Belfast Hopes Titanic Can Refloat Its Waterfront

From the April 15th Chicago Tribune by John O'Neill.

Belfast, Northern Ireland's newest tourist attraction is supposed to be more than just about the 100-year-old tragedy.  Titanic Belfast (the name of the attraction) hopes to feature the Titanic as a manufacturing triumph and anchor the redevelopment in a fairly barren section of waterfront.  (I was there on a cruise several years back and the vessel was docked by where the Titanic was built and it didn't look that run-down to me.)

The museum opened March 31st and includes parts on Belfast's industrial past, which, besides shipbuilding, also included linen.

As far as the Titanic, there are details on how the ship was built to how it was fitted out (carpet).  There are also recreated first-, second- and third-class cabins as well as footage of the wreck on the ocean floor.

There is even an amusement-style ride through a simulated shipyard.

Surprisingly, there are no actual Titanic artifacts.  (However, I heard while we were there that one Titanic tender boat was left behind at Cherbourg, France when the ship picked up more passengers and that Belfast was going to acquire it.)

Of course, there is merchandise that can be bought.  Adult admission is $12.

Museum website at http://www.titanicbelfast.com/.

Anything Titanic.  --RoadDog