“Ship of Dreams” – Paul Clements on the enduring appeal of the Titanic

The tragic loss in June of Titan, the submersible that suffered a “catastrophic implosion” carrying five people to the bottom of the north Atlantic to view the wreck of the Titanic mesmerised the public worldwide. The story also reignited interest in the ill-fated liner, the largest passenger steamship of its time, which sank with the loss of more than 1500 lives after hitting an iceberg on its maiden voyage on April 15th, 1912.

The tragedy captivated the public imagination, becoming an enduring obsession. Two months after the sinking, Thomas Hardy published a poem, The Convergence of the Twain: ‘And as the smart ship grew / in stature, grace and hue / In shadowy silent distance grew the Iceberg too.” In the US more than 100 songs were inspired by the disaster, at least 500 books have been written about it, while plays, video games, a musical and films were made, including the release in 1997 of James Cameron’s movie, the fourth highest-grossing film of all time.

When news of the sinking reached Belfast, where the ship was built at Harland & Wolff, the city was numbed with disbelief at the sense of loss. For many decades, the liner’s name was barely spoken of. But the opening in 2012 of the new Titanic Belfast centre to mark the centennial commemoration created fresh interest. Since then “Titanic fever” has led to more than seven million people from 145 countries passing through its doors.

Earlier this year several of the building’s galleries were reimagined in an immersive way using innovative technology. New artefacts on loan from a private collection went on display alongside a scale model of Titanic rotating and illuminating with poignant projections. As part of a £4.5 million refurbishment, “Ballard’s Quest”, a gallery featuring the work of Dr Robert Ballard, who was the first to explore the wreck in September 1985, was named in his honour. Ballard spoke at the launch, saying he was humbled that his life’s work was part of the authentic Titanic story in Belfast.

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Wider additions in the area include the development of Titanic Quarter, one of the largest waterfront regeneration projects in Europe, housing the Titanic Hotel, a building where the original plans for the liner were drawn up. Close by in Hamilton Dock, the SS Nomadic, Titanic’s original tender ship, has been restored. The recently opened Maritime Mile, with a 10,000-step trail, showcases seafaring heritage connecting the skyline with viewing points and sculpture, while the ship’s slipways have hosted everything from concerts to céilís.

On Titanic’s maiden voyage, after passengers boarded in Southampton and Cherbourg, the final group of more than 100 embarked in Cobh, then known as Queenstown, Co Cork, and nicknamed “Linertown”. They came from practically every county in Ireland, including 11 from Addergoole, Co Mayo, six members of the Rice family from Athlone, and others from Westmeath.

As the ship left Cork, Eugene Patrick Daly played Erin’s Lament and A Nation Once Again on his uilleann pipes from the stern. A farm labourer from Athlone, he was heading to New York in search of work and survived the sinking. A woman who was travelling with him, Bertha Mulvihill, from Coosan on the southern side of Lough Ree, was returning to her fiancé to start a new life in America. Fortunately she managed to jump into a lifeboat and was rescued with more than 700 others by the Carpathia steamship just after 4am. Although she sustained broken ribs, her story had a happy ending when she married Henry Noon and had five children.

But other survivors suffered mental illness and depression. Over the years controversy surrounded the salvaging of items from the wreck, with some commentators suggesting the ship should be allowed to rest in peace. One of those who died in the Titan submersible was the French oceanographer Paul-Henri Nargeolet, known under the sobriquet “Mr Titanic”. He made 35 dives on six expeditions, salvaging hundreds of items, including a silver plate, although he maintained that they were all from the debris field and not from inside the wreck.

One of the last survivors, Eva Hart, who was seven when her father wrapped her in a blanket and placed her in a lifeboat with her mother, felt that bringing up the items from a mass grave showed insensitivity and greed. However, other relatives of those who died adopted a different attitude and wanted to know if Nargeolet could retrieve family belongings. One woman said her mother had left a necklace on the sideboard in her cabin and asked him “Can you get it for me?”

Now the name “Titanic” is used in many different ways, cropping up in popular expressions in everyday language. It is said to be the third most recognised word in the world after “God” and “Coca-Cola”. Titanic has become a brand that would have been inconceivable when the “Ship of Dreams” went down into the dark silence of the deep ocean floor 111 years ago.