'Titanic on the Thames': Spooky replica of doomed ship's funnel appears next to Tower Bridge

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

A replica of the upper section of the fourth funnel of the Titanic is towed along the river Thames towards Tower Bridge today


It may have been at the bottom of the Atlantic ocean for almost 100 years but the Titanic steamed into London today for a landmark exhibition.

The ship, or mocked-up sections of it at least, makes up a host of treasures resurrected to recreate what life was like on board the doomed liner.

First and third-class cabins have been replicated, as have a cargo hold and boiler room at the O2 arena.



The rusting funnel creates a marked contrast with the high-rise buildings in London's Canary Wharf


And hundreds of original objects – including a postcard souvenir of St Paul’s Cathedral - reclaimed from the ocean floor will go on show for the first time.

China with the logo of the White Star Line, a porthole and samples of the perfumes Manchester salesman Adolphe Saalfeld was taking to New York to help to convey scenes on board before the ship hit an iceberg and sank on April 15, 1912, with the loss of more than 1,500 lives.

A version of the exhibition has been seen by more than 22 million people in America and on the Continent but this is its first time in London.


Sleeping quarters: David Haisman, whose mother survived the sinking, poses in a replica of a third class cabin


Time for tea: Show organiser Cheryl Mure takes a seat in a first class cabin


And a gallery has been devoted to passengers and crew with London connections.
They include about 100 crew members such as stewardess Violet Jessop, who grew up in Bedford Park in west London, and society fashion designer Lady Duff Cooper, who escaped in lifeboat number one — known as 'the millionaires’ boat' — and gave evidence at the disaster inquiry.

The display at the O2 also includes video footage from this summer’s expedition to the wreck when scientists began mapping the entire site. There is now a race against time to finish explorations before the wreck disintegrates.


Walls of history: A gallery in the exhibition has been devoted to passengers and crew with London connections



Undersea treasures: An array of objects rescued from the doomed liner which sank after hitting an iceberg on its maiden voyage


Cheryl Mure, from the show’s organiser RMS Titanic, Inc, which was granted exploration rights to the site 16 years ago, said: 'When you come to the exhibition you’re really transported back in time to 1912 and the maiden voyage. Nothing tells that story more poignantly and dramatically than the artefacts.'

Proceeds from ticket sales pay for further exploration work.

'She is deteriorating rapidly. She is standing majestically but the rusticles [micro-organisms] are eating her away and one day she will collapse,' Ms Mure added.

Titanic — The Artefact Exhibition, opens on Friday and runs until May 1 next year. Tickets start at £9 for children and £13 for adults with discounts available for groups.



A recreation of the boiler room which provided steam to power the ship's engines


source: dailymail