Titanic, the ‘ship of dreams’, sank after hitting an iceberg in the North Atlantic ocean in 1912, more than 100 years ago.
But now she could sail again, thanks to a £300 million project by Australian billionaire Clive Palmer to build a fully functioning replica.
His company Blue Star Line plans to launch Titanic II, physically identical except with the addition of modern safety and navigational features,.
Just like the original, the 270-metre-long, 53-metre-high Titanic II will offer first, second and third-class tickets.
This is what the second ship will look like if it goes ahead, compared with archive photographs from Titanic itself.
The grand staircase, in the first class section
2. The Cafe Parisienne, an eating area in first class with white wicker chairs
3. Titanic was one of the first ships to have a swimming pool and Turkish baths complex on board. Clean water was pumped in from the open ocean and heated.
4. The first class dining room spanned the width of the ship
5. Luxurious first class state rooms had four poster beds
6. The bridge will be replicated, but only for display as it uses outdated methods
7. The first class smoking room was only for men
8. The whole ship will be replicated, including second and third class. ‘Steerage’ passengers would eat at long tables
9. It will even have an Edwardian-style gym
10. More pictures show the level of detail the new ship will contain, if the project goes ahead.
If Titanic II sets sail, its maiden voyage in 2018 will be from Jiangsu in eastern China to Dubai, instead of Southampton to New York,
It will have space for 2,435 passengers and 900 crew (just slightly more than Titanic itself) with increased lifeboat capacity.
The original Titanic infamously sank on its maiden voyage in 1912 following a collision with an iceberg in the North Atlantic. More than 1,500 passengers and crew died.