Tag Archives: Marconi

Titanic News: Titanic Copycats that Have Sunk, Marconi First Radio Broadcast, and Titanic Cake Divides Internet

 

Like the SS Pendleton, it appears the Titanic replicas have sunk too.

The Titanic Copy-Cats That Have Been As Ill-Fated As The Original Ship (Belfast Telegraph, 16 May 2022)

But whatever happened to the two full-size replicas, the projects for which were ‘launched’ years ago in Australia and China? Have they turned out to be as ill-fated as the original ship? The short answer is yes. Reports in Australia suggest that Palmer has got cold feet over his vanity project’s Edwardian-period details and colonial-era elegance which, frankly, are not in keeping with prospective passengers’ modern-day cruise ship expectations. At least work actually started on the ‘other’ full-scale Titanic replica at the Romandisea Seven Star International Culture Tourism Resort and theme park in China’s Sichuan Province. The £150m project itself, however, looks sunk. For ‘Unsinkable’, read ‘unsustainable’. There was an audible gasp in the room, however, when Seven Star boss Su Shaojun revealed that a replica iceberg would also be built, to help ‘simulate’ what was, in 1912, an unparalleled maritime disaster. Needless to say, this didn’t go down particularly well, especially here. Former Belfast Lord Mayor Jim Rodgers, whose grandfather had worked on the Titanic, told the Belfast Telegraph the idea was “disgraceful and shameful.” Actor Bernard Hill, who played Captain Edward Smith in the 1997 movie and took part in the Hong Kong launch, initially rejected suggestions that the replica iceberg idea was inappropriate but later regretted his involvement in the project.

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This New ‘Titanic’ Expedition Will Take You Down to the Legendary Shipwreck Before It Disappears Entirely (Robb Report, 13 May 2022)

The 2022 Titanic Expedition will start on June 15. There are a limited number of openings for this year’s missions and a spot will set you back $250,000. Aspiring mission specialists can contact OceanGate Expeditions for additional info. Oh, and there’s another expedition slated for next year if you miss out.

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The only picture of the Marconi radio room onboard the Titanic. Harold Bride is seated at his station. Photo was taken by Father Francis Browne, SJ, while aboard Titanic.
Public Domain/Wikimedia Commons

Marconi’s First Radio Broadcast Made 125 Years Ago
(BBC, 13 May 2022)

On 13 May 1897, Guglielmo Marconi sent the world’s first radio message across open water, and he did it while visiting a seaside resort in Somerset. Marconi came to Weston-super-Mare looking to experiment with what he called “telegraphy without wires” – known to us now as radio. He was initially interested in contacting ships, but his work led to a communications revolution. It paved the way for the radio and television broadcasts that we take for granted today.

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Child’s ‘Inappropriate’ Birthday Cake Divides The Internet
(Honey Parenting, 13 May 2022)

An internet user took to the popular Mumsnet Talk forum this week to share an image of a child’s birthday cake and ask others if they thought it was inappropriate. The elaborate cake features a model of the Titanic ship split in two and sinking into the blue cake that depicts the North Atlantic Ocean. Nearby are fondant icebergs, as well as a ticket and a boarding pass. On close inspection, it appears the cake is for a child turning five, as the words, “Titanic 5th Birthday Tehl” are written on the ticket, while the name “Tehl” also appears on the boarding pass.

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Titanic lost: Belfast Telegraph front page on 16 April 1912
Source: Belfast Telegraph

Chilling Video Shows What Sinking On The Titanic Would Really Look Like (Newsweek, 12 May 2022)

A haunting video showing what passengers and crew members aboard the Titanic may have experienced as the doomed luxury liner sank has gone viral on TikTok, amassing more than 3 million views. The clip, which appears to be the second part of a series, was shared by @titanichistory1912, a content creator whose account is dedicated to videos about the Titanic. “What the lighting would have really looked like,” read the text over the clip.

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International Ice Patrol: Remembering The Titanic 110 Years Later
(Homeland Security Today, 12 Mar 2022)

This trip also included an additional mission, honoring the lives lost during the Titanic tragedy by participating in a ceremony commemorating the 110th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The crew’s first stop was in Halifax to kick off the multi-mission patrol. They were greeted by the welcoming faces of the Titanic Society of Atlantic Canada at the Local Women’s Council house. A sense of melancholy and reverence filled the room as the events of the Titanic were revisited.

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Yes Virginia, Titanic was a real ship that sank in 1912 with over 1,500 people who died.

10 People Who Literally Didn’t Know the Titanic Was A Real Ship
(Twisted Sifter, 6 May 2022)

You know with all the hoopla about Titanic over the years-the books, movies and ongoing debates-it is hard to imagine anyone who does not know it was a real ship. In fact, I bet it was the source of some jokes making fun of people who knew nothing about Titanic. Turns out that many in fact had no idea the film was based on a real historical event. If the posts shown in the article are to be believed (and I have no reason to think not), it shows how fallen history has dropped out of education these days and replaced by other things.

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And just for fun….

Titanic sails away with €4,300 in Kilmallock
(Irish Farmers Journal, 9 May 2022)

Adam Woods reports from the Irish Angus Munster branch sale held in Kilmallock mart, Co Limerick, at the weekend.


Titanic Shipping Label Auctioned Off

Shipping label addressed to Titanic wireless operator. Photo:johnnicholsons.com

                                       Photo:johnnicholsons.com

The shipping label for a parcel addressed to Marconi operator on Titanic has been sold at auction for £3,000($4,587). It was sold to an Internet bidder from the UK.

 

Source:Titanic Marconi Parcel Label Auctioned For £3,100(30 May 2015,BBC)


Update On Titanic Shipping Label Up For Auction

 Photo:johnnicholsons.com

                         Photo:johnnicholsons.com

A few days ago I reported on the upcoming auction of a shipping label from a package sent to the Marconi wireless operator on Titanic. A group called the Old Moulsham and Central Community Trust is seeking to purchase the label to show a link between Chelmsford Marconi factory and Titanic. They are currently trying to raise money from benefactors to make this possible.

The auctioneer is John Nicholson of Fernhurst, West Sussex, UK. The starting bid is £500 ($775) and will auctioned off on 30 May 2015.

Source: Bid To Bring Titanic Parcel Label Back To Chelmsford Marconi Factory(29 May 2015,Essex Chronicle)


Shipping Label From Parcel Addressed To Titanic Wireless Operator Up For Auction

Photo:johnnicholsons.com

                  Photo:johnnicholsons.com

We have had postcards, letters and even a rare violin come up for auction. Now we have a shipping label from a parcel addressed to “Marconi Operator, RMS Titanic” now up for auction. What the parcel contained is unknown or what happened to the box. According to BBC News, the mother of the current owner got it from Olympic’s first officer who was a friend of hers. She passed away in 1972.

The auctioneer is John Nicholson of Fernhurst, West Sussex, UK. The starting bid is £500 ($775) and will auctioned off on 30 May 2015.

Source: Titanic Parcel Label To Be Auctioned(22 May 2015,BBC)

 


Tuesday Titanic News

graph down1. Premier Exhibitions recently reported its fourth quarter results along with full year 2014. Total revenue fell by 7% ( $6.2 million compared to $6.7 million last quarter) and gross profit decreased as well. Exhibition days also decreased to 1,278 from 1,150 in last quarter. Attendance was down in fourth quarter (357 per day compared to 399). Ticket prices did increase slightly by 1.3% Overall revenue decreased 25.6% to $29.3 million and gross profit while gross profits decreased 32.5% to $14.0 million. Premier’s Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer Michael Little says:

“We are resolved to improving the performance of Titanic and Bodies from current levels which we think can best be accomplished by updating the exhibition content and by bolstering our exhibition marketing efforts. To accomplish these changes, we will invest in both exhibitions. In addition, we have augmented our in-house marketing team and partnered with Crossmedia to re-envision and re-launch highly creative and collaborative campaigns and bring these stories to life across paid, owned, and earned media. We think these efforts should positively impact these existing properties over time and complement our broader plan to evolve and diversify our portfolio.”

In other words, the exhibitions have become stagnant and need to be revitalized and re-marketed to get more people buying tickets. As for the Titanic artifacts that were supposed to be sold per a salvage award, not a word in the press release.
Source:Premier Exhibitions Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2014 Results(27 May 2014,Globe Newswire (Press Release)

2. Despite having powerful wireless telegraphs aboard Titanic, it was not able to summon help as quickly as it should have writes Ronald Yeaple in Daily Messenger. Over on California, its wireless operator retired for the night so he and no one else aboard heard the fateful telegraph call from Titanic. They did not learn of the tragedy till the next morning. Carpathia heard the message and resulting from that was Captain Rostron immediately heading to the scene arriving around 0400. Compounding the problem later was how messages got terribly garbled and mashed up resulting in inaccurate news being reported. Yeaple writes: “The spark coil transmitters of the time broadcast a wide range of frequencies and were not finely tuned like today’s radios, so messages often overlapped.” That does explain why, unfortunately, early reports were so terribly wrong. [Today we are experiencing something of a decline in getting it right. Today many reporters have gone backwards in their attempts to get the headline by relying on Twitter, other social media, and dubious sources not properly vetted.]
Source: FROM TELEGRAMS TO TEXTING: Why Didn’t Wireless Save Titanic’s Passengers?(1 June 2014,Daily Messenger)

3. A Mediterranean theme park in China which will include a replica of Titanic (the Titanic Sinking Simulator) will also have a man-made beach much like the movie Truman Show. Construction, if on schedule, began on 30 May. According to CNTV: “The 16-billion RMB ($256 million) model ship and interior man-made beach will be two of the key attractions at the Romandisea Seven Star International Cultural Tourism Resort, which will also feature a Venetian church, Turkish baths and what is being called a “6D cinema.”
Source:Replicated Titanic To Anchor In Mediterranean Theme Park In China(30 May 2014,CNTV)