Tempting fate? The MS Balmoral's Titanic Memorial Cruise follows the same course,
sans iceberg. The ship set sail with the same number of passengers
(1,309) and planned to rendezvous with the wreckage site on April 15
before heading to New York. Winds up to 45 mph, though, prevented the
luxury cruiser from docking in Ireland. Winds aside, the conditions seem
promising: A supermoon won't be causing a hiccup this time ... although global warming has been unleashing more rogue icebergs.
Click image to view more photos. (REUTERS/Chris Helgren)
The ship is stocked with the
descendants of survivors, including the grandson of the first steward
and the only Titanic survivor relative to dive to the wreck.
Titanic shoes"The seabed between the two parts of the ship is scattered with shoes. You begin to think they belonged to somebody. Those shoes were somebody's possessions. It was very moving," said [Philip] Littlejohn."It was something grandfather never spoke about. It had a tremendous effect on his life -- it turned (his hair) completely white with shock," Littlejohn said. (Montreal Gazette)
Encyclopedia Titanica compiles a list of survivors and links to their biographies.
What Titanic means, 100 years later.
The shipwreck has always symbolized tragic glamour, and its 100th
anniversary has inspired a ghoulish costume-party atmosphere, like the
re-creation of the last meal
that a Houston restaurant is offering for $12,000. Ultimately, 1,514
died in freezing waters. "Titanic" director James Cameron, who recently
satisfied a seven-year obsession to solo-dive a record 35,576 feet, has
become the go-to spokesperson of its cultural meaning: He was featured
in the National Geographic documentary, solipsistically titled "Titanic: The Final Word With James Cameron." Cameron zeroed in on the way this tragedy bundles hubris, class, and the mystery that the deep still holds for people.
By Vera H-C Chan | Trending NowIt's not about numbers. It's about the hubris of the shipowners, for example; it's about society at that time. It was a very optimistic time: Technology was advancing; people built aircrafts; they enjoyed electric light; everything looked like there would be a great future. And the Titanic stood for that. And then, suddenly, the unthinkable happened, as if all of this went down with the Titanic... [S]he is and will remain a metaphor. (April 6 interview with Die Spiegel)
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