The first new photos of the "Titanic" in 15 years have emerged, and they show the famous sunken ship in sad shape...so much so that the vessel may completely disppear in 20 more years. It's being eaten away by bacteria, sea currents and marine life.
And in other "Titanic" news...
A replica of the Titanic known as the Titanic II will set sail in 2022.
The brainchild of Australian billionaire Clive Palmer, the Titanic II and its parent company, the Blue Star Line, have had something of a fraught history. First announced in 2012 — just days after the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the original Titanic — the replica ship’s maiden voyage was initially intended to take place in 2016. In 2015, however, two sizeable bumps appeared in the road: First, the launch date was pushed back to 2018; then, construction was actually suspended altogether due to a financial dispute. Radio silence ensued for several years. In September of 2018, however, Palmer announced that work had resumed — and now, apparently, there’s a new date for the maiden voyage: 2022, according to USA Today.
However, although the Titanic II will eventually undertake the same Southampton-to-New-York journey during which the original Titanic sank, that trip will not be the route followed by the Titanic II on its maiden voyage. According to MSN, the very first journey undertaken by the replica will be a two-week trip traveling from Dubai to Southampton. From there, it will travel along the route its predecessor was never able to complete—and much, much more.
With an expected price tag of about $500 million — which, by the way, is considerably more than the original Titanic cost; in 1912, the ship cost $7.5 million to build, or about $190 million in 2018 dollars — Titanic II will feature the same cabin layout as its namesake, with around 840 rooms and nine decks. Every detail will be painstakingly recreated, from all of the dining rooms to the grand staircase at the center of the ship.
And yes, there will still be different classes — passengers will have the option between traveling First, Second, or Third Class. Just like the original, the ship will be capable of carrying 2,400 passengers 900 crewmembers.
Also, there will be more lifeboats. That’s one mistake from which we’ve definitely learned.