The Titanic with Darel Leipold
Our program on April 3rd was presented by Darel Leipold, and was a history of the short life of the steamship, Titanic.
The Titanic was the second of three ships (Olympic, Titanic, and Britannic) built in Ireland for White Star Lines. Completed in 1912, RMS Titanic left Southampton, England on its maiden voyage on April 10th. Many of the fittings on the three ships were the same, and all of the ships were very large, 882 feet long. On its first voyage ever, from England to New York, the Titanic struck an iceberg near Newfoundland and sank. There were fewer lifeboats than needed for the large number of people, and there was a large loss of life.
Other ships were in the area, one about 50 miles away, and they came to the area and picked up the survivors. Because of the severity of the damage, the ship did not remain floating very long (only 2 –1/2 hours), and the hull split in two before sinking. Much lore accompanies the sinking of the vessel, and there have been three movies made telling the story of the ship. Because it was the “latest” and the “safest”, the maiden voyage was filled with elite passengers, and most of them did not survive. Of the 2,224 on the Titanic, 1514 did not survive.
The 100th Anniversary of the launching, maiden voyage, and sinking of Titanic is being observed on both sides of the Atlantic. In Belfast, where the ship was built and launched, a ceremony was held commemorating the launching. Many plays will be staged in England and Ireland, and a new museum in Southampton will be opened depicting 2000 years of sailing, and honoring the 538 city residents who died in the wreck. The 1997 movie “Titanic” is also being re-released in 3D at this time.
We marked the exact departure of the ship from the port of Southampton 100 years ago today at 7 AM this morning. (Pictured here is Darel Leipold holding an original copy of the Titanic given to him by his father.)
(Story by Tad shaw and photo by Steve Frazier)