Headline of the Vancouver Sun:
Titanic: Memorial cruise to take survivors' relatives, Titanic-philes to the site of the wreck
I'm probably a cynic, but as wreckage from last year's Tsunami in Japan washes up on the western coast of Canada, the memorial voyage of the Titanic (which will retrace the path of ill-fated ship) is being prepared. Here are some of the icebergs hanging out around St. John's. Icerbergfinder.com is showing several others as well. Does this seem like a bad idea to anyone else?
Titanic: Memorial cruise to take survivors' relatives, Titanic-philes to the site of the wreck
Southeast of Newfoundland, deep beneath the waves, sits the nearly 100-year-old wreck of RMS Titanic — littered with shoes.
Philip Littlejohn of Portsmouth, England, remembers being struck by the sight when he became the only relative of a Titanic survivor to dive to the wreck.
"The seabed between the two parts of the ship is scattered with shoes. You begin to think they belonged to somebody. Those shoes were somebody's possessions. It was very moving," said Littlejohn.
It's one of the stories Littlejohn will likely be sharing as he takes part in the Titanic Memorial Cruise — which will follow the route of the Titanic to mark its centennial — to talk about his dive to the wreck and tell his grandfather's story.
His grandfather, Alexander James Littlejohn, was a first-class steward on the ship.
He survived the tragedy rowing Lifeboat 13, and saved the youngest person on Titanic, who was merely nine weeks old at the time.
"It was something grandfather never spoke about. It had a tremendous effect on his life — it turned (his hair) completely white with shock," Littlejohn said.
For Littlejohn, the memorial cruise is "a voyage of a lifetime and a chance to revisit a place that means so much to my family."
"It will be an emotional moment when we are over the wreck site, where I dived in 2001, and where my grandfather left Titanic rowing Lifeboat 13," he said.
There will be a special memorial ceremony onboard the cruise liners Balmoral and the Azamara Journey on April 14 starting at 11:40 p.m., when the ship hit the iceberg a century ago, and 2:20 a.m. on April 15, when the ship sank beneath the waves.
"Obviously, to be back over that spot where Titanic lies . . . will be emotional," said Littlejohn.
"We are going to be laying a wreath in remember of the (more than 1,500) people who lost their lives."
Both of the cruise liners will also stop in Halifax, giving passengers the opportunity visit Fairview Lawn Cemetery, where 121 Titanic victims are buried, along with Mount Olivet Catholic Cemetery and Hirsch Jewish Cemetery.
Read more:
http://www.canada.com/news/Titanic+Memorial+cruise+take+survivors+relatives+Titanic+philes+site+wreck+video/6427687/story.html#ixzz1raD0zCBK
Cape Race Main Event
During the evening of April 14, 2012 the eyes of Titanic enthusiasts around the world will be on Cape Race, Newfoundland. A century earlier Cape Race was the center of attention for Titanic’s passengers as almost wireless 300 messages were exchanged between ship and shore.
Now, exactly one century later we will respectfully remember Titanic’s epic story and reflect upon how the events of 1912 went on to change the world.
At 5:30 p.m. there will be an ecumenical service at Holy Redeemer Church in Trepassey, the closest church to the gravesite.
At 7:00 p.m. experience the Flavours of Cape Race during a reception meal featuring the flavours enjoyed by citizens of the Cape Race region a century earlier.
http://www.receivingtitanic.com/cape-race-main-event
