Titanic cruise ship one step closer as shipyard prepares for construction

[brooklynite]

Source: Daily Mail

Plans to build a life-size sailing replica of the Titanic look set to go ahead after it was revealed that the shipyard chosen to build the ocean liner has begun upgrading its facilities in preparation of the forthcoming construction work.

Titanic II is to be built at CSC Jinling Shipyard Company in Nanjing, China, and is being funded by Australian billionaire businessman Clive Palmer.

...snip...


Its exterior will be an exact replica of the ill-fated vessel but engineers will incorporate the latest technology when it comes to engines and electronics.

It will also remain faithful to the classifications of the original ship with passengers able to buy first, second and third class tickets

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-2284157/Titanic-cruise-ship-step-closer-shipyard-prepares-

---

...and to maintain the air of authenticity, steerage passengers will be the last admitted to the lifeboats...

[Zephie]

1. Titanic II: Because it went SO well the first time.

[Submariner]

40. At least the cheap Chinese steel hull

will probably be equivalent in strength and quality to our 1912 U.S. steel hull that shatters in cold water.

[freshwest]

42. And because nothing else on the planet needs tending to...

[octothorpe]

44. Do you say that about all cruise ship construction?

I'm pretty sure most modern day cruise ships are larger than the Titanic was. Do you think all non-essential or pleasure oriented ventures should be put on hold because the world is a bit screwed up?

[freshwest]

46. If I wanted to make an all-inclusive statement like that, I would have. I didn't. But don't worry.

We'll be like ships passing each other in the night.

[octothorpe]

59. Why? Did i say something to upset you?

I was just trying to understand where your comment was coming from.

[Psephos]

72. Building it and running it creates lots of jobs.

I don't see how increasing the supply of jobs diminishes ability to tend to other things needing attention. Definitely, the tax revenue those jobs create can be put to useful purposes.

[AndyA]

2. Let's hope while they incorporate the latest technology for engines and electronics

they also address those water-tight compartment and lack of lifeboats issues as well...

[RC]

9. Didn't they do that the first time?

And it was unsinkable too.

[AndyA]

12. That's what they said...

Guess that's why it's spent most of its life on the ocean floor.

Hey, here's a good idea: Perhaps its maiden voyage could replicate the maiden voyage of the original Titanic!

[ManiacJoe]

50. No, it was "virtually" unsinkable.

And the "water-tight" compartments has large gaps at the top of them.

[Blue_Tires]

58. Well, to be fair they were steaming way too fast, iirc

and the hull was also constructed weaker than originally thought because of the imperfect metallurgy+riveting of the era...The cold water temps also made the hull brittle...

[Wait Wut]

3. Their timing isn't the greatest.

Announcing plans to build a replica of a doomed cruise ship in the wake (no pun intended, but...heh) of the recent tragedies/sicknesses/idiocy is _________________. (There were just too many words I could've used here. Feel free to finish the sentence any way you'd like.)

[Happyhippychick]

4. In other news, they're starting an airline called "Bin Laden Airways".

How ridiculous and stupid is this idea?

[Purveyor]

26. ^^^THIS^^^ eom

[TheBlackAdder]

5. This Titanic's new sister ship won't be called the Britannic.. it will be called The Poseidon. :-)

(Though the other sister ship, The Olympic, was able to stay afloat.)

[Berlum]

7. That's, um, Adventurous

[woodsprite]

11. Yeah. My daughter suggested a New Year's cruise for

DH's and my 30th anniversary on the Disney cruise lines - she figured she and her brother could come along. I told her "thanks, but no thanks". Although I liked Shelley Winters, I have no desire to re-enact her role in the Poseidon Adventure.

[Politicalboi]

33. Well Leslie Neilson wasn't a great

Ships captain, or a doctor (Airplane). So please stop calling me Shirley.

[edbermac]

36. The Titanic did have a sister ship called Britannic.

Though it didn't last that much longer than her sister, torpedoed/mined in Nov 1916. She was the last of the Olympic class ships, preceding Olympic and Titanic



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMHS_Britannic

[TrogL]

6. Just checked my calendar. No, it's not April.

The original broke due to a major design flaw that no engines or electronics is going to fix.

People are still grieving the original incident.

Did anybody think this through?

[Ganja Ninja]

8. So now passengers can enjoy the nostalgic ambiance ...

when the power goes out and the toilets overflow.

[brooklynite]

10. For what it's worth

I think one ship breaking down (even on a recurring basis) doesn't taint the entire industry. Plenty of cruise ships still doing business.

[leveymg]

13. What's to worry? We have the latest technology in engines and electronics:

[The Stranger]

41. This made me laugh out loud. (But in a respectful way, undoubtedly).

The sheer failure of anyone to have more than a day's perspective on history.

[valerief]

48. Top-heavy sickness. It affects cruise ships as well as plastic surgery addicts. nt

[onehandle]

14. The Titanic was tiny compared to today's cruise ships.

My wife and I took a Transatlantic trip on the Queen Mary 2. It was the biggest at the time, four years ago. Now there are even larger oceanliners that are as much as 33% larger than the QM 2.

[Politicalboi]

34. Wow!

As big as the Enterprise.

[onehandle]

37. What are you talking about?

I see nothing hovering above those various forms of transportation.

[octothorpe]

45. I can see how that image came about....

The person creating that was probably first thinking "how does it compare to the carrier Enterprise, then he (or her) got a goofy smile on his face and put that in)

[Volaris]

63. for a fun time waster, go HERE:

http://www.merzo.net/

Starship dimension comparision chart, kinda fun=)

[Blue_Tires]

57. funny you bring that up

I saw this story and was thinking that as a kid I'd predicted we'd have a "space" Titanic by this point in my life...We're still nowhere near it, I guess...

[onehandle]

66. The Fifth Element is as close as we are going to get.

[KansDem]

15. I wonder about the economics of this project

Here's the Titanic:



It will have nine floors and 840 cabins, accommodating 2,400 passengers and 900 crew members, along with Turkish baths, a swimming pool and gymnasiums.

Compare it the Freedom of the Seas:



Freedom of the Seas launched in May 2006 as the world's biggest cruise ship. The vessel introduced a new class of ship for Royal Caribbean, measuring just shy of 155,000 tons with a double occupancy capacity of 3,634 passengers (siblings Liberty and Independence of the Seas debuted in May 2007 and 2008, respectively). It surpassed Cunard's gargantuan Queen Mary 2 by 7,000 tons and carried 1,014 more passengers. (Of course, the Freedom-class ships have since been, er, belittled by Oasis of the Seas, the massive 225,282-ton, 5,400 passenger beast that debuted in fall 2009.)

http://www.cruisecritic.com/reviews/review.cfm?ShipID=358

The modern cruise ship is built for volume. Freedom of the Seas carries a lot more passengers than the Titanic ever did. So why build a replica of the Titanic if it will only carry a fraction of the (paying) passengers?

[TlalocW]

17. You ask why build it?

Because there are plenty of stupid people who will pay a lot of money to be able to stand at the front of a replica of the Titanic and declare, "I'm King of the World!"

TlalocW

[KansDem]

18. You know, I hadn't thought of that!

[Berlum]

20. "Eeeeeeeeeek." - Shelley W.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

21. Ackgggggggg Ackgggggggg!!

[Spitfire of ATJ]

25. Both of you misspelled, "Glug glug".

[L0oniX]

24. Scarface? n/t

[Myrina]

39. ... and summarily FALL OVERBOARD

... because those types of tourists tend to be that smart.

I hope they have catch-nets planned for both ends of the ship.

[Politicalboi]

35. Nostalgia what else

I always thought Vegas should have built a Titanic casino for it's 100th anniversary. Too late now.

[Posteritatis]

52. Not all cruise ships are those behemoths

A few hundred thousand tourists' worth of cruise ships will be coming to my town this summer as part of the regular season; most of them are in the 900-1500 passenger range, like the Maasdam or the Crystal Symphony.

Also, ocean liners and cruise ships are fairly different creatures overall in terms of what they do. It's a distinction that a lot of people don't think to make (like the Daily Mail article - being the Daily Mail - overlooked). When this Titanic clone is launched, the number of active ocean liners operating in the world will be increased to a total of two(2) vessels.

[VWolf]

16. In other news,

James Cameron has begun casting for a new, yet untitled, film.

[Auggie]

19. To be operated by Carnival, right?

[L0oniX]

22. LMAO n/t

[Chipper Chat]

23. What's the problem?

Due to global warming, by the time the ship sails there won't be any icebergs still floating.

[slackmaster]

27. I don't regard myself as superstitious, but I do believe in the concept of tempting fate.

His money, his project, but you won't see me on Mr. Palmer's ship.

[msongs]

28. there will still be not enough lifeboats, in a nod to the current austerity regimes nt

[Recursion]

29. Sigh

[alcibiades_mystery]

30. It will definitely be unsinkable this time!!!

[SemperEadem]

31. one would think

there would be one thing that would not remain authentic--and that is the number of lifeboats on the ship.

It probably will cost a million dollars to go first class--what's the point of the ship even being in existence unless they've got folks who can book 52 weeks each year at the price they're going to charge?

As far as the Titanic fever is concerned, as the saying goes "that ship has sailed".

[Politicalboi]

32. Let's see

Slot machines or life boats? If you win enough money, you could buy a life boat. LOL!

[Jerry442]

43. Slot machines??

You'd be a major highroller if just going on a boat named "Titanic" wasn't enough risk for you.

[Myrina]

38. Yeah, I wouldn't be in a hurry to book a ticket on this one ...

[valerief]

47. Please Please Please build it and put the 1% on it and we can hope for the best. nt

[Xipe Totec]

49. I'm surprised the construction contract didn't go to the Lee Kee Shipyard. nt

[marble falls]

51. "What? Steerage passengers on first class life boats? Perish the thought!"

[Nika]

53. They should sell pictures at a consession set up to take them at the bow to cash in on the famous...

...movie scene there.

[felix_numinous]

54. Pretty soon there won't be many icebergs left

for them to hit, there's that.

[liberal N proud]

55. They recreated the HMS Bounty too

It now lies with Davey Jones Locker as well.

I think I will pass on riding this ship. Hope they check for icebergs before heading out this time.

[MichiganVote]

56. Funny. I just went to a museum display of Titanic artifacts. No thanks.

Nothing I'd want to sleep on.

[slackmaster]

60. I saw that a travelling exhibit last year and thought even the steerage accomodations were decent...

...at least in the context of the time.

The first class provisions were fabulous.

[MichiganVote]

64. I was impressed by the menus for each class. They were all very complete.

The 1st class staterooms in today's dollars would cost a whopping $57-60K.

I also found it fascinating that they retrieved some labels that continued to have the print/colors on them. Imagine that. I would like to have seen more items. Reportedly they have 5500 some items but it seemed a mere handful.

[slackmaster]

68. For some reason I was seduced by the au gratin dishes arranged as they were found on the seabed

I like serving an entree sizzling hot in that type of dish.

[MichiganVote]

69. And they looked brand new. So strange.

[JI7]

61. the only way i can see myself doing these cruise ships is if it was for free

i would much prefer to go out in a small boat , be free to tour the foreign lands.

trying the food from different places i visit is part of the experience i want which is why i would avoid places like mcdonalds if i was in a foreign country although it is interesting to see some of the different foods on the menu at these places around the world.

[NBachers]

62. "Hindenburg II will be docking at Lakehurst, NJ on Thursday. Tickets still available"

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

65. Set sail for bad taste!

Maybe the only thing more tacky than that couple who got married in a sub on the wreckage's deck.

[hunter]

67. It would be perfect if it was nuclear powered.

If you're going to tempt fate, might as well go all the way.

[yellowcanine]

70. Maybe they can book Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet to reenact some scenes for the

entertainment of the passengers. Just a thought.

[Mr.Bill]

71. Will the third class passengers have to stay below decks for the entire trip

and eat mutton seated at benches at long tables?