{"id":5824,"date":"2013-05-31T15:54:41","date_gmt":"2013-05-31T19:54:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.the-dock.org\/blog\/?p=5824"},"modified":"2013-05-31T15:59:10","modified_gmt":"2013-05-31T19:59:10","slug":"more-boats-galore-tales-of-titanic-olympic-nomadic-and-the-peace-boat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.the-dock.org\/blog\/2013\/more-boats-galore-tales-of-titanic-olympic-nomadic-and-the-peace-boat\/","title":{"rendered":"More boats galore – tales of Titanic, Olympic, Nomadic and the Peace Boat…"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"IMG_8654\"<\/a>Today is a huge day in Titanic-world. \u00a0On 31st May 1911 at 12:13 (two minutes earlier than planned) the triggers were released on the largest man-made moving object in the world – and RMS Titanic slid and scraped down the slipway in a speedy 62 seconds.<\/p>\n

So it’s exactly 102 years to the day – which means it’s exactly two years since the Dock Chaplains led this 62-second cheer<\/a>, and exactly one year since I made this 62(ish)-second sprint<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"IMG_8653\"<\/a>On the same day, Titanic’s almost-identical sister RMS Olympic left her Belfast birthplace – and, almost unnoticed amidst such mighty events, the little tender ship SS Nomadic also left Belfast to start serving the huge ocean liners at the port of Cherbourg. \u00a0Anyone watching the Nomadic chug down Belfast Lough would scarcely have believed that she would outlive the gargantuan ships she had been built to serve.<\/p>\n

\"Nomadic<\/a>(My Titanorak friend Ashlin tells me that Nomadic’s first act of service was to transport the visiting White Star Line dignitaries who had watched Titanic’s launch – including Bruce Ismay and J.P. Morgan – out to the waiting Olympic – which then left them back to Liverpool where she was opened up to an awestruck public for a week before steaming down to Southampton to start her life of service. \u00a0So this is a day of many anniversaries!)<\/p>\n

This year, of course, Nomadic’s anniversary is being celebrated by the long-awaited moment that her doors are opened to the world again. \u00a0Today we stood on the decks that once echoed to Molly Brown’s high heels, ate lunch while sitting on the benches once occupied by J. J. Astor’s posterior, climbed the stairways in the footsteps of Benjamin Guggenheim, and declared SS Nomadic open for business once more!<\/p>\n

\"photo-8\"<\/a>\"photo-9\"<\/a>\"photo-7\"<\/a>\"photo-10\"<\/a><\/p>\n

(And I did enjoy noticing that, prominently displayed just behind all the dignitaries who gave speeches at the opening were the signs and logo of a certain lovely wee cafe next door. \u00a0Any excuse for publicity…)<\/p>\n

\"photo\"<\/a><\/p>\n

A few days ago, some lucky members of The Dock were part of a sneak preview visit of the ship – here are a few of their reactions:
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