Tag Archives: Titanic II

Titanic, Titanic II

Titanic News: Antique Dealers Accused Stealing Titanic Memorabilia, Titanic II Keel Might Be Laid Soon, And How To Recycle Old VHS Tapes

gavel1. The New York Post reports that Noelle Hollander, daughter of late nautical expert Frank Braynard, has filed suit against two antiques dealers accusing them of stealing her father’s trove of ship memorabilia which includes Titanic memorabilia. The suit alleges Kerry McCaffrey and Richard Faber looted the memorabilia during a visit when her father was suffering from dementia. Also alleged is that he sold them a valuable painting at a bargain basement price which a gallery is now selling for $125,000. Hollander claims her father was unaware what the antiques dealers were doing because of his illness. Both dealers deny any wrong doing.
Source: Titanic Items Swiped From Seaport Museum Founder: Suit(25 Mar 2014,New York Post)

2. Cruise Ship News hopes that everything is going well and that the keel for Titanic II will be 31 March. That has symbolism since the original Titanic keel was laid on the same date in 1909. Of course there are nagging reports of problems between Clive Palmer and the Chinese shipyard. And some believe the whole thing is a publicity stunt.
Source: Titanic 2 Keel Expected To Be Laid March 31(25 Mar 2014,Cruise Ship News)

3. In the category of what will they make Titanic out of next comes this story. Five students with a charity called Butterfly Project decided to recycle old VHS tapes in a novel way. So they obtained 1,000 old VHS tapes, disassembled them, and used the materials to construct a 12 foot replica of the famous ship. Sadly no picture accompanies the story, which is a bummer since it would be something worth seeing. Hard to remember but VHS tapes were state of the art tech for viewing movies not so long ago. At least the typewriter still has a use when power goes out and you need to get a letter out the door.
Source: What Do You Do With 1000 VHS Video Cassettes – Make A Titanic Model Of Course(25 Mar 2014 ,Gloucester Citizen)


MacHighway - Web Hosting for Mac Users, by Mac Users, Since 1997

Olympic, Titanic, Titanic II

Titanic News: Titanic II and Rare Olympic Footage Found

1. Cruise Ship News opines they hope construction on Titanic II will begin soon and that rumors it was a publicity stunt are wrong. CSN though thinks the new ship will lack the eloquence of the original: “ Firstly, the newer ship will be taller than the original and will also have a shallower draft, much like modern ships in that respect. This will mean to look at she will look shorty and stubbier, and so some people suggested that making the Titanic 2 slightly longer would have helped with its proportions.”
Source: Titanic 2 To Lack Elegance Of Original Ship(12 Mar 2014, Cruise Ship News)

2. Des Cox was handed reels of old film and discovered one that had real value. It was an old cinema advertisement for RMS Olympic. It is quite a find and shows Olympic in her glory days and gives a sense of what it was like on Titanic in 1912. The news link will take you to an ITV interview with Des Cox. He does not know exactly what to do with it but best guess is that some Titanic museum will get it.
Source: Rare Video Of The Titanic’s Sister Ship Discovered(12 Mar 2014,ITV)

Titanic, Titanic II, Titanic Miscellaneous

Wednesday Titanic News:Titanic II Update, Rare Titanic Documents On Display, Albion House Opens To Public, and Diners Experience Poseidon’s Wrath

RMS Titanic departing Southampton on April 10, 1912.
RMS Titanic departing Southampton on April 10, 1912.

1. Titanic II Update: Asia Cruise News is reporting some doubt is being raised about Titanic II construction. Apparently Clive Palmer is possibly reconsidering the project being built in a Chinese shipyard.

Clive Palmer, the mining tycoon behind Titanic II, is alleged to have been disappointed by the lack of enthusiasm to build the ship in China and that the quotes to build there in terms of delivery time and price were not what he was expecting, and he is now thought to be reconsidering the project. “Palmer was expecting to find a sponsor and a partner at a Chinese shipyard, but he did not,” the source said.

I am not totally surprised by this. The Chinese probably want more control over the ship or Blue Star Line before they commit any money and Palmer is not going along with it. So naturally the prices he was quoted early on have risen sharply along with all kinds of fees required by the government. The Chinese probably want the ship for themselves and Palmer is just a convenient capitalist who brought it to their door. Hope he did not put down a lot of money for a deposit.
Source: ‘It’s On Track,’ Blue Star Maintains, As Doubts Over Titanic II Surface(5 Mar 2014,Asia Cruise News)

2. Collection Of Rare Titanic-Related Documents At The Penn Libraries(4 Mar 2014,UPENN Almanac)
The John B. Thayer Memorial Collection of the Sinking of the Titanic was donated to the Penn Libraries by members of the Thayer family. The collection provides a fascinating record of an historically important world event. Items in the collection include the manuscript of his memoir, published in 1940, contemporary newspaper clippings documenting Mr. Thayer’s tale of survival and correspondence between Marian Thayer and J. Bruce Ismay, CEO of the White Star Line which commissioned the Titanic. These materials will now be located in the Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts for researchers to access.

3. Restored Titanic Headquarters Opens In Liverpool(1 Mar 2o14,BBC)
Hundreds queued to see the former headquarters of Titanic cruise liner operator White Star Line open its doors for the first time in decades. Grade II listed Albion House on The Strand, Liverpool, is being converted into a hotel by Signature Living. The first class ticket lounge has been restored with original features that were hidden when the building was converted to offices. The White Star Line flag was raised to mark 80 years since it closed.Titanic historian Paul Louden-Brown had the flag made to the original White Star pattern.

4. Poseidon’s Wrath
Having a meal at Moby Dick Restaurant, located on a Santa Barbara pier, boasts a great view of the waves and lots of fresh seafood. A recent storm during breakfast gave diners an experience they will not soon forget. A large wave crashed into a restaurant window shattering glass and scattering patrons. No doubt the owners will soon be upgrading their windows to be more resistant. And probably a lawyer will advise posting a warning to patrons that eating at the restaurant includes the possibility of a rogue wave crashing through a window once in a while and they are not liable for damages. And of course should the real Moby Dick show up, your on your own.


Titanic II

Titanic II Builder Having Problems Filling Resort

Photo:Ian L(publicdomainpictures.net)

Clive Palmer is having problems with his Coolum resort.  Room rates are being slashed and promotions are being offered to draw people to stay. Layoffs have occurred dropping the once 650 workforce down to 90. The lack of business is hurting the local economy which depends upon people staying at such resorts. The reasons for the sudden lack of business could be that people are watching their cash or, as one news report speculates, that people are not liking Clive Palmer’s sometimes erratic behavior.

The sprawling golf-dinosaur-vintage car-Titanic-themed resort has 324 suites ranging in price from $400 to $2000 a night plus seven restaurants and bars. The vintage car museum and Palmersaurus Park were opened late last year with high entry costs that have failed to draw large crowds. Five accommodation packages and promotions are currently on offer to entice more visitors.

So what does this mean, if anything, for Titanic II? Possibly that Titanic II could be cancelled IF something were to go really amiss and Palmer pulls the plug. Thus far he has done a lot of preliminary steps and signed some contracts that indicate it is a go. When they start putting the keel down, then it becomes more real.

Source: Guest Numbers Low At Clive Palmer’s Coolum Resort (9 Feb 2014,Herald Sun)

Titanic, Titanic II

Titanic News For Superbowl Sunday

American football(Pictured above 2009 Pro Bowl) Photo: Public Domain
American football(Pictured above 2009 Pro Bowl)
Photo: Public Domain

1. Page For New Titanic 2 Ship Goes Down(2 Feb 2014,Cruise Ship News)
Both the bluestarline.com.au and titanic-ii.com websites redirect to a suspendedpage.cgi page that states the following message, “Template Error: The template file must be given (or the template could not be opened)”. This news has led some to feel that the new Titanic 2 ship is never coming and more about helping Clive Palmer’s political career, although we will leave that debate to the conspiracy theorists.

2.Spotlight: ‘Raise the Titanic’ by Clive Cussler(2 Feb 2014,News OK)
By now, readers know what to expect from Clive Cussler. He has written or co-authored 62 books, many of them thrillers focusing on Dirk Pitt, a darkly handsome, unstoppable hero who is something like an unlicensed James Bond. These days, Cussler’s portrayals of chivalry seem outdated and perhaps offensive, but he continues to churn out books, maintaining a consistent presence on the best-seller lists. He may never have become so popular if not for “Raise the Titanic,” a 1976 novel that introduced most readers to Pitt and launched Cussler’s career. The book, published long before Robert Ballard discovered the real resting place of the Titanic, was an unqualified success, in part because interest in the Titanic disaster never wanes. Pitt is tasked with bringing the remains of the great ship back to the surface in one piece, but as success draws nearer, dark forces are closing in.

3.Warhol-Style Exhibition Is Tribute To Titanic Victims (1 Feb 2014, Newtown Abbey Today)
Newtownabbey artist Lise McGreevy has paid tribute to “Titanic’s fallen” with an exhibition inspired by the style of Andy Warhol.The display entitled “We Salute You” is currently on show at The Dock Cafe near the Odyssey in Belfast’s Titanic Quarter, until February 28, then onboard the Nomadic, the ship which ferried passengers to the iconic vessel before its ill-fated maiden voyage where it will be shown from March 24 until April 30.

4.Premier Exhibitions, Inc. Announces Partnership To Bring King Tut Exhibition To North America-Press Release(27 Jan 2014,PR Newswire )
Premier Exhibitions, Inc. (“Premier Exhibitions”) , a leading presenter of museum quality touring exhibitions, announced today that it will bring The Discovery of King Tut, an exhibition that recreates one of the greatest discoveries of the 20th century, to North America for the first time. The partnership with Semmel Concerts GmbH (“Semmel”), gives Premier Exhibitions the exclusive rights to tour the exhibition in North America. Semmel has successfully toured a similar exhibition in Europe since 2008, with approximately five million people experiencing the exhibition in 20 host cities.


Amazon – Shop. Connect. Enjoy. All from Earth’s Biggest Selection.

Titanic, Titanic II, Titanic Miscellaneous

Friday Titanic News:More On Titanic II Third Class, Study Claims 18-24 Would Not Save Women & Children, and Update on Loraine Allison

1. Cruise Ship News weighs in on the 3rd class option on Titanic II. According to Clive Plamer, 700 people will pay for the opportunity to sleep in cramped cabins as they did on the original Titanic. Cruise Ship News says this sounds good in theory but wonders whether having 700 people sharing two bathrooms meets current health and safety standards. And if you are going authentic, does that not mean you will have to keep those passengers away from other parts of the ship? The commentary closes with this:

Then there is the question of price because according to the Telegraph, the cost of a third class ticket was £7 and £9. Converted into today’s money, then Titanic 2 third class tickets would cost £587 and £754. Would you be willing to pay as much as that to cross the Atlantic in such cramped conditions, and then there is the question of whether you would have access to the rest of the Titanic 2 ship, as original third class passengers did not have such access?

That is a good question. Are you willing to spend money to sleep in authentic Titanic 3rd class quarters with just two bathrooms for 700 people?

Source: Titanic 2 Ship Third Class Tickets An Authentic Option(20 Jan 2014,Cruise Ship News)

2.The National Student is reporting on a poll that does not look good if you are looking to an 18-24 year old to save your life. Virgin Cruises apparently did a study that asked various questions about what they would do in certain situations. Stop a pirate? 81% said no. Nor would they summon a kraken to help Davy Jones against other ships. Nor would they help crew load cannons to fend off attacks from enemy ships. And an astounding 87% would not allow women and children first in the lifeboats. Now some of the questions are really foolish like a peg leg pirate boarding the ship. The fact they would not bother to let women and children first may speak to a generation that is self absorbed looking at their smartphones to give a damn about anything. And it would not be surprising many would rather do nothing to help crew repel real pirates (that might be sensible considering the modern day pirate is armed with automatic weapons).

Or the kids answering the survey decided it was a hoot and decided to have some fun with it.

Source: Students: Useless In A Titanic Disaster Situation, Says Research (20 Jan 2o14,The National Student)

Mystery3.3. Update on Loraine Allison/Helen Kramer Story
The news that DNA conclusively proved Loraine Allison did not survive Titanic is getting widely reported now. There has been an uptick in news postings from all over the place and even blogs as well. Over at Debrina Woods site (http://www.titanicslastmystery.com)there is a new statement in the DNA response section which states (in part):

We were informed in DEC/2013, that a third party was announcing that they had conducted a separate (unrequested by us and sponsored by the opposition Allison’s) DNA Testing and had received a very(conveniently) NEGATIVE determination. To which we respond to all: OK…for now. BUT ALL, BE ADVISED, THAT THIS SAGA IS HARDLY OVER…!!!! We intend to maintain fully on course in our determination to presenting THE REAL and total FACTS of this story to the world and while I had harbored sensitivity to certain more inflammatory issues regarding William Percival Allison’s actions and others involved back in the day, that OUR evidence supports and discloses as showing MUCH MISCONDUCT…Now, am thinking not so much. Which will make for all the better reading and PRESS!! I am hoping that my manuscripts will be completed this spring and ready for submission for publication. We regret that many will be confused by the information that is making the rounds now in the press and other media…
and that we feel has been irresponsibly released for sensation value.

The rambling statement hints at conspiracies, divided opinion, and a book to come. While those who support Helen Kramer’s claim might cling to the hope that the DNA test was wrong or that perhaps manipulated in some fashion the uncomfortable truth is that the grandmother was not related the Allison family. Whether she was a fantasy prone individual convinced of being Loraine Allison (possibly by her husband) or was part of a fraud is unclear.

Titanic, Titanic II

Titanic News:Telegraph Reports On Loraine Allison Controversy, Titanic II is a “Floating Mausoleum” and Outrage Over The Chinese Sinking Titanic Simulator

Mystery1.Jasper Copping writing for The Telegraph reports on the Loraine Allison/Helen Kramer controversy. As reported in another blog posting  Helen Kramer claimed back in 1940 that she was Loraine Allison and did not die in 1912 when Titanic sank. She claimed her father had given her to a Mr. Hyde on a lifeboat. Hyde took her to England and put her in boarding schools. The claim was never substantiated and was later picked up by her granddaughter. However a recent DNA test has proved that Helen Kramer was not Loraine Allison. Nancy Bergman, who is a Allison descendant stated:

These DNA results have uncovered a colossal fraud that has haunted my family for years. It was all about the money …. Debrina wants to write a book and no doubt there are others out there who want to profit from our story. It is our story. Leave us in peace.

Source: Lost Child Of The Titanic And The Fraud That Haunted Her Family(19 Jan 2014,The Telegraph)

2. Cahir O’Doherty writing for IrishCentral.com is not for Clive Palmer’s Titanic II. O’Doherty is particularly unhappy about how Third Class (or steerage as it was called back then) will be recreated. If Palmer goes through with it, those who book in this class will bunk up much like those that did back in 1912 (which means many bunking together in rooms and sharing bathrooms). Palmer intends to go through what used to be a required delousing of Third Class passengers before disembarking but using confetti cannons to have the same effect. To this Cahir writes:

Do we think we can re-write history by having a doppelganger complete the original voyage? It’s hubris as objectionable as calling the original ship unsinkable. We should have learned the hard lesson. It’s a floating mausoleum, not a ship.

Source: Sink The Titanic II, Insensitive Obsession Goes Too Far(18 Jan 2014,IrishCentral.com)

3. The Daily Mirror reports on negative reaction to the Chinese theme park Titanic simulator. Rudi Newman of the British Titanic Society states: “This is in incredibly poor taste and frankly deplorable. Whatever next, the Pompeii experience?”

Source: Relatives Of Titanic Victims Criticise Theme Park Ride With ‘Shake And Tumble’ Simulator That Recreates Disaster (17 Jan 2014,Daily Mirror)

Titanic II

Titanic II: A High Priced Nightmare?

RMS Titanic departing Southampton on April 10, 1912.
RMS Titanic departing Southampton on April 10, 1912.
Photo: Public domain

Michael Madigan writing for Australia’s Courier Mail wonders whether Titanic II will be a luxury cruise or a high priced nightmare. As currently planned, Titanic II will (except for modern safety features and other things)be faithful to the design of the original ship. That means first, second, and third class will be fitted out as they were on the original Titanic. Madigan notes that means being accurate for the wealthy and poor. It also means an opulence no longer seen on modern day cruise ships.

Can mahogany lined ships make money? Likewise will people want to pay money to sleep in cramped third class quarters as they did back in 1912 with sharing bathrooms with fellow third class travelers? Apparently Palmer is so intent on creating the Titanic experience that they are using training manuals from the period to train silver service waiters. It likely means that men and women will have to dress up for dinners as they did back in 1912 and retire afterwards to separate areas. Third class passengers probably do not have to dress up but will get more simple fare. Even breakfast on Titanic was grand by today’s standards.

Madigan really has no idea, and really no one does, whether or not Titanic II will make money. It will certainly draw a lot of wealth for its initial voyage but since money has shifted away from London and New York since 1912, I speculate Titanic II will be marketed to Chinese, wealthy Arabs, Hollywood and political celebrities. Ordinary folks will likely have to stick with cruise ship trips to Mexico, Hawaii, or Alaska.

Source: Will Clive Palmer’s Titanic Ii Be A Luxury Cruise Or Titanic-Sized Nightmare?(13 Jan 2014, The Courier Mail)

Titanic, Titanic II

Titanic News: Exhibits Coming To Toledo & Israel;Titanic II Update;Faulty Rivets and a Kosher Butcher

1. The Blade reports that Titanic:The Artifact Exhibition will be coming to Imagination Station on 15 Feb and runs till 15 June 2014. A number of special events are planned including a visit by Molly Brown’s great-grandaughter Helen Benziger. For information and tickets, go to imaginationstationtoledo.org.
Source: Titanic Display To Dock In Downtown Toledo(7 Jan 2014,The Blade)

2. Shalom Life reports a deal has been struck to bring Titanic artifacts to Israel Trade Fairs Center in Tel Aviv for about three months. Further details as to the date of the exhibition has not yet been disclosed.
Source:The Titanic Sets Sail for Tel Aviv(27 Dec 2013,Shalom Life)

3. Cruise Ship News reports that if all goes on schedule, the keel will be laid for Titanic II in March. So far it has all been model testing and using various companies that will contribute to its construction and outfitting.
Source: Titanic 2 Ship Progress Leap In March(6 Jan 2014,Cruise Ship News)

4. Willamette Week has an interview with Jennifer Hooper McCarty, a metallurgist who helped study 48 rivets pulled from Titanic. In her book What Really Sank the Titanic, her findings were that some rivets contained poor quality iron. These rivets in the bow and stern had excessive slag contributing to weak regions. However this was not detectable during normal safety checks but later resulted in rivet failure.
Source:Voices 2014: Faulty Rivets Sunk the Titanic:Jennifer Hooper McCarty, metallurgist
(31 Dec 2013,Willamette Week)

5. The Coventry Telegraph reports that the last living contact with J. Bruce Ismay passed away at age 100. Agnes Thwaite worked as a cook and kitchen maid at the household of Bruce Ismay in London. Despite the public perception of Ismay, she recalled he was kind and generous to his staff.
Coventry Woman Who Worked For Builder Of The Titanic Dies (31 Dec 2013,Coventry Telegraph)

6.Haaretz reports that the Kosher butcher shop that supplied Titanic will be preserved thanks to funding from late Jewish philanthropist Sir Isaac Wolfson. The iconic green-tiled Galkoff’s had been designated for demolition and building a new research wing for Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine.
Source: Iconic Kosher Butcher Shop That Supplied Titanic To Be Preserved(30 Dec 2013,Haaretz)

An interview with Rob Galkoff about the history of the butcher shop can be viewed at YouTube.

Titanic II

Titanic II Updates

Photo courtesy George Behe
Photo courtesy George Behe

1.Clive Palmer’s Titanic Cash Splash Just A Drop In The Ocean (27 Dec 2013,news.com.au)
It’s one of his most publicised pet projects, but Clive Palmer has so far committed little more than $800,000 to his dream of building Titanic II.  But financial returns lodged this week for the 2012-13 financial year reveal that as at June 30, just $828,700 had been committed by his Blue Star Line to the project “to be paid in the future.”

2. First Class Steward Descendant On Titanic II Advisory Board(20 Dec 2013,News Mail)
A descendant of a first class steward and survivor of the RMS Titanic, Alexander James Littlejohn, has joined the advisory board of Blue Star Line’s Titanic II project. Clive Palmer said Philip Littlejohn is the grandson of Alexander Littlejohn, who survived the 1912 sinking of the Titanic after being ordered to row Lifeboat 13. “Lifeboat 13 is well known as the lifeboat that contained the youngest survivor, Millvina Dean,” he said.