Titanic Belfast survivor set for homecoming

[Warden]

What ho every one

A 'nice' news story.

The SS Nomadic built by Harland and Wolff in Belfast for the famous White Star Line and was used to take first and second class passengers out to Titanic at Cherbourg in 1912.

The Titanic entered legend when it sank with the loss of more than 1,500 people on its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York, but the Nomadic's story continued.

The British Government, bought the SS Nomadic at auction for £170,000 in January, has established a trust to raise up to £7m to fully restore the vessel and in the process provide a major boost to tourism in Belfast.

See BBC News Report

Warden Harry D

 

[PADDY]

Titanic and Belfast

I'm a relation to Anderson of Comber (Co.Down) who designed and went down with the Titanic. I'm sure I've posted the pic here before of the Titanic in Belfast docks with the shipyard workers around her (an original photo that I now have). My great grandfather took the shot!

When I was at my old school annual reunion dinner in the Ulster Reform Club (old gentleman's club in Belfast) I was looking at the plaque on the wall to Anderson, who was also a member of the club.

It's long overdue that Belfast had a decent museum to commemorate the Titanic and I dare say there are numerous other famous ships that rolled out of Belfast Docks.

 

[Warden]

Wondering what to buy your man - or your woman - for Christmas?

Well there are Titanic DNA watches for sale.

See Sky news report

Harry

 

[carter]

Not this time

Wondering what to buy your man - or your woman - for Christmas?
Well there are Titanic DNA watches for sale.
See Sky news report

Harry

Would anyone deem it accepatble to make a watch from items removed from a cemetary? I hope not.
These watches are constructed, in part from, coal and steel taken from a vessel where over 1,500 souls were lost and their remains will rest forever.
Seems a bit macabre to me.

 

[Warden]

Another Titanic watch story: -

A pocket watch found on the body of the last victim of the Titanic to be recovered has been put up for sale.

See BBC news report here.

Harry

 

[LadyStardust]

Would anyone deem it accepatble to make a watch from items removed from a cemetary? I hope not.
These watches are constructed, in part from, coal and steel taken from a vessel where over 1,500 souls were lost and their remains will rest forever.
Seems a bit macabre to me.

I agree with this sentiment, and find the second article that Warden posted, about the selling of the steward's watch, especially disheartening. I guess because it is a shipwreck, and not a "proper" cemetary with tombstones, graves, flowers, etc., people don't think it deserves the same level of respect. In the first place, taking items from the site, or worse from bodies recovered from the site, really is the same as grave-robbing, though it may not seem like it. To me, I just see it as utter disrespect, considering the tragedy of the whole event. And that somebody would sell these items for their own profit and gain is frankly repulsive. Let the ship and her dead rest, it was a great enough tragedy what happened in the first place, it needs no additions.

 

[zaika]

Another Titanic watch story: -

A pocket watch found on the body of the last victim of the Titanic to be recovered has been put up for sale.

See BBC news report here.

Harry

My first reaction, as Indiana Jones would say, that belongs in a museum!! I wonder if someone would be kind enough to purchase it and then donate it?

 

[Samsa]

I agree with this sentiment, and find the second article that Warden posted, about the selling of the steward's watch, especially disheartening. I guess because it is a shipwreck, and not a "proper" cemetary with tombstones, graves, flowers, etc., people don't think it deserves the same level of respect. In the first place, taking items from the site, or worse from bodies recovered from the site, really is the same as grave-robbing, though it may not seem like it. To me, I just see it as utter disrespect, considering the tragedy of the whole event. And that somebody would sell these items for their own profit and gain is frankly repulsive. Let the ship and her dead rest, it was a great enough tragedy what happened in the first place, it needs no additions.

I agree. Let the dead rest.

 

[Decodence]

What about people who salvage gold and jewels from Spanish Galleons and the like? Are they too, not mass graves? What about people who scour US Civil war battlefields? Pompei? etc. People need to lighten up.

 

[LadyStardust]

What about people who salvage gold and jewels from Spanish Galleons and the like? Are they too, not mass graves? What about people who scour US Civil war battlefields? Pompei? etc. People need to lighten up.

See, if these were authorized searches, and the recoveries are being given to museums, so that society at large can learn and benefit from them, that would be one situation. If, as you say, just random people "scour" these sites for their own personal gain, then yes, that does merit a certain amount of disdain. I'm not saying these people aren't good otherwise, I can't say that, because they may very well have lots of redeeming and good qualities. But that particular action is dishonorable. It's not a matter of lightening up or not.

 

[Decodence]

See, if these were authorized searches, and the recoveries are being given to museums, so that society at large can learn and benefit from them, that would be one situation. If, as you say, just random people "scour" these sites for their own personal gain, then yes, that does merit a certain amount of disdain. I'm not saying these people aren't good otherwise, I can't say that, because they may very well have lots of redeeming and good qualities. But that particular action is dishonorable. It's not a matter of lightening up or not.

So Mel Fisher and others like him are dishonorable?

 

[Decodence]

I would also like to point out that any salvage from the ship itself has been prohibited for a long time. Only salvage from the debris field is allowed. I just viewed the Titanic exhibit here a few months back, and it was great, and very enlightening.

http://www.azscience.org/titanic.php

 

[Warden]

On a related but sad theme.

The last remaining survivor of the Titanic plans to sell mementoes from the ship to pay her nursing home fees.

See BBC news report here

Toodle Loo

 

[Warden]

Another Titanic story,

The story of a father's final act of love towards his family as the Titanic sunk has been revealed.

Arthur West scrambled down the rope of a rescue boat to give his wife and two daughters a flask of hot milk before returning to the deck, and his fate.

See news story here http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7965275.stm

 

[Solid Citizen]

Intersting

Another Titanic story,

The story of a father's final act of love towards his family as the Titanic sunk has been revealed.

Arthur West scrambled down the rope of a rescue boat to give his wife and two daughters a flask of hot milk before returning to the deck, and his fate.

See news story here http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7965275.stm

Warden, THANKS for the interesting Titanic posts Solid Citizen

 

[Mojito]

Paddy, is it Anderson (I know there was a First Class passenger by that name who was lost, but he was a New Yorker, and an AB who was saved) you are related to? Or is it the famous Thomas Andrews of Comber, managing director of Harland and Wolff and nephew of Lord Pirrie, to whom you are related? If the latter, you'd probably be aware that you're also related to his brother, the second Prime Minister of Northern Ireland, John Miller Andrews. I have a good deal of time for Tommy Andrews, as - it seems - did virtually everyone who met him.

Thanks for posting that link, Warden - here's a piece on Edwy Arthur West that includes mention of the flask.

 

[H.Johnson]

A very brave and selfless man...

It is worth mentioning in the story about Mr. West taking down the Thermos flask and then returning to the ship (it was put to teh Board of Enquiry) is that there were male passengers in the same lifeboat, contrary to orders.

A version from one passenger has them wearing women's clothing and another (from his wife) being hidden beneath women's skirts. Maybe both versions are true. One of the passengers later maintained that West had these 'stowaways' pointed out to him when he descended into the boat and could reasonably have taken the same line and stayed, but chose to accept his fate and return. Whether this is true, or whether it is one of those things that are said after the event to bolster the memory of a person of great courage, I think it is impossible to discern.

 

[Warden]

Slightly off topic, A bus has been named in memory of the last survivor of the Titanic disaster.

At nine weeks old, Millvina Dean was also the youngest of 2,228 people believed to have been on board the liner when it sank on 15 April 1912.

 

[Warden]

Another Titanic story / sale

A letter written by the bandmaster of the Titanic who played as the doomed ship sank is to be sold at auction.

Read BBC news report here