Australian Billionaire Plans To Build Titanic II 289
SchrodingerZ writes "Just in time to miss the 100-year anniversary of the fatal voyage of the Titanic, Australian mining billionaire Clive Palmer announced he has plans to recreate the Titanic, calling it Titanic II. 'It will be every bit as luxurious as the original Titanic but of course it will have state-of-the-art 21st Century technology and the latest navigation and safety systems,' says Palmer. He stated it was to be as close to the original as possible, with some modern adjustments. Its maiden voyage is set for 2016."
Go Ballmer! (Score:5, Funny)
Does this guy say... (Score:3, Funny)
I'M KING OF THE WORLD!?!
Re:Go Ballmer! (Score:5, Funny)
Sounds a little bit like a Renaissance fair, but obviously set in the early 1900s. I could see it being a nice theme cruise. Extra points if they design it to break in half and sink.
Well, that sounds unsinkable (Score:5, Funny)
but of course it will have state-of-the-art 21st Century technology and the latest navigation and safety systems
No way to sink that, then.
Probably strike a coral reef and sink (Score:5, Funny)
Yeah, that would be hilarious. Oh, wait, the Italians beat him to it.
So, he's building a steampunk ship? (Score:4, Funny)
I plan to build Iceberg II (Score:5, Funny)
It'll be pretty much like the original, but with state-of-the-art 21st Century technology like pykrete to survive in more temperate waters, and the latest targeting and weapons systems.
AC for obvious reasons, MUAHAHAHAHAAAAAA!!
Re:Does this guy say... (Score:5, Funny)
I'M KING OF THE WORLD!?!
Only when his wife lets him.
Re:More lifeboats. (Score:5, Funny)
Max Capricorn Cruises.. (Score:5, Funny)
What I heard... (Score:4, Funny)
I heard he's consulting with Abercrombie & Fitch on aesthetics and design. As I understand it, the hull will be pre-distressed and cost twice what a typical cruise ship costs.
Re:Go Ballmer! (Score:5, Funny)
I hope they also have dress codes for women so they will wear vintage dresses.
Yes, this is an interesting issue. As I recall the titanic was originally designed for Extreme separation of the classes, it would almost be physically impossible for steerage class and first class to ever see each other. However, the modern trend is for uniclass, with at most a slight variation in rooms which you never spend any time in anyway, as I saw on my honeymoon cruise some years ago.
I predict much heartache, because every walmart shopping, tramp stamp wearing, pork rind munching bubbette is gonna expect she will be in first class, so she's either gonna be disappointed when she spends her cruise in steerage with, perhaps at most, a guided tour of the 1st class digs, or, she's going to be all wound up about having to pack 13 pairs of shoes because clearly the grand dining room is not going to accept thongs and flipflops in its dress code. Or she tolerates all the packing and getting dressed up and goes to the fancy dinner hoping for movie re-enactment scenes where everyone dressed up as much as herself, only to find it overrun by hoodies.
As for the guys, all we want in a cruise ship is bikini suntanning area on the main deck and clothing optional tanning on the upper deck, which unfortunately does not fit the original plans as far as I know. So this will be boring.
My cruise experience showed a bimodal distribution of ages, where about 1/3 where 20-something honeymooners like my wife and myself, and 2/3 were extreme senior citizens. I can see how they needed to wait 100 years for todays oldest cruiser who was just a kid during the original Titanic sinking to have died off.
Sir, it's an emergency! (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Go Ballmer! (Score:5, Funny)
Yep, sounds like cruise ship passengers. The industry term is 'newly wed or nearly dead'.
Re:Built in government-owned shipyard in China (Score:4, Funny)
He's having it built by a government-owned shipyard in China. One that has never built a passenger ship. Jinling builds large single-engine tankers, container ships, and RORO (roll-on, roll-off) vessels. Five shipyards in Finland, France, Italy, Germany, and South Korea build most of the passenger ships in the world, and Jinling isn't one of them.
This might not be as far fetched a decision as it first sounds.
Having experience with large Container ships and RORO's is perfect engineering practice for the dealing with the unique, shall we say, attributes, of the average American passenger.
Re:Ah... (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Go Ballmer! (Score:5, Funny)
Lowering the bar a bit this time, then.
Re:Will it provide the full Titanic experience? (Score:4, Funny)
Re:I'd rather swim (Score:5, Funny)
Exactly how superstitious are you?
I would estimate about thirteen times the national average, which is unfortunate.
Re:Will it provide the full Titanic experience? (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Go Ballmer! (Score:5, Funny)
with at most a slight variation in rooms which you never spend any time in anyway, as I saw on my honeymoon cruise some years ago.
So you barely spent time in your room on your honeymoon? Either you're doing it wrong...or you are very creative...
Re:Go Ballmer! (Score:5, Funny)
Holy crap. The entirety of Southwest Florida is a cruise ship!
It all makes so much sense, now...
Re:Go Ballmer! (Score:5, Funny)
'Of course it will sink if you put a hole in it,'
How long will it last with an Italian captain?
Re:I plan to build Iceberg II (Score:2, Funny)
OH, you should add stealth technology to it too. That would be awesome.
Re:So, he's building a steampunk ship? (Score:4, Funny)
But don't you know that each extra smokestack gives you 1k additional horsepower!?