Tickets are now on sale for the upcoming Titanic:The Artifact Exhibition that will be held at Lexington Center Museum (Lexington, Kentucky) from 5 Oct 2013-26 Jan 2014. Adults (14 and up) $12, Children $9, Seniors $10.00. Advanced tickets are strongly recommended. For information, hours, and to purchase tickets, go to lexmuseum.com.
Sources:
1. Tickets NOW On-Sale For Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition(20 Aug 2013,Lex18.com)
2. Lexington Center Museum & Gallery
1.Update on recovered Titanic plaque
A long lost memorial plaque to Titanic musicians that was found in a scrapyard in Naples, Florida has been rededicated at Titanic The Experience this past Thursday and is on display. Doug Turner, who bought the plaque for $138, discovered it had been commissioned in 1912 by Musical Mutual Protective Union and had been in the Roseland Ballroom in New York City. It then disappeared and all attempts to locate it were unsuccessful. Apparently it ended in at the scrapyard through a construction worker who sold it to them while heading down to Miami.
The plaque has a sculpting of a muse, lyre, a small iceberg, and the first four musical bars of Nearer My God To Thee. All eight musicians who perished are listed. It will be on display at Titanic Experience for six months.
Source: Titanic Experience Rededicates Musicians Plaque Honoring Those On Doomed Ship(15 Aug 2013,Orlando Sentinel)
2. Lucky 16-Year Old Joins Ballard On Week Long Expedition
C.B.Wren, a 16-year old sophomore at Augusta Preparatory Day School, was chosen by National Eagle Scout Association to represent the Boy Scouts aboard Ballard’s exploration vessel Nautilus. Wren joins other students and educators for the week long exploration of Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea.
Source: Augusta Prep Student On Expedition With Titanic Discoverer(15 Aug 2013,Augusta Chronicle)
3. Okay you have heard the joke “the fish was this big….” but this one is likely for real according to the Huffington Post. Marco Liebenow was fishing off the coast of Norway where he caught a 515 pound halibut in July. 515 pounds is a lot of fish and you just cannot reel it in like a normal fish. It had to be dragged back to harbor alongside the schooner. The current world record is 459 pounds for a Pacific halibut caught in 1996 in Alaska. The International Game Fishing Association will have to officially determine it’s a record holder. So what do you do with a 515 halibut? That is a lot of fish and chips!
Source:515-Pound Halibut Caught By Marco Leibenow Near Norway May Be World Record(17 Aug 2013, Huffington Post)
The Hartley Violin scheduled to end its exhibition at Titanic Branson on 15 Aug has been extended to 7 Sep 2013. According to KMOX news, 18,000 people have seen the violin already. Reservations are required for the daily VIP tour at 8:30 a.m. Further information can be found at titanicbranson.com.
Source: Iconic Titanic Violin Exhibit Extended At Branson Museum(14 Aug 2013,KMOX)
1. Crain’s Detroit Business examines the possible sale of the Titanic artifacts and who might be in the running to buy it. Candidates are Mariners’ Museum in Newport News, VA; Titanic Belfast museum (Belfast, N.I), and the Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas along with some very wealthy individuals. I would add, considering the interest of bringing Titanic II to UAE, that wealthy business people from there are also interested. Some might scoff at that but remember they have lots of money to spend and are tightly connected to their government (in some cases, they are actually in it). Having genuine Titanic artifacts on display would be a huge tourist draw.
A good portion of the article is divided between what the valuation might be for shareholders and a examination of Mark Sellers III, who took control of Premiere some years ago after getting frustrated with it’s then leadership. Sellers tells Crain’s he is in no rush to sell quick but admits there is pressure to do so. You think? Look at how much time has passed since the salvage award came down till now. At first it seemed like things might be proceeding towards a sale and then it just stopped. This year we finally learned this mysterious consortium that signed a non-binding letter of intent could not get the money. Shareholders thought they would be reaping benefits right now and have not. Sooner or later patience will run out if Seller’s cannot get the sale done. I see lawsuits and demands for transparency about the sale coming soon if nothing happens in six months.
Source: Buyer Sought For Titanic Artifacts; One Estimate: $189 Million(11 Aug 2013,Crain’s Detroit Business)
2. You learn of people finding something spectacular in garage sales or scrap yards, but this is the first I think for a Titanic plaque. Doug Turner spotted something dusty and dirty with “Titanic” on it. He bought it for $138 and cleaned it up. Turns out it is a memorial plaque for Titanic’s musicians. He found after checking it out online that it was really one of one. A photo he saw of it in a Titanic book said its whereabouts were unknown. It was was last seen in 1982.That is when he learned it was something really special–a genuine Titanic artifact of that time. Turner, who is in law enforcement, is making sure it cannot be stolen by Titanic fortune seekers. As to its worth, he has no idea but one can fairly guess since it is one of a kind it would fetch a very high price at a Titanic auction. For now he is not interested in selling it. It is currently on loan to Titanic Experience in Orlando where it will be shown next week.
Sources:
1. Titanic Artifact Found In Naples Scrapyard(9 Aug 2013,WFTX-TV)
2. Plaque With Ties To The Titanic Ends Up In Naples Scrap Yard(9 Aug 2013,WINK)
3. The Titanic exhibit in St.Claire, MI which ended on 27 Jul had 4,2000 visitors and brought in $75,000 for the St. Clair Endowment Fund. The exhibit focused on the engineering behind the construction and included an18 foot long model of the ship done by Gary Kohs. His model has won praise for its accuracy. Kohs began designing the model in 1997 and completed in 2002. According to Randy Maiers, president of the endowment fund, they had people from all over the country came to the exhibit at the Moore Boathouse.
Source:Titanic Exhibit Money Goes To St. Clair Fund(7 Aug 2013,Times Herald)
1. Cruise Ship News writes about how some are willing to pay $1 million for a ticket on Titanic II. They also report at least 40,000 people have inquired about a ticket thus far. With reported talks going on between Blue Star at United Arab Emirates (UAE) companies, the speculation is Titanic II will likely be directed to wealthy Emirates.
Source: Titanic 2 Ship Tickets At A Ridiculous Price(Cruise Ship News,2 Aug 2013)
2. Titanic: The Experience has opened in Buena Park, CA at the old Movieland Wax Museum. It runs from 1 Aug-21 Nov and is open daily. Ticket prices, hours of operation and other information can be found here.
Source: 8 Enthralling Elements To Experience At “Titanic” & “Bodies” In Buena Park(1 Aug 2013,Examiner.com)
3. The Hartley Violin is now on display at Titanic Branson Aug 1-15. Visitors are advised to purchase tickets in advance. Reservations are required for daily VIP Hartley Violin tour.
Source: Press Release:Titanic Branson Set For Exclusive World Display of Long Lost Titanic Violin August 1 – 15(30 Jul 2013, PR Newswire)
4. Titanic Belfast Update:The Belfast Telegraph reports that Ulster Bank has renewed financing with the group backing Titanic Belfast. The £92m financing deal will help further development of the site.
Source: Full Speed Ahead For Titanic Belfast And Its Bankers(1 Aug 2013,Belfast Telegraph)
The Hartley Violin, the one Wallace Hartley possibly played on that fateful voyage, is on its American tour. Right now it is at Titanic Pigeon Forge through 27 Jul. Then goes over to Titanic Branson where it will be on display in August 1-15. Reservations are required and there is a daily vip tour (limited to 25 people). Usually they prohibit any cameras or videos of items exhibited but they are allowing people attending to take photos of the violin.
Source: Long Lost Titanic Violin In Branson(press release)(23 Jul 2013,PR Web)
1. Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition will end its run at Atlantic Station (Atlanta, GA) on 18 August. For tickets, hours of operation, and other information go to TitanicAtlanta.com.
Source: Titanic Exhibition To Close Aug. 18 At Atlantic Station(20 Jul 2013,Atlanta Intown)
2. TripAdvisor reviews of Titanic Museum in Branson, MO are mostly positive. 1,137 reviews this far and 732 have an excellent review, 294 say it was very good, and the rest falls between average to terrible(20 rated it as poor,11 as terrible). Some complaints concerned price, being overcrowded, not being geared to children. I took a look at the admission prices listed at the website and they do seem pricey. Then again this is a speciality exhibition so generally prices are often high. I did notice there is a discount running through July for online ticket ordering. Is it worth going? Only you can decide that.
Source: TripAdvisor.com-Attraction Review Titanic Museum (Branson, MO)
3. Finding links to Titanic are something many want to find. Consider a house in Brooklyn Heights, New York. Built in 1888 by noted architect Frank Freeman, it was owned by industrialist Herman Behr and his family. One of the sons, Karl, was aboard Titanic and survived. The story here is that Karl bought a Titanic ticket to be close to Helen Newsom, a gal he had a romantic interest in. Her family though did not like him much and tried to dissuade the courtship. According to his words later, Behr proposed to Newsom while they were in a lifeboat (they were married a year later). So that is the connection to Titanic as the house was sold years later and later became the Palm Hotel, a place of ill repute. The area itself became known for its rowdy taverns and bars that were filled often with sailors and others who worked in the area. Then it was purchased by the Franciscan order in 1961 for religious housing but later converted into rental housing.
Source: The Brooklyn Apartments That Have A Titanic History(21 Jul 2013, Gothamist)
For information on Karl Behr, visit Encylopedia Titanica for biographical sketch.
1. Titanic II Update
Blue Star Line, the company behind Titanic II construction, announced Lloyd’s Register will review Titanic II design and safety features. Lloyd’s Register, founded 1760, is a maritime organization that provides risk assessment and certification for ships, related accessories, and installations. There is a Wikipedia entry and Lloyd’s Register has a website here.
Source: Lloyds Register To Review Titanic Designs(18 Jul 2013, eTravel Blackboard)
2. Orlando Titanic Exhibit Makes Snow
Yes, for real according to a recent news report and from their own website. On 25 Jul 2013, they will host “Titanic Melt” in the parking lot of Titanic: The Experience from 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.. Here is what they say it is all about:
Titanic The Experience is hosting a way for people to cool off this summer with the “Titanic Melt”. Titanic The Experience is one of the coolest places in town with its own iceberg in the exhibit. To showcase its frostiness, Titanic The Experience will host a snow day complete with ice carving and real snow.
Well as gimmicks go not too bad. At least they are not using a Titanic slide.
Further info at Titanic:The Experience
3. Cardboard Regatta Features Titanic Award
The annual Crazy Cardboard Regatta will be held this Saturday at the Voice of America MetroPark in West Chester, Ohio. Last minute registrations will be taken between 8 a.m.-11:00 a.m. For information about the event and the location, go to butlercountymetroparks.org/voa.asp. And yes the regatta has a Titanic award for the best sinking. Good luck to all!
Source: Crazy Cardboard Regatta(18 Jul 2013, kypost.com)
4. Revisiting Lunar Theory On Titanic Sinking
Readers will recall that back in 2013 astronomers at Texas State University that a rare lunar event contributed to Titanic’s demise. The moon and sun lined up in such a way as create a spring tide. Now assuming this to be true and enhanced tides were created, moving icebergs still would pose a problem. According to an article in Hydro International:
As Greenland icebergs travel southward, many become stuck in the shallow waters off the coasts of Labrador and Newfoundland. Normally, icebergs remain in place and cannot resume moving southward until they’ve melted enough to refloat or a high enough tide frees them. A single iceberg can become stuck multiple times on its journey southward, a process that can take several years. But the unusually high tide in January 1912 would have been enough to dislodge many of those icebergs and move them back into the southbound ocean currents, where they would have just enough time to reach the shipping lanes for that fateful encounter with the Titanic.
So if there was an unusual spring tide in 1912, it would have been enough to move a lot icebergs into the ocean currents that many steamships used back then. Does not change what happened later but provides an answer as to why so many icebergs were around at the time.
Source: Fate Titanic Linked to Lunar Event(15 Jul 2013, Hydro International )
5. Titanic video
Here is an interesting clip from National Geographic’s Titanic at 100. The CGI shows with newer information how Titanic likely sank.
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Titanic:The Experience will be opening in Buena Park, CA on 1 Aug 2013. The exhibition will be at the former Movieland Wax Museum. Bodies: The Exhibition will also be opening at the same time at this location.
Further Information:
Buena Park, CA website
Premier Exhibitions
Source: Buena Park Gains Two New Attractions: Titanic And Bodies(10 Jul 2013,Orange County Breeze)
The three city tour of Jewels of Titanic will end its journey at the Titanic Exhibition at Luxor Hotel in Los Vegas on 21 Jul. According to the press release, after this exhibit ends the jewels will be redistributed to other Titanic exhibitions. Admission to the Luxor Titanic exhibition includes Jewels of Titanic. Admission prices, hours of operation, and other information can be found here.
Source:Premier Exhibitions, Inc. Traveling Display, Jewels of Titanic, Concludes Three-City Tour in Las Vegas on July 21 (8 Jul 2013, Globe Newswire)
