The footprint of the Titanic is still present in Belfast
At the end of 2020, a private company put up for sale 54 tickets to be part of 6 underwater expeditions who, between May and September 2021, will explore the wreck of the RMS Titanic, which still rests under the frigid north atlantic , at about 3,800 meters deep. The price of each ticket exceeds 100,000 euros.
For most mortals, that figure is exaggeratedly high, no matter how many times they have cried when they saw how Jack Dawson (Leonardo Di Caprio) he let go of that wooden plank that linked him to life and to his beloved Rose (Kate Winslet).
However, there is another, somewhat less spectacular, but much more economical and educational way to explore the entrails of the most famous ocean liner in history. To enjoy it, you must first take a plane – or a boat, if you want to tempt fate – to Belfast.
During the last decades, the capital of North Ireland has undergone a very considerable transformation, leaving behind its rough and industrial look to become a city in which art and modernity have been making their way at a frenetic pace.
The Titanic, still in the shipyards
Precisely these two components go hand in hand in what is undoubtedly, since its construction in 2012, the most important tourist attraction in Belfast: Titanic Belfast.
TITANIC BELFAST: THE WORLD'S LARGEST TRIBUTE TO THE TITANIC
The waters of river lagan they flow grey, almost silver, between the wharves on which the old Belfast shipyards stood. In that place where thousands of workers broke down in endless days that today would be prohibited , the Harland & Wolff Company He was in charge of designing and building some of the largest and most powerful ships in the history of navigation, both civil and military.
One of his best clients was White Star Line, the British shipping company that commissioned them to create the Titanic.
Today, right where the huge Harland & Wolff shipyards stood , an eye-catching building whose sides show four enormous gleaming prows (each the same height as the original prow of the Titanic) houses the largest - and best - existing world exhibition on the Titanic.
Replica of the stairs inside the Titanic at Titanic Belfast
The quality, variety and quantity of objects of all kinds related to the famous ocean liner is so overwhelming that it makes the visitor feel transported, for a few hours, to the year 1912 , to become another passenger on the most famous ship in the world. Of course, saving the sad end.
The exhibition begins with a perfect setting designed to place the passenger in the industrial Belfast of the early 20th century . After showing the harshness of that life, an adjoining room contains the ancient White Star Line billboards , which seemed destined to create that need to get out of misery to seek better fortune in the Promised Land of the time: the United States.
The following rooms show the complex process of building the Titanic . Really beautiful are the black and white images that show those designers and architects devoted to the plans of that symbol of luxury on the high seas.
The colossal Titanic at the time of its construction
Harder, and insecure, were the conditions in which welders, carpenters, electricians, plumbers, blacksmiths and other professionals who made up the force of up to 14,000 men who participated, between 1909 and 1912, in this magnificent work.
This part can be explored thanks to an elevator that takes the passenger to the top of one of the original construction platforms. At this point, he must get on a kind of cart that goes through rooms on a real scale to discover animated recreations of part of the works and objects used in it.
Then it's time to admire the result of this miracle of naval engineering.
The experience begins by witnessing the exact place where the Titanic was launched, for the first time, into the waters of the Lagan . After this, the tour continues showing exact replicas of the third, second and first class cabins, as well as the luxurious dining room and engine room.
To add a little more realism, if possible, to the experience, some spooky holograms they show people, dressed in their costumes and dresses from the early 20th century, chatting in the various cabins and other areas of the ship.
However, there is no more chilling showroom in Titanic Belfast than the one dedicated to the entire sequence of the sinking of the Titanic that tragic night from April 14 to 15, 1912. In it you can read all the messages exchanged, by telegraph, between the cursed ocean liner and the other ships in the area.
Model of the Titanic (Titanic Belfast)
They clearly show that the warnings received by the Titanic about the existence of icebergs in the area . They didn't care. After all, they were aboard the largest and safest ocean liner ever created.
Then there would be the reports of damage and the continual, desperate calls for help to which only the ship carpathia I can go two hours after the sinking. It may seem like it was too late, but with her heroic act, the captain of the Carpathia, Arthur Rostron , managed to save the lives of 700 people who were landed in New York three days later.
More than 1,500 souls , however, would succumb in the cold, dark waters of the Atlantic.
The luxurious interior of the Titanic
In this dimly lit room, the victims are also remembered . The atmosphere created is such that 21st century passengers get to feel the tragedy on their own skin. They do not know how to explain it, but everyone arrives with a heavy heart at the large projection room where, as the end of the experience, the images of the shipwreck are shown, which were recorded by the modern submarines sent to remove the sadness of the fatality of the destiny.
A VISIT TO THE SS NOMADIC AND HMS CAROLINE
With the ticket to Titanic Belfast you can also visit the SS Nomadic, a ship that was launched on April 25, 1911 in Belfast, to serve as a ferry for ocean liners RMS Titanic and RMS Olympic.
Docked alongside Titanic Belfast, she has the great honor of being the last remaining White Star Line ship in the world.
Restored to her original glory and back home to Belfast, a visit to the SS Nomadic combines the authentic heritage and atmosphere of this historic ship with the intriguing stories of her passengers and the ups and downs of his dramatic career.
For an additional fee, it's worth stepping aboard HMS Caroline, a warship that is considered a unique survivor of the First World War.
The Titanic Engineers
THE TITANIC QUARTER, ONE OF THE MOST MODERN AREAS OF BELFAST
Over the last few decades, Belfast's old docks have become a totally different place. Titanic Quarter is encompassed in the Maritime Mile (Maritime Mile) of Belfast. Touring it on foot or by bicycle is the best option to learn about the maritime and industrial past of the city.
Today, in the modern Titanic Quarter You will find, in addition to the Titanic Belfast, modern homes, offices, film studios (Titanic Studios was the "home" of the legendary HBO series, Game of Thrones ), designer cafes and restaurants, and the SSE Arena, a huge concert and event center with a capacity of 10,000 spectators.
Finally, there is no better way to finish off this incredible experience than by spending the night at the Titanic Hotel Belfast. Recently, the former Harland & Wolff design offices they were restored to create this beautiful boutique hotel in which many original heritage elements have been respected.
And it is that the spirit of the most famous ocean liner in history continues to sail through every corner of the Belfast docks. Unstoppable and powerful, as it should always be.
Titanic Belfast opens its doors again on May 27. The Titanic Hotel Belfast does the same on May 24.
It is estimated that what remains of the Titanic will be gone between 2025 and 2050.