It’s been 106 years since the Titanic set out on its ill-fated voyage from Southampton to New York. In 2022, a Titanic replicate of the original ship is scheduled to retrace the route of the original ship, sailing first from Dubai to Southampton, then onward to New York.
After a several-year delay due to a financial dispute, Blue Star Line, an Australian shipping company, recently resumed construction on the new ship. The vessel will cost about $500 million to build, which is considerably more than the original Titanic cost in 1912. The ship cost $7.5 million to build, or about $190 million adjusted for inflation – put you can’t put a price tag on safety, right?
Every detail will be painstakingly recreated, from all of the dining rooms to the grand staircase at the center of the ship. There will even be different classes given the passengers the option to choose between First, Second, or Third Class. How modern travelers will take to the class system is yet to be seen, but it’s expected since the boat is a replica that some leeway will be allowed. Just like the original, the ship will be capable of carrying 2,400 passengers 900 crew members. Fortunately, Titanic II will have also have a few key differences, like modern navigation and safety technology – hopefully enough lifeboats for everyone. Titanic II is the brainchild of Australian billionaire Clive Palmer, a former politician who made his money in the mining business.
The Titanic II has something of a fraught history. First announced in 2012 — just days after the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the original Titanic — the replica ship’s maiden voyage was initially intended to take place in 2016. In 2015, however, two sizable roadblocks occurred.
First, the launch date was pushed back to 2018; then, construction was actually suspended altogether due to a financial dispute. Radio silence ensued for several years. In September of 2018, however, Blue Star Line announced that work had resumed. That's about six years later than the original date and a full decade following the announcement of the project. Is this a foreshadow of what is to come? Is the Titanic name cursed? Only time will tell.
The original Titanic commanded by Captain Edward Smith, famously hit an iceberg four days into its voyage and sank. Of the estimated 2,224 passengers and crew on board, more than 1,500 lost their lives in the tragedy. The Titanic was trying to set a world record for the fastest voyage across the Atlantic. At the time, Titanic was the largest ship afloat, and the death toll made it one of the deadliest commercial peacetime maritime disasters in modern history. The Titanic carried some of the wealthiest people in Europe.
Thanks to the 1997 blockbuster film “Titanic,” directed by James Cameron generations of people became interested in this major historical event. At $200 million, the film was the most expensive film ever made at the time and was a huge gamble for the studio. However, it grossed more than a billion dollars and even more than 20 years later film goers still consider Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio romance one of their all-time favorites.
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