Plans Unveiled For Full Scale Replica of the Titanic 292
Hugh Pickens writes "USA Today reports that Australian billionaire Clive Palmer has unveiled plans for construction of Titanic II, a cruise ship designed as a 'full-scale re-creation' of the Titanic, adding that the ship will be built in China and begin carrying passengers in 2016. The Titanic II will be built 883 feet long – 3 inches longer than the original Titanic – and weigh 55,800 gross tons, according to Palmer, who stopped short of calling the vessel unsinkable. It will carry a maximum of 2,435 passengers and 900 crew members, and include a gymnasium, Turkish baths, a squash court, a swimming pool, a theater and a casino. Like the original ship, there will no TVs aboard and probably no Internet service, Palmer says. Passengers will be able to dress in 1912-style clothing, giving them an opportunity to step back in time, or pretend they are Leo DiCaprio or Kate Winslet, who starred in James Cameron's 1997 blockbuster movie. But industry insiders are skeptical about the commercial viability of the ship. 'Titanic II is a curiosity and may have a draw as a floating hotel, but the idea of spending close to a week at sea on a vessel built around such a thin premise is seen as a stretch, at least by many within the industry,' says Michael Driscoll, editor of industry newsletter Cruise Week. Driscoll adds that he is skeptical about the future of Titanic II in the aftermath of the Carnival Triumph fire and last year's shipwreck of the Costa Concordia off the coast of Tuscany. Paul Kurzman, whose great-grandparents, Isidor and Ida Straus, died on the Titanic, says he has 'no problem' with the construction of Titanic II. 'I don't think they would have had any problem whatsoever, as long as the Titanic II steers clear of icebergs.'"
Seperation of classes (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Seperation of classes (Score:5, Interesting)
Rose had plenty of fun in the the third class "Irish Jig" bar
Plus it got her drunk/horny enough to grab Jack and do him in the back seat of a car so maybe it isn't all bad.
The whole point of going on it is role playing so it should be a big hit in the orient even if whiny westerners don't think they can live a week without Facebook .
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Makes me want to write a story about that.
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His mother used to tell the story of how his father went to ask for her hand in marriage. This was early 1920s.
Daddy: "So, er, how much exactly do you earn? Will you be able to keep my daughter properly?"
WIJM: "About £65" (roughly an average annual income for a worker of the period)
Daddy: "That isn't very much"
Daughter: "That's a week, Daddy."
Daddy: "Oh. Er...where were we thinki
Re:Seperation of classes (Score:5, Insightful)
Even during the Victorian Era, much interclass screwing around took place. Don't confuse the stereotype of exemplary chastity with, as they say, "the facts on the ground". Prostitution was all over the place. Etc.
Prostitution generally involved higher class men screwing lower class women. The other way round was rather unusual.
Edwardian culture (Score:5, Insightful)
Upper class women were often left at home for long periods while their husbands went off to rule the Empire. The result was a culture of affairs with men of similar social standing, and also of sex with the servants. The latter was in some ways a form of prostitution; in exchange for a clean indoor job involving standing around handing out food and drink and shifting luggage, all board, lodging and clothes provided, a footman was expected to service the mistress and perhaps her friends. In a divorce case (which was really considered scandalous) it was not done to cite other parties lower than one's own social status, i.e. bonking servants didn't count.
Not in all cases obviously, perhaps not in a majority, but the rules have been well documented.
Re:Edwardian culture (Score:4, Insightful)
In a way, that reminds me of the Clinton-Lewinsky "scandal" and some of the extreme reactions....
The "good christians/family values wardens" in the US: "Omg, he's got a mistress!!"
Italians, spaniards and french people I knew at the time: "Omg, he's got only 1 mistress!"
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The latter was in some ways a form of prostitution; in exchange for a clean indoor job involving standing around handing out food and drink and shifting luggage, all board, lodging and clothes provided, a footman was expected to service the mistress and perhaps her friends
If you read any Victorian novel, the footmen are almost always well-built and good-looking, with fine calves and a ready smile. You can see why they annoy the god-fearing, moralistic young heroes, who clearly aren't getting anywhere near the same quantity or quality of horizontal jogging.
Re:Seperation of classes (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Seperation of classes (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Seperation of classes (Score:4, Funny)
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well exactly.
nobody in their right mind would build an exact replica at this day and age. where the fuck would they find passengers for the lower decks??????? it's not like australia, usa or wherever this thing cruises to would be taking in passengers just wanting to transit from shore a to shore b.
Re:Seperation of classes (Score:5, Insightful)
Clive Palmer is actually completely fecking bonkers. People here in australia treat him as sort of a scary/facinating madman who got all the dollars but none of the sense that one might associate with being a billionaire. Granted its not uncommon with australian billionaires to be a bit cranky (See rupert murdoch, gina rinehart, and so on).
That said. I want someone to convince him to spend his billions on space travel. He's just far enough off his rocker to actually consider it.
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...convince him to spend his billions on space travel.
Titanic 2... in SPAAAAACE! Lookout for that iceberg... err comet. In space, nobody can hear Rose blowing her whistle.
Re:Seperation of classes (Score:5, Insightful)
What do you mean not a popular concept in modern day?
Flights have cattle class, business class, first class etc don't they?
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They're going to have to redesign the decks for the simple fact that the Titanic was not a cruise ship, it was a passage (aka passenger) ship. Cruise ships are going to have to have a lot more comfort and room available.
That said, drinking, eating, and sitting around doing nothing are the primary activities on a cruise (I'd imagine). You can do that in any 'class' on the ship, conceivably. But I do imagine they'd improve berthing a bit for the 'general transport' class to more effectively use the space.
Hone
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It wasn't even a passenger ship - it was a passenger liner... designed to efficiently move as many people as possible on as tight a schedule as possible. (The term 'liner' refers to a line on a schedule.) The closest modern equivalent would be a high speed commuter train - shuttling back and forth along it's route on an infinite loop, and otherwise pretty much nothi
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Clive menchion something about that on the news tonight, and also stated that he would be staying in 3rd class for the maiden voyage.
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Millions of people have made it across the ocean on ships similar to the Titanic (though smaller); only a few thousand had perished.
You might want to check your numbers [answers.com]: "It is suspected that of 11 million slaves transported, this represented a third of the slaves from the start. so approximately 22 million slaves died on the slaves ships in the Indies and Americas alone."
Re:Seperation of classes (Score:5, Insightful)
Because historically, extreme concentration of wealth in the hands of a few coincides with recession/depression and high levels of national debt. This is not hard to understand. Redistributing wealth to a smaller group of people means the larger group of people have less to spend. The smaller group owning the majority of the wealth will not spend their money the same way someone from the lower classes will.
The reason we had such a great economy in the 1950s was in part due to the low income inequality via high taxation on the rich. Capitalism worked beautifully then, lifting the standards of practically every American. One can argue the same is not true today.
Re:Seperation of classes (Score:5, Funny)
As long as the wealth is created in a free market, that wealth is a reflection of merit, either of the individual in possession of the wealth or of someone who left it to them voluntarily.
Remind me again how being born to rich parents is meritorious?
You are clearly a deranged socialist who can't understand common sense. The wealth is meritorious in itself. Once created, it creates meritoriousness in all who are clever enough to touch it. An so a Meritoriocracy is created. You poor peasants wouldn't understand.
Now get off my expensively manicured front lawn, you unutterable oik.
Please tell me it wont be an accurate replica... (Score:5, Funny)
There are some parts of the old ship that most definitely should NOT be replicated on the new one.
Like the lifeboats.
And the engines.
And the bridge (and its navigation equipment and iceburg detection systems)
And the kitchens
Re:Please tell me it wont be an accurate replica.. (Score:5, Funny)
There are some parts of the old ship that most definitely should NOT be replicated on the new one.
Like the lifeboats.
And the engines.
And the bridge (and its navigation equipment and iceburg detection systems)
And the kitchens
And the iceberg itself. I don't think I'll be comfortable in a recreation of a scenario that ends in people freezing to death.
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Nevertheless I think that it would be a nice way to travel about for some folks, think of all the goths that are breaking their piggy-banks *right now* to have a cruise their way!
Re:Please tell me it wont be an accurate replica.. (Score:5, Funny)
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There are some parts of the old ship that most definitely should NOT be replicated on the new one.
Like the lifeboats.
And the engines.
And the bridge (and its navigation equipment and iceburg detection systems)
And the kitchens
And the iceberg itself. I don't think I'll be comfortable in a recreation of a scenario that ends in people freezing to death.
And don't forget the best one of all - a double-hull construction using brittle steel where water, once entered into one of the compartments can then pour over the top into the other compartments!
Having an iceberg in the water doesn't make people freeze to death, though. Being in water cold enough that the icebergs are common, however...
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There are some parts of the old ship that most definitely should NOT be replicated on the new one.
Like the lifeboats.
And the engines.
And the bridge (and its navigation equipment and iceburg detection systems)
And the kitchens
What was wrong with the kitchens?
Re:Please tell me it wont be an accurate replica.. (Score:5, Funny)
They had British chefs.
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They had British chefs.
Can we send Jamie Oliver off in the replica please
Re:Please tell me it wont be an accurate replica.. (Score:5, Funny)
Ah yes:
Heaven - where the police are British, the chefs are French, the lovers are Italian, the cars are made by the Germans, and it's organized by the Swiss.
Hell - where the police are German, the chefs are British, the lovers are Swiss, the cars are made by the French, and it's organized by the Italians.
Nothing wrong with the equipment... (Score:4, Insightful)
Here's a hint: there were other ships in the area and none of them sank due to icebergs.
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They will be; original link is crap; this one has slightly more information:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/feb/26/titanic-2-launch-new-york-replica [guardian.co.uk]
and of course...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titanic_2 [wikipedia.org]
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And the lack of adequate sealing in the lower compartments. It might actually have stayed afloat long enough for help to arrive if they'd been sealed at the top.
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There are some parts of the old ship that most definitely should NOT be replicated on the new one. Like the lifeboats. And the engines. And the bridge (and its navigation equipment and iceburg detection systems) And the kitchens
And the "watertight" compartments. IIRC, they only went up a couple of decks, so when the water level got high enough, they all flooded.
Costa Concordia (Score:2)
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There are some parts of the old ship that most definitely should NOT be replicated on the new one.
Olympic, Titanic's twin sister, was in service for 24 years on the North Atlantic run.
I don't see any problem with the engines.
If your complaint is about the inefficacies of coal or the manning requirements and working conditions aboard a coal-fired ship, take it up with Winston Churchill. Naval innovation: From coal to oil [epmag.com]
If you are First Lord of the Admiralty. you can make these things happen.
I don't see any problems with the kitchens.
Last Dinner On the Titanic: Menus and Recipes from the Great Liner, [amazon.com]
Re:Please tell me it wont be an accurate replica.. (Score:5, Insightful)
Actually, load the the ship with the "top 1%" and sink the bitch fast, no lifeboats.
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Well, they could at least give the crew binoculars:)
The lack of binoculars and that affecting the lookouts ability to see the iceberg is a bullshit myth. Even with today's binoculars it's easier to see things in the dark with just bare eyes simply because when you're staring at almost complete darkness with binoculars you have no references you can see when you look around so it's pure luck if you spot something. However, with bare eyes you can easily spot even a tiny difference from the complete darkness ahead (when your eyes have adjusted, which takes 15-2
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Hey, the guy DOES own a whole pile of coal mines :)
Well spent monay, not. (Score:5, Funny)
What's next, Hindenburg replica?
Re:Well spent monay, not. (Score:5, Interesting)
What's next, Hindenburg replica?
Why not? Traveling by airship would be a unique experience for many people.
With proper precautions, hydrogen as a lifting gas is not considerably more hazardous than jet aircraft loaded with gobs of jet fuel /covering the fabric of the airship with highly flammable chemicals seems like a bad idea
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Face it, balloons either use an irreplaceable resource far too important to waste on vanity projects (helium), or they are insanely dangerous by modern standards.
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I wasn't aware that hydrogen was corrosive.It can cause embrittlement of steels, but that is quite a separate issue.
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Some of the best aluminium bicycles and aircraft parts today are made from an alloy indistinguishable from the duralumin in some of the airships. Same composition, same heat treatment, same amount of work hardening, just a bit better quantified, better quality control and we now know why it has those properties instead of the trial and error that went into devising it.
Hydrogen doesn't do anything that will cause problems with aluminium alloys.
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Modern materials, good as they are, are still not sufficiently stronger than materials available in the 1930s to make a safe airship.
[citation needed]
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I'd actually pay for a trip on that, though perhaps not if it'll use hydrogen as its lifting gas like the original.
More recently it has been noted that the hydrogen gas was hardly the only major flammable thing about the Hindenberg.
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Using Hydrogen was the smartest thing about the Hindenburg. Using various ultraflammable components with the hydrogen was not a good idea.
wtc (Score:3)
build a replica of the new york WTC. What are the odds a place will fly into it twice?
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Why Not? It's already being tried in Egypt. [reuters.com]
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Re:Well spent monay, not. (Score:5, Funny)
Why is it 3 inches longer?
Clive Palmer is standing on the front sticking his cock out pretending Kate Winslett is on the end of it.
Looney (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Looney (Score:5, Informative)
And nobody tell the guys that the titanic had -from memory- at least one sistership who went on with her own commercial career without anykind of troubles...
Re:Looney (Score:5, Interesting)
Almost any kind of troubles. The Olympic did crash into a British warship, the collision holing her both below and above the waterline, but no one was hurt in that one and neither the Olympic nor the warship sank.
According to Wikipedia, one of the passengers on the Olympic when it crashed later was later on the Titanic when she sank (and survived that ordeal), and later was on the Britannic when it sank (surviving that one too).
Re:Looney (Score:4, Interesting)
According to Wikipedia, one of the passengers on the Olympic when it crashed later was later on the Titanic when she sank (and survived that ordeal), and later was on the Britannic when it sank (surviving that one too).
Slightly luckier than the Tsutomu Yamaguchi who got hit by two nukes. (and survived that ordeal.)
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According to Wikipedia, one of the passengers on the Olympic when it crashed later was later on the Titanic when she sank (and survived that ordeal), and later was on the Britannic when it sank (surviving that one too).
Well, only the first time is really hard. Each subsequent shipwreck you are into, your accumulated experience makes it even easier to emerge unharmed while people drown left and right...
Perhaps after a dozen or so shipwrecks you could even be fit enough to have a chance getting out of sinking u-boats...
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That collision was shortly before the Titanic sailed. Over twenty years later towards the end of her career, Olympic had another collision. It collided with and sank the Nantucket lightship [wikipedia.org] with loss of life from the lightship.
Toothbrush Trivia (Score:3)
"She had also made sure to grab her toothbrush before leaving her cabin on the Britannic, saying later that it was the one thing she missed most immediately, following the sinking of the Titanic."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violet_Jessop [wikipedia.org]
Actually... (Score:2)
It would be more accurate to say he comes across as a Looney. Most of his controversy is carefully planned to generate some distraction in the media.
What else give me hope that this is not a hoax is that most of his outlandish claims are only repeated once and then he disappears into the rather. This on the other hand is the fourth time in a year I've heard him talk about this idea.
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That's what (the generic) you said when he first floated (pardon the pun) this idea a year or so back... looney tunes or not, he's making progress on his plans. (Granted it's a long way to to completion.)
Guess the forgot the song (Score:2)
So they built another ship called Titanic number 2,
This time they thought they had a ship to sail the ocean blue,
So they christened it with beer and she sunk right off the peer.
It was sad when the great ship went down.
To the bottoms of the sea.
Uncles and ants many many lost the pants,
It was sad when the great ship went down
If they're going to do it... (Score:3)
I'd prefer it to be called the Olympic - the one of the three that didn't sink.
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I'd prefer it to be called the Olympic - the one of the three that didn't sink.
In fairness to the Britannic it hit a mine which are designed specifically to snik ships, and almost everyone survived.
Apparently one person survived the sinking of both ships and a near sinking of the third.
No internet (Score:3)
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I never knew the original Titanic didn't have internet access.
It did, but being telegraph based the bandwidth was horrible, and with Hamming codes not having been invented yet transmission errors were a real issue.
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Sounds like a comic book story (Score:2)
Really? (Score:2)
What is the fascination with this silly, sunken Deathtrap?
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Romantism.
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Were they really? Were they actually bankrupted and scorned?
I know in the modern area they'd have paid not a dime and their investors would be wiped out while they go off scot-free and continue to spend others money while hoarding their own.
And the next /. poll question is... (Score:2)
Would you take a ride on Titanic 2?
a) No!!!!!
b) Oh yeah!!!!
c) No, but I would pay for CowboyNeal's ticket
Finally, the ship for the movie (Score:3, Funny)
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Dilation (Score:2)
The Titanic II will be built 883 feet long – 3 inches longer than the original Titanic
At what temperature? A ship this big could not dilate more than 3 inches if the temperature increases?
(I just thought this size difference detail might be pointless...)
Re:Dilation (Score:4, Funny)
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Driscoll ... that name rings a bell (Score:2)
Yup, the name of someone else [wikipedia.org] whose boat journey could have gone better.
Why three inches longer? (Score:2)
Like the original ship, there will no TVs aboard and probably no Internet service
What, the original Titanic only probably had no internet service?
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This guy became a millionaire by working MITM attacks on mining leases as a clerk in the Queensland Government department of mines, back when the government was so clearly on the take that around half of cabinet ended up in jail. He became a billionaire in a strange deal with BHP where he bought a Nickel refinery for far less than one years profit for that Nickel refinery - very strange since BHP was not in a situation where it needed to do a fire sale. Lately he's trying to sel
Dress Code (Score:2)
Passengers will be able to dress in 1912-style clothing, giving them an opportunity to step back in time [...]
I am so glad they have given permission to dress as one sees fit. But, Mr Palmer and associates, if I want to dress in 1912-stlye clothing I'd do it with or without your permission, so please stay the fuck out of my personal life and dictation of how I should dress. Thank you. Am I allowed to abstain from shaving?
Commercial viability (Score:2)
afloat (Score:2)
will it take an HP lawsuit to keep it afloat?
Party on, Clive! (Score:2)
What's that old saying, "A fool and his money are soon partying"?
So why the 3" difference in length? (Score:2)
I mean, if your goal is a meticulous re-creation, why the 3" difference?
Did someone measure wrong and just shrug and say "whups, oh well, it's close"?
Sounds like fun, but... (Score:2)
How long will the line be for "King of the World?" (Score:4, Funny)
You know every fucking passenger will have to "experience" it, but there's only one prow on this ship, and more people there just ruins the experience.
Maybe they'll use FastPass to reserve your place in line?
"My love, I reserved the King of the World ride at 6pm, followed by a frolic in the back seat of an old clunker!"
So romantic!
A kickstarter project: build an iceberg (Score:3)
So, what do you think, slashdotters - should I start a kickstart for a project to build a self-moving, steerable iceberg?
mark "the ship sank; get over it"
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This may be a bigger hit than expected. Just a stressless cultural experience. Live music, dancing, shows and participation. Skilled artists, great shows, probobly great food too.
I agree.
Slashdot might not be the best place to vote whether an attraction with no WiFi will be a success or not.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-17890754 [bbc.co.uk] Australian billionaire Clive Palmer to build Titanic II 30 April 2012
Little slow on the news /.
Re:I think (Score:5, Informative)
Of course he's well known in Australia for stupid announcements that have little to do with reality. It was just over a year ago that he called a press conference to announce that Australia's environmental groups were funded by the CIA.
Breaking news is overrated... (Score:3)
Re:I think (Score:5, Funny)
Yes, the league of Irony and Evil have agreed to fund a life-size replica of the iceberg that sunk titanic.
If you happen to know the formula of ice-coloured stealth paint and/or how to build silent diesel electric motors, please send you CV to titanic_reenactment@repeathistory.com
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publications such as the Irish News and Belfast Morning News and Shipbuilder printed detailed articles about the ship's construction and noted that "The Captain may, by simply moving an electric switch, instantly close the doors throughout and make the vessel practically unsinkable."
a White Star promotional flyer for the Olympic and Titanic ... claimed "as far as it is possible to do, these two wonderful vessels are designed to be unsinkable."
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I designed my statement to be practically correct.
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With Global Warming, no Icebergs to worry about.