 "Titanic 2.0: A look at the big plans to recreate the ill-fated ship")
Australian billionaire Clive Palmer has been preparing to build Titanic II, a replica of the tragic ship that sank in 1912 with over 2,200 people on board, for more than ten years.
Building a vessel that is “far, far superior than the original” is his word.
The billionaire mining tycoon rented a chamber at the Sydney Opera House on Wednesday to present the designs for the ocean liner replica that ultimately went down.
He agreed he hadn’t yet secured a shipyard, but he maintained his company, Blue Star Line, would build “the ship of love and the ultimate in style and luxury.”
Palmer, according to The Guardian, said that he was confident he could “do the Titanic.”
Let’s take a closer look.
Plans for Titanic II
Palmer “launched” his Titanic II plan with a press conference similar to this one at London’s Ritz Hotel almost a decade ago.
When asked by a reporter at the event if the project was a publicity stunt, Palmer said that it was ridiculous and that he had “enough money to build the Titanic 10 times over.”
Since 2012, he has served as a federal MP for a term and then resurrected a political party. He has also been involved in several legal challenges, costly election campaigns, and tourism endeavours since 2012, according to the report.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsIn 2015, a financial dispute between one of his firms and the Chinese company Citic starved the Titanic II of funding, forcing the suspension of work on the project.
In 2018, Palmer revived the project, suggesting a sailing date of 2022.
However, speaking this Wednesday, he blamed the COVID-19 pandemic for the delays. He said, “I’ve got more money now,” so people should believe him this time.
Palmer, who will turn 70 later this month, said that he could pass away having “done nothing. So I could do the Titanic. I’m gonna do it.”
“It’s a lot more fun to do the Titanic than it is to sit at home and count my money. All you need to be happy, I’ve found in my life, is to have someone that loves you, somewhere to sleep at night and enough for a good meal. Beyond that, the rest is an illusion – it’s like playing golf,” he said.
Similar interiors as the original vessel
The interior design and layout of the new ship would be identical to those of the original, featuring a ballroom, swimming pool, and Turkish baths, reported CNN.
Some of “the best designers in the world for cruise shipping,” according to Palmer, will be joining him.
The ship itself will be slightly wider than the original, measuring 32.2 metres (105 feet) in width and 269 metres (833 feet) in length. There will be 835 cabins and nine decks to accommodate 2,345 passengers.
First-class passengers will be allocated nearly half of those seats.
As aboard the original boat, third-class passengers will be served stew and mash at long tables in a communal dining room. However, the spokesperson stated that other dishes will be offered for those who prefer a less authentic experience.
During the relaunch, his team presented an eight-minute film, featuring intricate 3D renderings of the Titanic II’s nine decks.
The video, which included CGI animations of people dressed in early 1900s period clothing and was set to Johann Strauss’s The Blue Danube, described the ship’s technological details, including a “Lifeboat Overview.”
The work on the project
Palmer expressed optimism about securing a shipyard in time for the vessel’s construction to begin early next year. The ship’s first trip is scheduled for June 2027 and will depart Southampton for New York, the report said.
He said tenders for construction would be released in June, with contracts signed by December. His estimate for the cost of the 56,000-tonne ship was $500 million (~Rs 41.41 crore) to $1 billion (~Rs 82.93 crore).
Among the companies that backed the idea, according to Palmer, was Deltamarin, a marine engineering and ship design firm with headquarters in Finland.
Palmer told reporters that he anticipates that the successful bidders will be European, as he didn’t think Chinese standards could handle the situation.
Titanic tragedy
Historians are still enthralled by the story of the Titanic, even after more than a century has passed.
An estimated 1,500 passengers and crew died when the real RMS Titanic crashed on 15 April 1912, after colliding with an iceberg halfway through her inaugural transatlantic journey.
Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, who played star-crossed lovers Jack and Rose in James Cameron’s 1997 romantic blockbuster, helped to mythologise the tale.
About 700 people made it out alive, making this the most disastrous journey in history.
A mission of that kind ended tragically in June of last year when the Titan submarine suffered a catastrophic implosion while on its way to the wreckage, killing all five of its occupants.
With inputs from agencies
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