TITANIC - 100 YEARS

 

Image courtesy of Titanic 100 Halifax

 

Fairview Lawn Cemetery

Over 100 Victims of the sinking of the Titanic are burried at the Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, Nova Scotia (Canada)

With 121 graves, Fairview Lawn Cemetery has more Titanic victims interred than any other cemetery in the world. (Nova Scotia Tourism)

 

A distant relative of a Titanic passenger places a rose on the plaque of 1,512 names of those who died from the Titanic during the 100th anniversary commemorations and memorial dedication of the Titanic disaster in Belfast;Northern Ireland on April 15;2012. The vessel struck an iceberg in the North Atlantic on its maiden voyage on April 14 1912;with the loss of around 1,500 lives. It was built in Belfast's Harland and Wolff shipyard.

Read it on Global News: Global BC | Halifax pays respects to victims of Titanic sinking at local cemetery

Of the approximately 130 Canadians aboard the Titanic, two came from Halifax: well-known socialite Helen Slater, who survived, and philanthropist millionaire George Wright, who perished.
Although about 700 survivors had been rescued by the RMS Carpathia,  some—largely very wealthy—families of the victims who wanted the bodies of their loved ones recovered put pressure on White Star Lines to mount a recovery operation out of Halifax.

“Halifax is so central to the story, and this isn’t covered in a lot of books about the Titanic, because many books about the Titanic end with the sinking and the rescue operation—the 700 plus people who were rescued by Carpathia and taken to New York City. They might mention the American and British inquiries that occurred afterwards, but very few actually talk about the recovery operation that was mounted out of Halifax"

A pair of leather children’s shoes believed to be from the "unknown child." (Nova Scotia Tourism)

Halifax’s Maritime Museum of the Atlantic is home to a permanent display of the largest collection of wooden Titanic artifacts in the world, including a well-preserved deck chair. (Nova Scotia Tourism)

Hearses line up on Halifax wharf to take Titanic victims recovered by the CS Minia. (Nova Scotia Archives)

 

Night of the Bells Saturday, April 14, 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

                                          Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, 1675 Lower Water Street, Halifax

 

A wreath floats after being thrown into the sea during a service of remembrance aboard the Titanic Memorial Cruise, over the Titanic disaster site 100 years after it sank in the western Atlantic Ocean April 15, 2012. The ill-fated Titanic liner hit an iceberg and sank 100 years ago on April 15, 1912 (REUTERS)

 

This handout image provided by Canada Post shows a stamp to be unveiled commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Titanic disaster.

TITANIC - CANADIAN CONNECTION

http://titanic.gov.ns.ca/default.asp (reprinted)

HALIFAX CONNECTION

Considered one of the greatest marine disasters in recorded history, the story of RMS Titanic begins in Southampton, England on April 10, 1912, when the vessel left on her maiden voyage.  For some of those who lost their lives aboard the ill-fated ship, Halifax, Nova Scotia is where the story ended.

On Sunday, April 14 at 11:40 pm, the Titanic struck a giant iceberg and by 2:20 am on April 15, the “unsinkable ship” was gone. The first vessel to arrive at the scene of the disaster was the Cunard Liner RMS Carpathia and she was able to rescue more than 700 survivors.  On Wednesday, April 17, the day before the Carpathia arrived in New York, the White Star Line dispatched the first of four Canadian vessels to look for bodies in the area of the sinking.

On April 17, the Halifax-based Cable Steamer Mackay-Bennett set sail with a minister, an undertaker and a cargo of ice, coffins and canvas bags. She arrived at the site on April 20 and spent five days carrying out her grim task.  Her crew was able to recover 306 bodies, 116 of which had to be buried at sea. On April 26, theMackay-Bennett left for Halifax with 190 bodies.  She was relieved by the Minia, also a Halifax-based cable ship. 

The Minia had been at sea when the Titanic sank, but returned to Halifax in order to collect the necessary supplies before sailing from the Central Wharf on April 22 for the scene of the disaster.  After eight days of searching, the Minia was only able to find 17 bodies, two of which were buried at sea. 

On May 6, the Canadian government vessel CGS Montmagny left Halifax and recovered four bodies, one of which was buried at sea. The remaining three victims were brought from Louisbourg, Nova Scotia to Halifax by rail.  The fourth and final ship in the recovery effort was the SS Algerine, which sailed from St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador on May 16.  The crew of the Algerine found one body, which was shipped to Halifax on the SS Florizel.

The majority of the bodies were unloaded at the Coal or Flagship Wharf on the Halifax waterfront and  horse-drawn hearses brought the victims to the temporary morgue in the Mayflower Curling Rink. 

Only 59 of the bodies placed in the morgue were shipped out by train to their families.  The remaining victims of the Titanic were buried in three Halifax cemeteries between May 3 and June 12.  Religious services were held at St. Paul's Church and at the Synagogue on Starr Street. Burial services were held at St. Mary’s Cathedral, Brunswick Street Methodist Church, St. George’s Church and All Saint’s Cathedral.

Various individuals and businesses expressed their sympathy by donating flowers and wreaths.  The coffins of the unidentified victims were adorned with bouquets of lilies.

Most of the gravestones, erected in the fall of 1912 and paid for by the White Star Line, are plain granite blocks.  In some cases, however, families, friends or other groups chose to commission a larger and more elaborate gravestone.  All of these more personalized graves, including the striking Celtic cross and the beautiful monument to the “Unknown Child”, are located at Fairview Lawn Cemetery.

TITANIC NEWS (1) - Titanic photo shows evidence of human remains

Titanic photo shows evidence of human remains

A newly released photo from the North Atlantic site of the shipwrecked RMS Titanic shows evidence of human remains, federal officials are saying.

"RETURN TO TITANIC" MEETS SCIENCE OBJECTIVES,
REMINDS ALL THAT WRECK SITE IS HALLOWED GROUND
Expedition Ends Just Prior to U.S. Signing of Titanic Agreement

June 21, 2004 — When NOAA co-sponsored Return to Titanic, a scientific expedition to the site of arguably the world's most memorable shipwreck, the team of explorers and scientists sent their underwater robots to gather scientific data 12,000 feet deep. The mission was to learn how, and how quickly, Titanic was deteriorating from natural and human causes. However, pairs of shoes, suitcases and galley dishes that lie in the debris field were powerful reminders that this is hallowed ground. That’s why steps were taken to protect the wreck. (Click image for larger view of the shoes of a Titanic victim photographed in a debris field near the stern of the ship on June 6, 2004, by the ROV Hercules during an expedition returning to the Titanic, launched from the NOAA ship Ronald H. Brown.

The expedition included Robert D. Ballard, who discovered the historic wreck in 1985 and who today still has strong feelings about protecting the site. NOAA took a step to further protect Titanic in April 2001 when, in accordance with the Titanic Maritime Memorial Act, NOAA published "Guidelines for Research, Exploration and Salvage of RMS Titanic." Though the guidelines provided a model of conduct based on international archaeological standards, they were voluntary guidelines, without enforcement authority.

The protection of Titanic took a major step forward Friday just after the Return to Titanic mission concluded, when the U.S. ambassador in London signed an international agreement that will lead to enforcement authority and increased protection of the wreck site. When Congress passes enabling legislation, the agreement will come into force for the U.S. It will realize a goal long sought by Ballard and will provide for the signing nations, an international extension of NOAA's 2001 guidelines, but this time with law enforcement power replacing voluntary guidelines. (Click image for larger view of the starboard railing near the bow of the Titanic photographed on June 1, 2004, by the ROV Hercules during an expedition returning to the shipwreck of the Titanic.

NOAA leadership on this issue dates to 1985 when Nancy Foster, former assistant administrator of the NOAA Ocean Service, testified before Congress on a House Resolution to protect Titanic. "This agreement has potential as a model for protection of other shipwrecks and submerged marine resources well beyond the territorial jurisdiction of nations," said NOAA General Counsel Jim Walpole.

NOAA also played a significant role on the U.S. delegation during negotiation of the agreement by the four nations most closely associated with Titanic—the United States, Canada, France and the United Kingdom, which signed the agreement in November 2003. The agreement must be ratified by at least two of those nations to be effective. Concerted action by these countries would effectively foreclose unregulated salvage and other potentially harmful activities that would disturb the integrity of the wreck site. (Click image for larger view of a port side forward expansion joint on the boat deck of the bow section of the shipwreck Titanic as photographed June 1, 2004, by ROV Hercules deployed from the NOAA ship Ronald H. Brown.

Under the agreement, Titanic will be designated an international maritime memorial to those who perished there and whose remains should be respected. It will also protect the scientific, cultural and historical significance of the wreck site by regulating, within the jurisdiction of the signatories, dives to the Titanic shipwreck.

The Titanic Maritime Memorial Act was signed into law by President Ronald Reagan in 1986 and directs the Department of State to forward the signed agreement and recommended implementing legislation to Congress. The agreement does not apply to the existing collection of 6,000 Titanic artifacts that have already been salvaged pursuant to admiralty court orders, but it is consistent with those orders as well as current scientific principles of historic and cultural resource conservation.

The 2004 return trip to Titanic was not an easy one. The explorers and the crew of NOAA ship Ronald H. Brown battled weather so difficult it sometimes kept the remotely-operated vehicles (ROVs) lashed to the deck of the tossing ship when they should have been relocating Titanic or gathering scientific data and images of the wreck. When the sea state did allow operations, technical problems with the underwater robots or electrical glitches in their long umbilical cords caused further delays.

Technicians from Ballard's Institute for Exploration soon had the ROVs ready for deployment, and when "windows" of good weather appeared, the underwater robots began their four-hour dive to the deep cold waters where the remains of the great ship and more than 1,500 of her crewmembers and passengers lie.

Copy from NOAA Magazine (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)

Credit NOAA / Institute for Exploration/University of Rhode Island or NOAA—IFE/URI.)