This year will mark 27 years since the movie “Titanic” opened in theatres sparking a new love affair with the sunken ship. The Titanic was first ordered by White Star Line in 1908 with construction starting in March of 1909. By April 2nd, 1912 the ship had been completed and the maiden voyage was set for April 10th. As most know, she did not make her destination of New York City thanks to an iceberg strike in the north Atlantic Ocean on April 14th, 1912. Only 706 of its 2,204 passengers survived the sinking.
Now, an Australian billionaire wants to re-create the Titanic and encourage people to dress in fashions common to 1912 while on board. Clive Palmer, a wealthy, but controversial businessman has been planning to launch a second version of the Titanic for several years. Originally he was hoping to have his ship built in 2012 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the sinking, however plans were delayed and the ship was never built. Then, in 2018, he revived the idea of “Titanic II” but then the pandemic hit in early 2020 and plans were once again halted.
Palmer is now taking another crack at getting his massive ocean liner built. He recently held a launch party at the Sydney Opera House to announce he’s moving ahead with Titanic II at a cost of approximately $1 billion. Plans are in the works now and he hopes to start construction in early 2025. His version of the ship will be nearly the same size at the original, measuring in at 833 feet long and 105 feet wide. The first Titanic was 883 feet long, 92 feet wide, and over 52 thousand pounds. Palmer’s version will be able to hold 2,300 people on board, which is very similar to the original Titanic. In addition to launching his ship, he’s hoping passengers will want to dress in period costumes reminiscent of 1912.
Other similarities include the name of his company, Blue Star Line (originally it was White Star line in 1912), the maiden voyage will go from Southampton, England to New York City, and he even plans on re-creating the grand staircase which was a pinnacle of Titanic’s luxury.
Palmer is hoping the maiden voyage of Titanic II will be in 2027 and expects it to go much smoother than the original trip across the pond. Let’s just hope mother nature doesn’t re-create the infamous iceberg!
