've felt a connection with a person that i don't know, historic. it feels too personal to share. but i do understand the connection you are talking about. at least i think i do. i know the connection that i have had, ... has been to soothe my soul. and maybe the other "person's" spirit.

interesting topic. thank you, gaea.

thank you for sharing this information, if I may ask how old is your neice?

[cinderella]

Relieved? How so? That seems an odd comment.

I too have had a fascination with all things Titanic. I guess all tragedies have some sort of fascination...why this is, I can't say, but it's true. Something about the horrificness of such disasters that seem to fascinate - like watching a building that's on fire - it's perverse, but we can't seem to help it.

Every April 15, I say a small prayer for all those lost souls of The Titanic. My heart hurts when I think of that tragedy. I imagine myself amongst those still on the ship while it was going down, but nothing I can ever imagine can ever come close to the reality. I esp think about the children, and how terrified they must've been. More then 1500 souls lost their lives that horrible night. May they all rest in peace. Stories like the sinking of Titanic has struck fear in my heart, and keeps me from ever going on a cruise, or boats going out in deep water.

Originally Posted by gaea

I am so glad there is another..here at least we are about to celebrate 100 years...

Im saddened by this event and yet somehow relieved by it at the same time.

[gaea]

Originally Posted by cinderella

Relieved? How so? That seems an odd comment.

I too have had a fascination with all things Titanic. I guess all tragedies have some sort of fascination...why this is, I can't say, but it's true. Something about the horrificness of such disasters that seem to fascinate - like watching a building that's on fire - it's perverse, but we can't seem to help it.

Every April 15, I say a small prayer for all those lost souls of The Titanic. My heart hurts when I think of that tragedy. I imagine myself amongst those still on the ship while it was going down, but nothing I can ever imagine can ever come close to the reality. I esp think about the children, and how terrified they must've been. More then 1500 souls lost their lives that horrible night. May they all rest in peace. Stories like the sinking of Titanic has struck fear in my heart, and keeps me from ever going on a cruise, or boats going out in deep water.

I cant explain the feeling of relief or even why I had that feeling, i am not even sure from where it came just that it was there.