Here is another example of a Titanic themed t-shirt out there sold by a variety of stores. Is this funny or tacky? You decide.
Category Archives: Titanic
Sunday Titanic News
1. Another amazing story of Titanic artifacts ending up someplace unusual. According to Daily Mail, Mark Manning–who owns Regal Pawnbrokers–purchased Titanic artifacts for £15,000 ($23,445) that are worth £1.2 million. A man came to him with a very interesting story, letters and other supporting documents, and a plastic bag. Manning told the Daily Mail:
The collector was paying insurance on the relics, he was worried he could be burgled and wanted to get rid of that burden, as well as getting some money for it. ‘He also wanted other people to see it, so I’ve been taking it around schools – kids think it is great to be able to touch a genuine piece of the Titanic. ‘I’m also going to look into loaning it to a museum for a few months. ‘We’ve already had an offer of £1.2million for the piece of hull, but when I sell it the collector will get a fair share. We have a gentleman’s agreement because I had no idea it was worth that much when he walked through the door.
Good thing the guy did not go to that well known pawn store in Detroit (the one on that TruTV “reality” show). I could just see them rolling their eyes and showing him the door.
Source: Pawnbroker Pays £15,000 For Bunch Of Titanic ‘Relics’ Handed Over In An Old Carrier Bag… And Finds They’re Worth £1.2Million(7 Sep 2013, Daily Mail)
2. You knew this story was coming. With all the praises for Belfast Titanic, sometimes the other less developed areas are forgotten. So writes Shane Hegarty of Irish Times.
Leaving the Titanic Belfast exhibition and heading along the dockfront of the Titanic Quarter, the path brings you along a stretch of empty retail units, plastered with that familiar innovation of this recession: the false shopfront. These are the look-what-could-be-heres that only ever tell you look-what’s-not. These are the glossy printed scars of an economic graph that dropped sharply. There are some occupied units, one housing a chain convenience store, another a coffee shop that, refreshingly, asks customers to pay what they want for the coffee and buns. A quirky and comfortable spot, it is operating rent free and staffed by volunteers. Talk to the staff and they’ll tell you, without any pushiness, that it’s backed by Christian groups – which, come to think of it, explains the prayer garden in the corner, complete with artificial grass and a tree.
Source: Put Your Titanic Pants On, And Take A Trip Through Downturn Land (7 Sep 2013, Irish Times)*
*Links to Republic of Ireland newspapers are not provided due to policy of charging for links.
And finally, for those who have not seen it, here is the official music video for My Heart Will Go On for your Sunday enjoyment.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbYMfoPT7c4
Titanic Newswrap For 3 Sep 2013
1. Hartley Violin Update: The Hartley Violin will be going on display next in Belfast in the replica second class accommodation suite from 18 Sept – 13 Oct 2013. It is scheduled to be auctioned by Henry Aldridge & Son later in October.
Source: Violin From Titanic To Be Exhibited(2 Sep 2013,Belfast Telegraph)
2. Titanic Exhibition Extended:The Grand Rapids Public Museum has extended again Titanic:The Artifact Exhibition one more week until Saturday, 14 Sep 2013.
Source:Titanic Exhibition At Grand Rapids Public Museum Extended A Second Time(3 Sep 2013,mlive.com)
3. You cannot make this up. According to This is Lincolnshire, RNLI lifeboat volunteers responded to a report three inflatable tender boats were in trouble. The found one of the boats was named Titanic and its occupants were trying to start the engine. After that failed, the group then attempted to tow the boat back to the beach as RNLI volunteers watched.
Source:Skegness RNLI Lifeboat Volunteers Involved In ‘Titanic’ Rescue(3 Sep 2013,This Is Lincolnshire.co.uk)
Sunday Titanic Newswrap
1. Titanic II Update: Clive Palmer says he is considering a Tasmanian company, Liferaft Systems Australia, to construct Titanic II’s lifeboats. Clive Palmer said “The exciting thing about his liferaft system is you don’t sell any in Australia, which means it must be good if people overseas are buying it Australians never buy things that are good they only buy things that are bad.”
Source: Tasmania Considered For Titanic II Liferafts(30 Aug 2013,ABC-Australia)
2. Mystery Of Edith Russell’s Musical Pig Solved-After asking the public to identify the unknown tune, it has finally been identified as “La Sorella” by Charles Borel-Clerk and Louis Gallini. However there was some confusion over a South American dance song called “Maxixe,” which some thought was the tune. The song La Sorella is also known as La Matchiche which is pronounced the same as Maxixe.
Source: Titanic Mystery Solved: Song Toy Played As Ship Sank Is Identified(29 Aug 2013,Newsmax)
Wikipedia
3. Captain John Lowe, grandson of Titanic third officer Harold Lowe, recently attended a special dedication service for the Barmouth Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI). Lowe brought his grandfather’s photograph album containing pictures from the 1914 Barmouth Regatta.
Source: Grandson Of Titanic Survivor Attends Service(29 Aug 2013,Cambrian News)$
$Fee required to view full article
Former White Star Building To Become Titanic-Themed Hotel
Albion House in Liverpool, once the headquarters of White Star Line, is now going to become a Titanic themed hotel. According to the Liverpool Echo: “They hope to turn 350,000 sq ft of floorspace, which has been largely unused for three decades, into a 350- bedroom aparthotel with a gym, bar and restaurant named Signature Living Hotel – The Home of the Titanic, in honour of its history.”
Albion House–constructed between 1896 and 1898 and known for its distinctive appearance due to Portland stone and red brick– is a Grade II historical building (which means it is a more than just a building of special interest). Hotel developers Now Signature Living recently acquired the building and have put the paperwork in. They hope to have part of the hotel open by next April.
Sources:
1. White Star Building To Become Titanic-Themed Hotel(26 Aug 2013,Liverpool Echo)
2. Albion House, Liverpool (Wikipedia)
Titanic In Color
Many years ago a controversy over colorization of classic movies erupted. Movies such as Miracle on 34 Street and It’s A Wonderful Life were colorized. Did it ruin or improve the movie? Well depends on your perspective. Some movies were designed to take advantage of black and white and loose some of their character when colorized. It is not an easy thing to do to put color in and make it look natural. Some movies look odd as a result. Miracle on 34 Street is pretty good and the Santa suit (the one the toy manager compliments Kris on) really looks good. Anton Logvynenko decided to use modern technology to render Titanic photos in color.
And the result is nothing less than spectacular. Images most everyone has seen of Titanic now have crisp color to them. It is remarkable what he has done. You can view his work at Titanic In Color.
Source: Inking of The Titanic: Photographer colours black and white pictures of world’s most famous ship with extraordinary results(25 Aug 2013, Daily Mail)
Saturday Titanic Newswrap
1.Titanic II Update: Model testing for Titanic II will begin next month at Hamburg Ship Model Basin in Germany. According to Marinelink: “A 9.3m wooden model of Titanic II will be put through resistance and powering tests in a 300m long tank at HSVA’s Hamburg facilities in mid-September.”
Source:Titanic II Model Tank Testing To Be In Germany(23 Aug 2013,Marinelink.com)
2. Famed underwater explorer Robert Ballard is exploring the Cayman Trough, the deepest part of the Caribbean reports AP. The trough is at least 25,000 feet deep and the scientists aboard Nautilus hope organisms collected will help understand how life evolves on other worlds According to the news report, they have “captured a dumbo octopus, named for its two ear-like fins; a sea cucumber with an unidentified appendage; and various invertebrates living around hydrothermal vents that can reach temperatures of more than 400 Celsius (752 Fahrenheit).” They are also studying underwater earthslides to determine frequency and magnitude that causes tsunamis.The Nautilus is scheduled to return to port in September to avoid hurricanes and then heads to Puerto Rico in October.
Source:Explorer Who Discovered Titanic Wreck Now Investigating Deepest Trough In Caribbean Sea(22 Aug 2013,AP)
3. Here is a sneak peek of Titanic’s Final Mystery to be shown on Smithsonian Channel.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdbnAyeUjt8
Edith Russell’s Famous Pig Operable….But No One Knows The Tune
Edith Russell’s musical pig is part of Titanic lore. While aboard the lifeboat, she played it to calm people aboard Titanic lifeboat 11. It also helped distract from the sounds of the dying in the water. It appeared in the 1958 movie A Night To Remember (based on the Walter Lord book of the same name). Walter Lord had possession of it and when he passed away in 2003, it was given to the National Maritime Museum.
However it was broken, when it was no one can say. So they decided to see if they could fix it up. Thanks to modern science, they used a three dimensional X-ray scan to see what was inside. They found the curly tail, which was used to turn the device ,had detached and stuck inside. Using a small brass rod, they turned it to hear the music. While a few notes were missing, it apparently was in good condition.
Unfortunately no one knows the tune it is playing. The National Maritime Museum has released a recording of the music it plays in the hopes someone will identify it. The tune is actually quite nice.
Sources:
1.Listen To Eerie Music From Titanic Sinking, 101 Years On(21 Aug 2013,The Telegraph)
2. National Maritime Museum(Greenwich,England)
3. Edith Russell, her lucky toy pig and her Titanic dress(Encyclopedia Titanica)
Sunday Titanic News
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)
Hartley Violin Exhibit Extended At Titanic Branson
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)