New Titanicfeasible or folly

N

Neil Marshall

Guest
I have always had an interest in the Titanic story, not only with the disaster, but with the vision that her creators had. However, I am awed by the knowledge and respect that registrants of this site have for Titanic and the facts surrounding her short existence and her demise. As such, I am a little apprehensive of what response I may receive to my question as I am certain that many of you may feel she cannot be replicated and should not be.

However, I believe that a new Titanic would be a true success. I am not suggesting a new bigger, faster, liner... more of these are produced every year and they lack both class and distinction. I am suggesting a ship that would replicate the look and feel of the Titanic, and if done right it would be a tribute to those that designed and sailed on her, and would also be a great seller to those looking for a different kind of cruise vacation, less glitz/more class, less haste/more taste.

AND I am frustrated by the failure of both serious, and not so serious, "projects" to design & build a new Titanic.

So my question to you factitions, designers & officianados is how feasible would it be to design a ship with the external look and feel of the original? And would it be possible to replicate the internal layout/features, given modern day design principles and regulations?

I am not a teenager, nor am I a South African millionaire, but I have the same dream and believe it feasible.

Neil
 
Neil, this has been done to death on other threads. Modern rules make even copying the external appearance of Titanic impossible. For instance, the bow of Titanic was almost vertical and this is illegal today. The stem must be raked considerably, to reduce damage in collisions. Even the windows on the wheelhouse would be illegal today, as they are vertical when the rules require them to be raked. The interior would not be acceptable under modern fire regulations. Don't even think about access for the disabled! Dreams are just that, dreams.
 
Wow Dave. Good info. Thanks but one question about the disable. There was an elevator from deck to deck. What would the problem be? Could you explain more? Thanks
 
Neil, expanding on what Dave said, this has been looked at very closely and ultimately rejected because the idea wasn't feasible at all. Legal questions aside, replicating the Titanic would require reviving skills and tools that are either dying or which no longer exist. Read that to mean a handcrafted custom made vessel that would be expensive in the extreme and would appeal only to a small niche market that couldn't possibly justify the enormous expence involved...much less recoup same and make a profit.

Anything that would be legal to sail would not bear much more then a superficial resemblance to the original, and anything less would be a fraud.

Sorry, but the hard reality is that it ain't gonna happen.
 
Matt, have a look at Francis Browne's well-known photo of Jacques Futrelle on the boat deck. How does a wheelchair get through the door to his right? That's just one simple example. And remember, when there's a fire, lifts are not to be used.

I love Mike's way of putting it.

"Anything that would be legal to sail would not bear much more then a superficial resemblance to the original, and anything less would be a fraud."
 
Thank you gents!

I'm still to be convinced I'm afraid. I'm not proposing for that we replicate Titanic to the 'nth detail, rivet for rivet, room for room. This indeed would be folly and maybe was the downfall for even the most viable proposals made in recent years.

However, I do feel that a ship could be built in the spirit of Titanic with a look that is similar to the original, notwithstanding the changes required due to modern-day safety and regulatory reasons, but built with modern-day shipbuilding techniques "under the skin" so to speak. I consider that a ship with the same architectural appearances on deck and within the rooms, cabins, etc would be appealing to many and in fact not a niche market but a major attraction to those seeking a little luxury rather than a lot of glitz.

Fire regulations & disabled access would of course be just two of many reasons why the design could absolutely not be the same. But surely the layout could be kept similar, at least some rooms could be replicated, and this surely would be appealing.

I do not think this would be a fraud. The intent would be to sail a ship that is in the spirit of Titanic, a modern version of the same.

Maybe my heart is leading my head on this...?!
 
>>Maybe my heart is leading my head on this...?!<<

Seems a reasonable assumption on your part.
Wink


In any event, shipping lines cannot afford the luxury of taking a gamble like this. They have to cater to the market that exists and they do a lot of research to make sure that it happens this way. Had they found a market large enough to justify a Titanic themed vessel, the ship would have been in service by now.

Ain't nuthin' out there. The most recent contender was an outfit supposedly based out of South Africa that got some press with the Ulster Titanic Society and they haven't been heard from in over a year and a half. They're not even mentioned on the UTS website anymore.
 
I think it would be great if maybe they could replicate the Titanic as a floating museum or hotel, much like the Queen Mary is today. Would that be possible?
Tammy
 
Tammy, go to the 'Life on Board' section and check out the thread 'Titanic 2'. Just about all the arguments for and against can be found there.
 
as far as duplicating the original Titanic no person or company is going to "rebuild" Titanic. however i have heard around 2 years ago that a modern day ship with todays ship building capabilities was to be built and named "Titanic 2".however,i'm not sure if this information is true or someone's perverted idea of a joke. if it's true i might consider staying on shore
 
Shawn, you need not worry about a Titanic II being built. For all the proposals kicked around, not one of them has ever resulted in so much as two pieces of steel being welded together in any graving dock or building slip.

I suspect most of these proposals were little more the fantasies of scams to seperate a few poor rubes from their money.
 
the "t2" idea would be an expensive "white elephant" being as how revenues coming from people visiting it would not cover the the construction costs.
 
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