Tag Archives: Joseph Laroche

Titanic

Titanic News: Black Passenger on Titanic,Titanic in Iowa, and Titan submarine

 

Joseph Laroche (seated right), with his family; wife, Juliette (centre), elder daughter, Simonne (left) and younger daughter, Louise (centre, seated).1911
Source:Wikipedia

Titanic’s only black passenger: Noble Maritime Collection hosts virtual seminar on the ‘untold stories’ (silive.com, 25 Feb 2021

The wreck killed more than 1,500 people, and the last survivor who was aboard the Titanic passed away in 2009. While there were many victims taken by the Titanic sinking, history has unveiled that there was just one black passenger aboard the ship. That man was Joseph Laroche. The Noble Maritime Collection, located on the grounds of Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden in Livingston, will virtually present the story of Laroche through a lecture titled “Untold Stories of the Titanic: The Only Black Passenger,” by Dr. Kellie Carter Jackson Saturday, March 6.

The history of the Titanic connected to southeast Iowa (KTVO, 25 Feb 2021)

Research has found that Iowa has ties to the most famous shipwreck in history. Some of the people who were on the Titanic on that fatal day had connections with Iowa. Many of the passengers were immigrants who were coming to the Midwest for opportunity. Some passengers were directly tied to farming while others were looking for job opportunities.Although Iowa story teller Darcy Maulsby knew of a few Iowa families who were on the Titanic, she was surprised to discover that there were even more involved.

Triton’s Titanic Explorer will reach new depths for luxury bubble-subs (newatlas.com, 24 Feb 2021)

The Triton 13000/2 Titanic Explorer will be the deepest diving acrylic bubble sub ever built, by a long way. It’ll be capable of diving to 4,000 m (13,123 ft), making it the only transparent sphere that can take you and a buddy down to the wreck of the Titanic, some 3,800 m (12,500 ft) under the surface. Triton’s dropped in on Jack and Rose’s love nest once before, mind you, back in 2019. But to do so, it needed to use its monstrous 36000/2 sub, which has a titanium sphere hull capable of taking two people to the bottom of the Marianas trench. Indeed, it was the first manned mission to the Titanic wreck in some 14 years, so rather a special achievement.


Titanic, Titanic Miscellaneous

Saturday Scramble

Palmer Colossal Crocodile*Clive Palmer’s robotic dinosaur park has been approved but not without vocal opposition by local residents reports Fox News. Palmer had sought approval for erecting up to 160 animatronic dinosaurs at his Coolum Resort. The exhibit will include “five Tyrannosaurus rex robots, the largest towering at 8.5 metres (28 feet) in height.” The dinosaur robots will be able to blink their eyes and move their tales.

Source: Green Light For Titanic Tycoon’s Aussie Dinosaur Park(25 Jul 2013,Fox News)

*Belfast’s Titanic Quarter has exceeded all expectations reports The Telegraph. Titanic Quarter is being designed as a place for education, residential, and entertainment growth. 185 acres are being converted into the largest urban waterfront with Belfast Titanic being a major draw with over 800,000 visitors in the first year.

The Quarter is also home to the Northern Ireland Science Park – 24 acres of office and R&D space, currently housing more than 100 indigenous and international organisations – and Titanic Studios, one of Europe’s largest TV and movie production sets. Premier Inn, the first of five planned hotels, is already achieving high levels of occupancy and around 1,000 people are living in the first residential phase of the development.

Source: Belfast’s Titanic Quarter Exceeds Expectations(26 Jul 2013,The Telegraph)

*Many are surprised to learn there was a black family traveling aboard Titanic, and were second class passengers. Joseph Laroche was traveling aboard Titanic with his family (his wife and two children;his wife was pregnant with a third child). Born in Haiti in 1886, he migrated to France in 1901 (at age 15) to study engineering. After obtaining his degree, he found racial discrimination got in his way of a high paying job. His second daughter Louise was born prematurely and had medical problems. With his wife pregnant, Laroche decided to return to Haiti with his pregnant wife. Since he wife was white, the couple got stares and rude comments aboard Titanic. When disaster struck, he made sure his wife and children were placed on a lifeboat (possibly lifeboat 14). Joseph Larouche perished when Titanic sank.

Source: Titanic Black Passengers: Joseph Laroche, Unknown Facts(26 Jul 2013, Examiner.com)

Further information:
Joseph Philippe Lemercier Laroche (Encyclopedia Titanica)