Titanic II is a proposed ocean liner, to be built as a look-a-like of the Olympic-class
RMS Titanic. The new ship, if ever built, would have gross tonnage of 56,000 while original
ship measured about 46,000 gross register tons. The project was announced by Australian
billionaire Clive Palmer in April 2012, as the flagship of a proposed cruise company
Blue Star Line. The intended launch date was originally set in 2016, with the ship sailing
from Southampton to New York within the same year. However, there is increasing uncertainty
over the future of the project, with latest claims placing the launch in 2018, and a long
postponed and currently indefinite date for the start of construction.
History Previous projects
The concept of a replica of the Titanic has been explored several times, especially following
the resurgence of interest following the release of the film Titanic in 1997. The most widely
publicized project was that of South African businessman Sarel Gous.
The South African project began in 1998, and was one of the subjects of an article in Popular
Mechanics magazine in September of that year. The article discussed the changes to the original
design required to produce a safe and economically viable ship, including a welded rather than
riveted hull, diesel-electric propulsion in place of steam engines, and a bulbous bow.
The article concluded that although the various Titanic revival projects would cost $400–$600
million, they could be economically viable. Although he originally intended to construct
the ship in Durban, Gous presented his £500 million proposal to Belfast City Council in
June 2000. He commissioned Olsen Designs to design the ship, advised by Harland and Wolff
Technical Services who produced a feasibility study, and Callcott Anderson to design the
interior. In November 2000, he began his attempts to raise capital, including through government
grants and a stock market flotation. After signing an agreement with a Monaco-based investment
banking company, Gous claimed that construction would begin at Harland and Wolff within nine
months. The design changed repeatedly, with claims emerging of 'the world's largest liner'
with capacity for 2,600 passengers, and increasingly divergent plans for a heliport, swimming pools
and discos eventually being released. In 2006, after repeatedly failing to secure investment,
the project was abandoned. Design stage
Clive Palmer first announced the project in a press conference on 30 April 2012, following
the signature of a memorandum of understanding with state-owned Chinese shipyard CSC Jinling
ten days before. On 19 June, it was announced that Finnish naval architecture firm Deltamarin
Ltd. had been commissioned to undertake the design of the ship, and on 17 July a preliminary
general arrangement was published. In October 2012, Blue Star Lines announced
that Titanic expert Steve Hall had been appointed as Design Consultant and Historian for the
project, and that Titanic interiors expert Daniel Klistorner had been appointed as Interior
Design Consultant and Historian. Hall and Klistorner had previously co-authored books
such as Titanic: The Ship Magnificent and Titanic in Photographs, and gave a technical
presentation at the unveiling of the designs in New York, as well as at the dinner in London.
Later that month, it was announced that an advisory board would be formed to provide
"suggestions and recommendations to Blue Star Line to ensure the Titanic II appropriately
and respectfully pays homage to Titanic, her crew and passengers." Terry Ismay, the great-great
nephew of White Star Line chairman and Titanic survivor J. Bruce Ismay will be a member of
the board, as well as Helen Benziger, great-granddaughter of Titanic survivor Margaret 'Molly' Brown.
The design for the Titanic II was unveiled at worldwide launch events in Macau, New York,
Halifax, London & Southampton. The gala event in New York was the official Global Launch
and was held aboard the USS Intrepid in New York City on 26 February 2013. The gala dinner
in London was held at the Natural History Museum on 2 March, and was accompanied by
a display of items salvaged from the Titanic. There was also a breakfast held in Southampton
on 13 March. On 16 April 2014 it was announced that Deltamarin
had been contracted for the project development phase, and will be responsible for coordinating
the various parties involved in the project, including the shipyard, architects, interior
designers and operations managers. The feasibility study is complete, and the project development
phase is ongoing. The signature of a contract and keel laying is expected in March 2014.
Further contracts and agreements relating to the design and construction were announced
later in 2013; the project development contract to Deltamarin Ltd., the appointment of V.Ships
Leisure as ship management services partner, and of Tillberg Design as provider of architectural
and interior design services. On July 17, 2013, Blue Star Line announced
that the classification society Lloyd's Register has joined the Titanic II project. The work
carried by Lloyd's will make sure that the ship's design is compliant with the current
SOLAS regulations. Model testing using a 9.3-metre wooden model
was undertaken in September 2013 at the Hamburgische Schiffbau-Versuchsanstalt. Resistance and
powering tests were carried out in a 300-metre towing tank.
In an interview in February 2014, Palmer claimed that keel laying would take place in September
2014. He cautioned that the project was "a big job", that the original Titanic took seven
years to build while they have been working for only two and a half, and said that he
would have liked to start sooner but "wanted to make sure we don't make any mistakes".
He claimed that a selection of cabins were being constructed on land for approval, and
that this would be completed by July 2014. Design and construction
The gross tonnage of the replica will be 56,000 GT, considerably more than that of the original.
Comparison with the original RMS Titanic The ship is being designed to be as similar
in internal and external appearance to the Titanic as possible. However, modern safety
regulations and economic considerations will dictate several major changes to the design,
including: Greater beam for enhanced stability
Welded, not riveted, hull Reduced draught
Bulbous bow for higher fuel efficiency, although moderately sized compared to modern ships
Stabilisers to reduce roll Diesel-electric propulsion system with four
diesel generating sets providing power for three azimuth thrusters to replace the original
coal-fired boilers, steam engines and steam turbine, as well as the rudder. Also, the
ship will have 2 bow thrusters. An additional 'safety deck' between C and
D decks for modern lifeboats and marine evacuation systems, with the boat deck housing replicas
of the original lifeboats. Space for the deck has been made by lowering decks D and below
by 2.8 metres, and for the taller centre section of the safety deck, which houses the lifeboats,
by raising the superstructure by 1.3 metres. In spite of the reduced draft, space has been
made for the lowered decks by removing the orlop deck, which mainly housed the boilers.
New 'escape staircases' in addition to the original staircases, housed in the redundant
boiler exhaust uptakes. Observation decks in the redundant first two
funnels, which will have, according to Deltamarin, tinted window coverings to blend in with the
funnels' color, intended to be as close as possible to the original "White Star buff."
No sheer or camber, unlike the original. Pronounced sheer was a cosmetic feature of ocean liners,
intended to add a graceful appearance to the ship, but made construction more difficult
and therefore costly. Renderings released in February 2013 show an upwards rake added
to C Deck at the bow and stern to give a superficial appearance of sheer, although an inauthentic
wedge-shaped gap has had to be added between C and D decks in these areas to produce this
effect. A higher bridge relative to the bow, as the
superstructure has been raised by 1.3 metres by the centre section of the safety deck,
and also by the removal of the sheer. This negates the requirement on the original Titanic
for lookouts. An overall increase in the height of the ship
above the waterline. However, the total height of the ship from the keel to funnels will
be the same as the original, at 175 ft. Video of water tank testing in 2013 indicate
that the stern lines of Titanic II bears little resemblance to Titanic's 1912 era counter
stern. Power plant and propulsion
For economic reasons, the steam engines and coal-fired boilers of the original Titanic
have been replaced with a modern diesel-electric propulsion system. The space which housed
the boilers will be used for crew quarters and ships systems. Power will be produced
by four Wärtsilä 46F medium-speed four-stroke diesel generating sets; two twelve-cylinder
12V46F engines producing 14,400 kilowatts each, and two eight-cylinder 8L46F engines
producing 9,600 kilowatts each, running on heavy fuel oil and marine gas oil. Propulsion
will be by three azimuth thrusters which will also be used for maneuvering, while the replica
of the rudder of the Titanic II is purely cosmetic, and will not extend substantially
below the waterline. The positioning of the azimuth thrusters has necessitated the stern
being made substantially more blunt than the original.
Interior The interior of the ship is intended to be
as similar as possible to the original. Tillberg Design of Sweden has been contracted to produce
drawings replicating Titanic's original interiors. However, the original wooden panelling does
not conform to modern fire regulations, so as in Queen Elizabeth 2, veneers will have
to be used. Plans show a layout broadly similar to the original, but with the third-class
cabins modernised, and consideration being given to en-suite cabins throughout the ship.
The room freed up by eliminating the steam boilers of the original ship will be used
for crew quarters and various services. Criticism
If built, the Titanic II would represent the first major passenger vessel constructed in
China, a country with much more experience of building cargo ships than cruise ships,
and a significant investment would be required to ensure it meets the much more stringent
safety requirements for passenger vessels. The Chinese state-owned CSC Jinling shipyard
has never built a large passenger vessel. In addition, it has no drydock, instead using
side launching from a 200 m slipway. The 269 m Titanic II would be the largest side-launched
vessel in history by a huge margin, and would require a significant extension to the shipyard's
facilities. Representatives from the shipyard have questioned
whether the ship can be completed by 2016, and emphasize that no contract has yet been
signed. Clive Palmer has been described as an 'eccentric
billionaire' with a reputation for bizarre publicity stunts, such as the attempt to create
a massive Jurassic Park style dinosaur theme park at his golf resort. It has also been
noted that the publicity surrounding the Titanic II coincided with Palmer's announcement of
his entry into Australian federal politics, which was made immediately following the Titanic
II conference. Palmer had previously claimed that he was the target of a conspiracy involving
Barack Obama, the CIA, the Rockefeller Foundation and Greenpeace, who he believed were attempting
to close down his mining operation. In 2010, Palmer started a company called Zeppelin International,
with the intention of making a commercially viable Zeppelin. After the plan came to nothing,
it was ridiculed as the 'bizarre move of the year' by Australian business website Smartcompany.
He has gained a reputation in Australia for floating ambitious and unusual business ideas
which he fails to see through, and the Titanic II has been described as 'a classic Clive
Palmer announcement'. The idea of a commercialised replica of the
Titanic has itself been criticised, being described as "insensitive" and "a mockery
of the memory of those who died". Cunard Line, which merged with the White Star Line, stated
that they "have always been very mindful and very respectful of such a tragic event [and]
don't think that building a replica or a 'II' is appropriate."
Future In June 2013, it was reported that Clive Palmer
may be experiencing financial difficulties, and that his two most prominent businesses
were running at a loss. This followed the leaking of a letter where he asked a Chinese
business partner for a $200 million AUD payment. His net worth was believed to have fallen
by $1.6 billion AUD in 2013. When the project was first announced in 2012,
Palmer claimed that the start of construction would begin before the end of the year, with
a 2016 launch. Following the launch events in 2013, he then claimed that construction
would begin 'within a few weeks', with launch and maiden voyage still listed as 2016. In
an August 2013 interview, Palmer however indicated that construction would not begin until March
2014, while still citing 2016 as the intended completion date. In the event, there were
no news of either steelcutting or actual construction taking place in March 2014. More recent claims
place the cutting of first steel in late 2014, with launch delayed by two years to 2018.
An Asia Cruise News article in March 2014 claimed that the project was 'a bit frozen'
and that Palmer was 'thought to be reconsidering the project' after failing to secure sponsorship
or find a partner at a Chinese shipyard. He was also said to have been disappointed by
the quotes to build in China in terms of both delivery time and price. In response, Blue
Star Line reiterated the claim that the project was "on track".
It was reported in late March 2014 that the project was unlikely to go ahead, and that
the Chinese 'had lost interest in the project'. CSC Jinling responded by saying that it would
be "difficult for us to build the Titanic II but we have confidence to build it". Blue
Star Line reiterated claims that the keel would be laid in Q3 2014.
In May 2014 Blue Star Line and designers Deltamarin signed a Memorandum of Understanding with
Chinese company AVIC - which owns Deltamarin - to promote the project within China, and
to attempt to secure sponsors. It was reported that the first project development phase is
complete, and that the evaluation and the project master plan development is ongoing.
Notes
References
External links Titanic-II.com
Blue Star Line