HEADLINE NEWS ARCHIVE 2008

The archive contains the headline and a small portion of the article itself. Obviously the full article is not reprinted here and the URL link will take you to the full article. However it is important to note that URL links go stale and the article no longer available to be read. Many newspapers and news agencies do have archives that can be accessed online. However please note they may charge a nominal fee to access the article you are seeking. In some cases the news source cited can only be accessed by subscription. This will be noted in the header for the article

 

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DECEMBER

2 Letters From Titanic Passengers Up For Auction (30 Dec 08, Forbes - NY,USA
Two letters written by first class Titanic passengers - one who survived and one who perished with the ship - are going up for auction next month. The letters, both written on White Star Lines stationary that says "On board R.M.S. 'Titanic'" will be offered in New York City and online Jan. 16 by Spink Smythe, a Dallas, New York and London-based auction house. Robert Litzenberger, a historical autograph specialist at Spink Smythe's Dallas office, said the letters are expected to sell for $10,000 to $20,000 each. The auction house said the letters were put in the mail from Southampton, England, just before the ship departed on April 10, 1912, for New York. The ship, on its maiden voyage, struck an iceberg and sank early on the morning of April 14.

Unique Titanic Exhibition In Falmouth (28 Dec 08, Falmouth Penryn Packet - Falmouth,UK)
Jenny says: “We knew that Cornwall shared a lot of history with the Titanic but we didn’t realise quite how much. The letters and calls we’ve been receiving are fascinating and the information received is revealing a whole new Cornish side to the disaster. Many people who have been in touch with us have said that they will be contacting their family and extended families over Christmas to find out more. It seems as if our call for information on Cornwall’s association with the Titanic has created a re-awakening of interest for genealogy.

Titanic Sister Ship To Be Tourist Attraction (27 Dec 08, Dive Magazine - Richmond,England,UK)
After being lost for more than half a century, the Britannic could soon be the biggest must-see attraction in the Mediterranean,' Mills said. 'Our plan is to start off with three- or four-seater submersibles. This project is not just about tourism but also about education, conservation and marine archaeology.'

Premier Exhibitions: Mark Sellers Takes the Fight to Shareholders (24 Dec 08, Seeking Alpha - New York,NY,USA)
Mark Sellers, Managing Member of Sellers Capital, LLC, which owns 16.3% of Premier Exhibitions (PRXI), recently sent a letter to current shareholders, seeking support for a slate of four independent directors to fill vacancies on Premier's board. Sellers, who currently serves on the board, believes that the company is not maximizing shareholder value, and squandering both capital and opportunity. Many shareholders, including yours truly, don't disagree. You may recall Premier from previous posts. The company is probably most best known as the operator of the successful Bodies: The Exhibition, which features whole and partially dissected human bodies, preserved through a technique called "polymer preservation".

Titanic Exhibit Docks In Montreal (22 Dec 08, Guelph Mercury - Guelph,Ontario,Canada)
A travelling exhibit showcasing hundreds of salvaged artifacts from the Titanic has docked in Montreal. The show, which runs until April 2009, incorporates artifacts from the vessel and replicates sections of the ship. Viewers can admire the grand staircase, peer into first- and third-class quarters, walk down the halls and discover the personal stories of passengers on board the doomed ship. "The visitors become actors, part of the show," said Serge Grimaux, one of the promoters of the event.

Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition to Permanently Dock At Luxor Hotel (18 Dec 08, MarketWatch - USA)
Premier Exhibitions, Inc. (PRXI) announced today that Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition will open at Luxor Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas December 20, 2008. Newly designed for Luxor, this blockbuster exhibition brings to life the story of the ill-fated Ship through its authentic artifacts, dramatic room recreations and hands-on interactive experiences. "With more than 22 million visitors to date, we consistently see how Titanic resonates and touches everyone," states Arnie Geller, Chairman and CEO of Premier Exhibitions, Inc. "Each of us can relate to someone on Titanic and the retelling of her story feeds our curiosity time and again. We are thrilled to be part of the transformation now taking place at Luxor Hotel and Casino and look forward to working with their exceptional staff and management as we present this blockbuster experience."

Council Gives Green Light To Belfast Titanic Project (16 Dec 08, Irish Times - Dublin,Ireland)
Work on a signature project to commemorate the Titanicis set to get under way next month after Belfast City Council gave the project the green light today. The backing of councillors means all stakeholders have now rubber-stamped plans for a five-storey tourist attraction on the derelict shipyard where the famous liner was built almost 100 years ago. The total cost of the project will be in the region of £100 million (€110 million). The council has pledged £10 million towards the project, with the Northern Ireland Executive, Belfast Harbour Commissioners and a private developer providing the rest of the funding.

Millvina - Life After Disaster (14 Dec 08, Southern Daily Echo - Southampton,England,UK)
We were rescued by another ship called the Carpathia the following morning. My poor mother was worried sick about Vere (her older brother) and my father. Imagine her joy when she was reunited on the Carpathia with her little boy,” Millvina recalled. “It seems that another passenger had found him on the deck of the Titanic, scooped him up and put him into a lifeboat – which one nobody ever knew. My mother never found out who that kind person was – but he or she certainly saved my brother’s life. “Sadly, my father didn’t make it. We never knew what happened to him but he perished along with all those other poor people that night. My mother had a lot to think about on the way to New York.

Titanic Tragedy Display At Liverpool Museum (13 Dec 08, Click Liverpool - Liverpool,Merseyside,UK)
Fascinating objects salvaged from around the wreck of the liner Titanic, 2.5 miles down on the ocean floor are new attractions at the Merseyside Maritime Museum. The exhibits are a wrist watch, spectacles, a White Star Line cup, lead ventilation grill, a gold wristwatch, five tie pins and a five dollar banknote. When the RMS Titanic sank on 15 April 1912, with the loss of 1,500 lives, she broke up as she plunged down into the depths. The bow and stern sections of the wreck lie 1,970 ft apart surrounded by debris scattered far and wide.

Discovering The Titanic: Traveling Exhibit Takes Visitors Inside (12 Dec 08, Wisconsin State Journal - Madison,WI,USA)
Everything about the Titanic is big. Its size, obviously. Four city blocks long. The ship included a gymnasium, grand staircase and two libraries. First-class passengers paid today's equivalent of about $50,000 per person to travel from England to New York. Its legend grows with "Titanic: The Artifacts Exhibition," a museum attraction seen by more than 18 million visitors, making it one of the world's most popular traveling exhibits. That's stunning: More than 18 million of us have leaned over a glass case to observe, say, a Titanic passenger's slippers.

Titanic Pigeon Forge Announced For Resort City (9 Dec 08, Seymour Herald - Seymour,TN,USA)
The keel is being laid for Titanic Pigeon Forge, a towering ship-shaped museum/attraction devoted to the world's best-known ocean liner. The christening of the 30,000 square-foot structure that will resemble the romantic cruise ship will be in the spring of 2010. It is a $25 million project of Cedar Bay Entertainment, which also is the parent company of the first Titanic Museum Attraction in Branson, Mo. Titanic Pigeon Forge will open a little more than a year after the opening of another major tourism investment in Pigeon Forge, the $114 million Belle Island Village mixed-used development that will begin serving guests this winter.

Shipwreck Enthusiasts Promote Titanic Dinner Cruise In Marine City (3 Dec 08,New Baltimore Voice Newspapers - New Baltimore,MI,USA)
Micoff is currently working on a special event for the spring of 2009 - a Titanic Dinner Cruise. If all goes well, the Detroit Princess Riverboat will be docking in Marine City April 24 to 26. She has visited the ship while it is docked on the Detroit River to see it in person. "It would be perfect," she said. "It is so grand, like a floating palace." In the meantime, international author V. C. King published a nonfiction thriller, "Titanic: Relative Fate" this spring. The book is a modern-day tale paralleling the original shipwreck.

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NOVEMBER

Journey To The Titanic (30 Nov 08, The Huntsville Times - al.com - Huntsville,AL,USA)
Atlanta's Georgia Aquarium takes guests on a fantasy trip of historic proportions Ninety-six years ago, the RMS Titanic set sail on its maiden voyage across the Atlantic Ocean. On April 15, 1912, 1,523 people perished after the grand ship struck an iceberg and sank. Time, however, hasn't diminished the interest in the "unsinkable" ship, its passengers and the contents of the wreckage. Right now, the Georgia Aquarium has more than 190 artifacts - 40 of which have never been shown to the public - on display from the 1912 maritime disaster in an exhibition called "Titanic Aquatic."

Judge Set To Decide Fate Titanic Artifacts Caught In Lawsuit (29 Nov 08, The Virginian-Pilot - Norfolk,VA,USA)
After 15 years of legal wrangling in the federal courts, a judge is getting set to decide the fate of thousands of artifacts plucked off the ocean floor around the Titanic wreck site. U.S. District Judge Rebecca B. Smith has indicated that she's leaning toward giving title of the artifacts to the company that has cared for them and displayed them in exhibitions around the world. For those 15 years, the federal court has held tight reins over what can be done with the property. But before making a final ruling, Smith has said, the company must convince her that the historical pieces will not be sold or destroyed. To appease her, the company has been hammering out covenants and restrictions aimed at preserving the pieces. But the company, Premier Exhibitions Inc., along with its subsidiary, RMS Titanic Inc., has come under increasing fire this year as its stock price has plummeted while expenses have soared.

Titanic Project 'To Benefit All' (28 Nov 08, BBC News - UK)
All of Northern Ireland will benefit from a Titanic themed tourist project, the first minister has said.
Plans for a five-storey building are being backed by the executive, which will give more than £40m towards the £97m project. Peter Robinson said the attraction would boost the local economy. "It is one of the key projects we are looking for, for our tourist industry... with massive potential for the construction industry," he said. "This is the very kind of project we need to assist in these difficult financial times."

Titanic Links Sought For Exhibition (26 Nov 08, The Cornishman - Truro,England,UK)
The most famous ill-fated ship in history, the Titanic, is to be the subject of a major new exhibition at the Maritime Museum in Falmouth next year and the search is on to find local people with a personal connection. Although the exhibition won't be unveiled until next March, the museum is appealing now for people with their own stories to tell to come forward. Jenny Wittamore, assistant curator at the museum, said: "It's incredibly exciting to be able to bring this major new exhibition to the museum and really important to us that we extend the existing display to include local connections to this epic moment in history. "If anyone has a connection with the Titanic, we would welcome hearing from you and sharing your story as part of the new exhibition.

BRANSON: New Year's On The Titanic (23 Nov 08, St. Louis Post-Dispatch - MO, United States)
Chateau on the Lake Resort & Spa is hosting a "Titanic Revisited" New Year's Eve Party on Dec. 31, partnering with the Titanic Museum. The event will feature Titanic-themed décor, character actors from the museum and a three-course meal replicating the menu served in the ship's main dining room.

In His Own Words – Man Who Survived Titanic And Sinking Of Her Sister Ship (22 Nov 08, Scotsman - United Kingdom)
Letters written by a seaman who survived the sinking of the Titanic and its sister ship the Britannic four years later – only to die in a German torpedo attack – are expected to raise up to £20,000 at auction. Archie Jewell was on board the Titanic on the night of 14 April, 1912, and his writings describe the horror of watching the great ship sink and hearing the cries of passengers drowning in the icy seas. Four years later, Jewell survived the sinking of the Britannic. He died in 1917 when the SS Donegal was hit by a torpedo in the English Channel.

Shipwreck To Escape Sibling's Shadow (21 Nov 08, BBC News - UK)
Forgotten by many and unheard of by most. Yet the sister-ship of the Titanic is starting to escape from the shadow of the iconic shipwreck. HMHS Britannic was completed at Belfast's Harland and Wolff shipyard two years after Titanic was lost in 1912. But she in turn went to the bottom, the victim of enemy action in the First World War. BBC News correspondent Mike McKimm joined a Greek scientific expedition and dived to the Britannic to bring back dramatic footage of one of the world's biggest wrecks. And the expedition also set out to try to discover what sank the vessel. Was it a torpedo or a mine?

Falmouth Hosts Major Exhibition On Titanic (17 Nov 08, Falmouth Penryn Packet - Falmouth,UK)
The National Maritime Museum Cornwall will be playing host to a major new exhibition from March 6 to June 21 telling the story of history’s most famous ship and her tragic sinking. ‘Titanic Honour and Glory’ is an evocative show which depicts the tragedy of the giant vessel that sank on April 15, 1912. The exhibition features many rare artefacts from Titanic’s passengers and crew including a silver pocket watch that stopped working at 02.28am - the exact time the Titanic slipped beneath the icy waters of the Atlantic. Other artefacts include a Stieff teddy bear, a good luck charm, belonging to William Moyes - the highly recognised senior engineer who struggled with many others to keep the ship afloat as long as they could.

Branson Developer To Open Titanic Museum In Pigeon Forge (13 Nov 08, Knoxville News Sentinel - Knoxville,TN,USA)
The Titanic is coming to Pigeon Forge. The Sevier County tourist destination is adding to its list of attractions a Titanic Museum, a $25 million project that will be located on the Parkway where the Miracle Theater sits. Pigeon Forge is the second locale for a Titanic Museum. Developer John Joslyn of Cedar Bay Entertainment built the first such museum in Branson, Mo., which Cedar Bay says has attracted more than 1 million visitors in two years of operation.

Swiss Watchmaker That Sells Expensive Titanic Watch Sees Orders Cancelled (11 Nov 08, guardian.co.uk - UK)
The four-year-old group sparked controversy in 2007 with its "Titanic DNA" watches, which are made from steel and coal from the ocean liner that sank on its maiden voyage in 1912, with some critics saying the watches were in bad taste. Romain Jerome has an order backlog of 50 million francs for its Titanic watches, which can cost as much as $500,000, Arpa said. He cautioned, however, that some customers had cancelled orders. "We are definitely seeing a slowdown in demand for watches that cost more than 150,000 francs, especially in Russia and the Ukraine," Arpa said.

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OCTOBER

Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition to Open in Montreal, November 11th (30 Oct 08, Trading Markets (press release) - Los Angeles,CA,USA)
RMS Titanic, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Premier Exhibitions, Inc. (Nasdaq:PRXI) announced today that Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition will open November 11th at The Eaton Centre located in the heart of downtown Montreal. Appearing for the first time in the historic city, this blockbuster exhibition includes a vast collection of more than 250 artifacts recovered from Titanic's debris field.

Wreck Of Titanic Sister Ship Finds New Destiny As Tourist Attraction (29 Oct 08, guardian.co.uk - UK)
There the Britannic, which was launched in February 1914 at Belfast, and, the following year, put to use as a wartime hospital ship for the first time, would stay at a depth of 122 metres (400ft), untouched and forgotten, until being discovered by the explorer Jacques Cousteau, in 1975. Now, the mystery, and controversy that has shrouded this vessel - which sank so quickly compared with the 160 or so minutes taken by the Titanic - could soon be lifted. There are plans to turn the shipwreck into a spectacular underwater museum. Its location, which until now has been glimpsed only by a handful of divers, will be opened up to tourists. The aim is for the first tours in submersibles to begin next summer. 

Tombstones Link Titanic Tragedy To Lannon  (29 Oct 08, Sussex Sun - Oconomowoc,WI,USA)
The Village of Lannon has a more intimate link to the story. A twin gravesite at Lannon's Sunnyside Cemetery on Mill Road marks the remains of two survivors of the tragedy with a granite pair of marker stones. One is inscribed, "American Immigrants," the other, "Survivors of the Titanic Disaster." Both depict the waves of the cold North Atlantic on their lower halves. Both of our local survivors lived to an advanced age after moving to a 40-acre farm on Mill Road east of Whiskey Corners soon after World War I. They eventually died elsewhere, but their remains were brought back in 1972 and 1992 for burial in Lannon.

Aquarium: Could Titanic Have Ghosts? (27 Oct 08, Atlanta Journal Constitution - GA, USA)
Aquarium workers and officials seem to think there’s a possibility, with hundreds of century-old artifacts of the “Titanic Aquatic” exhibit occupying the Georgia landmark’s northwest corner. “I think it’s the lost souls from the Titanic,” said aquarium volunteer Margarit Mourino, who reported having a ghostly encounter around the exhibit containing artifacts from the ill-fated 1912 voyage. “I could feel like this hand moving over my head and through my hair.” “We’ve had a number of volunteers report strange encounters when they were working the Titanic exhibit,” aquarium spokeswoman Meghann Gibbons said.
 
Prague Hosts Titanic Exhibition (23 Oct 08, Essential Travel - London,England,UK)
Visitors to Prague will be able to learn the full extent of the tragic story of the Titanic at an exhibition being held until the end of the year. More than 300 exhibits from the ill-fated ship are on display at the Lucerna Great Hall in the Czech capital, where they will stay until December 31st.

Idaho Falls Museum To Host Titanic Exhibition (22 Oct 08, LocalNews8.com - Idaho Falls,ID,USA)
Visitors to Idaho Falls next year will be able to view an 18-foot-chunk of the notorious iceberg that sank the Titanic on its 1912 maiden voyage. It's part of an exhibition coming to the eastern Idaho city's Museum of Idaho starting Feb. 27. Other artifacts from the calamitous voyage that killed 1,517 people, hotel builder John Jacob Astor among them, include jewelry, luggage and personal belongings from passengers and crew of the Olympic-class vessel that departed Southampton, England, but never arrived in New York City.

TV's Gest Aids Titanic Survivor (20 Oct 08, The Sun - London,UK)
I’M A CELEBRITY star David Gest has handed £3,000 to the last remaining Titanic survivor — after hearing she had to sell her memorabilia to pay nursing home fees. Theatre producer David, 55, was shocked to see Millvina Dean, 96, auctioning compensation letters, rare prints and a wicker suitcase given to her penniless mum Eva after dad Bertram drowned in 1912. He visited Millvina in Ashurst, Hants, with I’m A Celeb pal Matt Willis, the former Busted singer.

Titanic Survivor Sells Items To Pay Nursing Home (19 Oct 08, The Associated Press)
When 2-month-old Millvina Dean arrived in New York with her mother and brother after surviving the Titanic sinking, city residents gave them a suitcase full of donated clothing to help rebuild their life. Now, more than 96 years later, that gift is helping the world's last Titanic survivor live out her old age. Dean sold the small wicker suitcase, along with other mementos of the doomed ocean liner, at auction Saturday to help pay her nursing home fees. The sale raised $53,906 — ten times the amount she had hoped to make. The suitcase alone sold for $18,650.

Nomadic Group Buys Titanic Relic  (18 Oct 08, BBC News-UK)
One of the mementos auctioned by the last surviving passenger on the Titanic has been bought by a group of Belfast enthusiasts. The group which is restoring the last White Star Line vessel, the Nomadic, paid £3,500 for a letter from the Titanic Relief Fund to Millvina Dean. Now 96, Miss Dean was nine weeks old when the liner sank in 1912. It is one of a number of letters outlining how much compensation she would get because her father drowned. They explained that she would be awarded one pound, seven shillings and six pence per week.

Titanic Survivor Sells Mementoes (18 Oct 08 BBC News - UK)
"I am not able to live in my home anymore. I am selling it all now because I have to pay these nursing home fees." At Henry Aldridge and Son in Devizes, the suitcase fetched £10,800, the prints £9,250 and the letters £11,100. Auctioneer Andrew Aldridge said: "It is a great amount of money, I am sure she will be very happy when we tell her the news. "The Titanic International Society had bid for the items with the intention of giving them back to Millvina. Unfortunately they were blown out of the water by other bidders."

Titanic Survivor Auctions Relics (16 Oct 08, BBC News - UK)
The last remaining survivor of the Titanic plans to sell mementoes from the ship to pay her nursing home fees. Now 96, Millvina Dean was nine weeks old when the liner sank in the North Atlantic in 1912. She hopes to raise £3,000 by selling items including a suitcase full of clothes given to her by the people of New York after her rescue. The auction in Wiltshire will also feature compensation letters sent to her mother by the Titanic Relief Fund. They explained that she would be awarded one pound, seven shillings and six pence per week.

Song Dedicated To Titanic Baby (10 Oct 08, Wiltshire Times - UK)
A song dedicated to a Melksham baby who perished in icy waters after the sinking of the Titanic in 1912, will be played for the first time at a concert in Seend later this month. Local band Sackful of Sovereigns will be at Cleeve House on October 18, where they will sing their self-penned song An Unknown Child, dedicated to baby Sidney Leslie Goodwin, in addition to Bound For The Promised Land, a song about Sidney’s family, seven of whom died after the liner struck an iceberg on its maiden voyage. The band were inspired to write their first track after songwriter Colin Harrison, 52, from Bowerhill, discovered the history of the Goodwin family and their Melksham connection. The Goodwins lived in Canon Square, just a stone’s throw from St Michael’s Church.

Remains Of The 'Titanic Of New England' Located Off Cape Ann (9 Oct 08, Gloucester Daily Times - MA, USA
The Portland sank with all hands on board in what remains the worst disaster in New England maritime history. It has taken more than a century for another person to set foot on the boat, which sits 460 feet below the ocean surface between Gloucester and Provincetown, within the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. But five Massachusetts men, leader Bob Foster of Needham, David Faye of Cambridge, Don Morse of Beverly, Paul Blanchette of Dracut and Slav Mlch of East Boston, have now become the first to reach the Portland since its demise; they succeeded on three dives out of seven tries in August and September. "It was a great summer," said Blanchette, a frequent visitor to Gloucester.

Aboard The Titanic:You Can Relive Sights, Sounds Of Ill-Fated Ship (9 Oct 08, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - Milwaukee,WI,USA)
Now the Titanic docks again - this time in Milwaukee - with today's opening of "Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition" at the Milwaukee Public Museum. This show is one of the most popular traveling exhibits in the world, seen by more than 20 million people. It proves Titanic's story is as thrilling and, well, chilling as ever. Artifacts recovered from the ocean floor by RMS Titanic Inc., the exhibit's creators, line the halls. These items, many of them personal belongings, star in a ghostly replay of the ship's only voyage. Visitors become part of this "voyage," receiving a boarding pass that gives them the identity of an actual passenger. At the end, visitors learn whether their passenger made it into the lifeboats or went down with the ship. The impact of that knowledge hits like an ice-cold wave, carrying this nearly 100-year-old story into the 21st century.

"Titanic" Is A Fascinating, Emotional Journey (9 Oct 08, OnMilwaukee.com - Milwaukee,USA)
Most of us are familiar, if not fascinated, with this historic tragedy and the real objects and real stories presented in the Milwaukee Public Museum's "Titanic -- The Artifact Exhibition," opening Friday, Oct. 10 and running through May 25, 2009, bring us even closer to the fateful events of April 14 and 15, 1912. "Our most important mission is to use these artifacts to tell stories that help us understand ourselves -- and history -- better," says Milwaukee Public Museum President Dan Finley of the 270 authentic pieces on display. "There is no greater nautical story than Titanic."

Possessions Of Titanic Lifesaver (9 Oct 08, The Sun - London,UK )
Steward Edmund, 33, used the master key to enter first-class cabins and alert sleeping passengers as the ship began to sink. He made sure they had warm clothes and life jackets as he helped them to lifeboats in the Atlantic — but could not save himself.

Premier Exhibitions, Inc. Reports Second Quarter Results (7 Oct 08, MarketWatch - USA)
 Premier Exhibitions, Inc. (PRXI:, , ) , a major developer of touring museum quality exhibitions, today announced its financial results for the second quarter ended August 31, 2008. Premier Exhibition's fiscal year ends February 28, 2009 ("Fiscal 2009"). Revenue for the second quarter decreased 6%, to $15.1 million, compared to $16.1 million in the second quarter of the fiscal year ended February 29, 2008 ("Fiscal 2008")....We were also pleased to extend business relationships and enter into new partnerships during the second quarter which we believe will deliver increased value in the future. We announced a partnership with COUNTRY Financial to bring the Titanic story to twenty U.S. cities in 2009. We also entered into an agreement with the Georgia Aquarium to present the worldwide debut of Titanic: Aquatic. This exhibition opened for a limited engagement on August 22, 2008 in Atlanta and has opened up a new concept to engage visitors through interactive displays and video presentations.

(From Updates) On March 25, 2008, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia granted the U.S. government permission to file an amicus curie (friend of the court) brief in response to our wholly owned subsidiary, R.M.S. Titanic, Inc.'s November 30, 2007 motion for an interim salvage award.  The U.S. government took the position that the issuance of an in specie (in kind) salvage award to R.M.S. Titanic, with  limitations, could be an appropriate mechanism to satisfy the salvage award and could help ensure that the Titanic artifacts are conserved and curated in an intact collection that remains available to the public. On April 15, 2008, the District Court entered an order requesting that R.M.S. Titanic collaborate with the U.S. government and propose suggested covenants that would be included in an in specie award. The order also outlined a process for further discussion pertaining to such covenants, should the court decide to issue an in specie award. On June 12, 2008 R.M.S. Titanic submitted covenants that may be included in an in specie award, should the District Court determine one is appropriate, in accordance with the April 15, 2008 order made by the District Court. After engaging in consultative discussions with the U.S. government over the past several months, on September 15, 2008, R.M.S. Titanic submitted revised covenants and restrictions. While there remain unresolved differences, the Company believes that the revised covenants and restrictions meet the criteria as previously outlined by the District Court. At this time, there is not a schedule for the District Court to address R.M.S. Titanic's request for an in specie salvage award. The District Court has not yet determined that an in specie award is the proper remedy to satisfy R.M.S. Titanic's motion.

"Titanic' Expert To Reveal Artifacts From Sunken Ship (6 Oct 08,State-Journal.com - Frankfort,KY,USA)
When Frankfort's Titanic authority Roland Herzel travels across the ocean and a storm hits, his mind immediately goes to the night that ill-fated ship sank. "There was no moon. There were no waves to allow them to see the iceberg," that night in 1912, Herzel says. The captain, overconfident in his impeccable sailing record, failed to ask for help right away. "When the rescue ship, the Carpathia, was notified, it was almost 60 miles away and it took three or four hours to arrive," he says.

An Ocean-Floor View Of Titanic's Staircase (2 Oct 08,Sarasota Herald-Tribune - Sarasota,FL,USA)
The Michigan businessman, who spends his winters on Longboat Key, has spent nearly 60 years researching the tragedy, even making two research dives to the Titanic. Featured in major publications and documentaries about the ship, Williams is familiar with G.WIZ's new fascinating and revealing "Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition." In a brief interview, the 67-year-old spoke about his undersea excursions to the wreckage, the continued obsession with the famed ship, and whether James Cameron got it right with his 1997 blockbuster "Titanic."

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SEPTEMBER

Tim's Model Titanic Is The Perfect Match (25 Sep 08,The Argus.co.uk - Brighton,UK)
It has been a labour of love almost as incredible as the infamous “unsinkable” ship it is modelled on. It has taken more than 3,500 hours of work, includes more than 147,000 matchsticks and has every detail down to perfection. Builder Tim Elkins has finally completed an 8ft-long scale model of the Titanic he has been slaving away on in his spare time for the past 15 years. The model is accurate down to the finest detail and is entirely built from the matchsticks.

The Secret of How the Titanic Sank (25 Sep 08, U.S. News & World Report - Washington,DC,USA)
In two new books, a group of historians, naval architects, and materials scientists argue that fresh evidence has further unraveled the familiar story of the Titanic, raising more questions about what caused the disaster. In What Really Sank the Titanic: New Forensic Discoveries, Jennifer Hooper McCarty, a materials scientist at Oregon Health and Science University, and Tim Foecke, a scientist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, make the case that it wasn't the ship's steel that was weak; it was the rivets, the all-important metal pins that held the steel hull plates together. Titanic's Last Secrets, to be published next month, describes the work of Richie Kohler and John Chatterton, wreck-diving historians who believe two recently discovered pieces of the Titanic's bottom prove the ship's stern never rose high in the air the way many Titanic experts, including Cameron, originally believed. The two divers, whose discovery of a lost German U-boat was chronicled in the book Shadow Divers, say the ship broke up and sank while still relatively flat on the surface—a potential sign of weakness, they believe, that was covered up after the disaster.

Auction Items Show Role Of Notts Man In Titanic Rescue (22 Sep 08, This is Nottingham - Nottingham,England,UK)
Unseen items from the Notts man who received the distress call from the doomed Titanic are to go under the hammer this week. Wireless operator Harold Thomas Cottam was a seaman on board HMS Carpathia, which went to the rescue of passengers after the liner struck an iceberg. He was born in Southwell in 1891 and lived in Nottingham, where he died in 1984. 

Titanic:The Artifact Exhibition Opens October 10 At Milwaukee Public Museum (21 Sep 08,Titanic.com - USA)
Advance ticket purchases are strongly recommended due to the popularity of Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition. Without an advanced ticket, we cannot guarantee admission. Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition tickets include Museum general admission and are only valid for the date and time purchased.

For information and to purchase tickets: https://www.mpm.edu/


Indo-Uk ‘Titanic’ Found (19 Sep 08, Daily News & Analysis - Mumbai,India)
Divers claimed to have found the wreckage of the ‘Nancy’, a ship which sank off the shores of the Isles of Scilly more than two centuries ago while sailing from Mumbai to London. It was believed that the vessel broke up into pieces after it ran into fierce storms near the treacherous rocks west of the island in 1784. Divers Todd Stevens and Ed Cumming have claimed that they have found the wreckage and are hopeful to discover some of the lost treasure.

World Should Unite To Commemorate The Titanic Tragedy (15 Sep 08, Liverpool Daily Post - Liverpool,England,UK)
With time not dispelling the ever- growing worldwide interest in the sinking of the White Star Line’s RMS Titanic, it is reassuring to know that Liverpool is already planning to commemorate the centenary of the tragic loss of this superliner, which was owned and registered in the city. A special lunch, with a menu replicating that served to first-class passengers on Titanic’s final, fatal night, has already been hosted by Judith Feather, Liverpool Culture Company’s head of events, to bring together the ports associated with the liner. Now a former engineer, George Connor, with a keen interest in the Titanic, is proposing a cruise in 2012 that would link all the "Titanic ports" – Southampton, Cherbourg, Cobh, Liverpool and Belfast. Some of the leading cruise lines have expressed interest in his idea.

Titanic - Honour And Glory At Gosport Discovery Centre (12 Sep 08, 24 Hour Museum - UK)
Gosport Discovery Centre is inviting members of the public to embark on a voyage of discovery into the legendary story of the R.M.S. Titanic. Their new exhibition features many rare and previously unseen artefacts from both Titanic’s passengers and her crew who travelled on the fateful maiden voyage in April 1912. Titanic Honour and Glory is a touring exhibition and will be visiting Hampshire County Council’s Milestones Museum from October 25 2008 to February 22 2009.

Titanic Room To Host Art Event (11 Sep 08, Belfast Telegraph - United Kingdom)
The historic rooms where the Titanic was designed a century ago have been selected to host one of Northern Ireland’s most prestigious art events. The 127th Annual Royal Ulster Academy Exhibition will be held in the Titanic Drawing Offices of Harland and Wolff Shipyard, Belfast from September 19 to October 19.

Titanic Exhibit Sets Sail For New I-Drive Site (8 Sep 08, Orlando Business Journal - Orlando,FL,USA)
Titanic The Experience is slated to leave its temporary exhibit space at the Orlando Science Center on Oct. 12. The exhibit, which features recreations of the ship's most famous settings, will be leasing a two-story, 19,780-square-foot building on International Drive that was previously used for a motocross and race car showroom and Orlando Terror. The Titanic exhibit signed a five-year lease with a minimum of two more five-year options.

Nomadic Joins Elite List Of Fine Ships (4 Sep 08, Belfast Telegraph - United Kingdom)
The Titanic’s little sister has joined an elite list of the finest historical ships in the UK to have survived to the present day. The SS Nomadic (pictured above) joins the likes of the Cutty Sark, the Mary Rose and the Royal Yacht Britannia on a list of just 61 ships that form the Core Collection of the National Register of Historic Vessels (NRHV). The 96-year-old, Belfast-built ship was tender to many of the great transatlantic liners and also served in two world wars.

Premier Exhibitions, Inc. Announces New Openings (4 Sep 08, GlobeNewsWire (press release) - Los Angeles,CA,USA)
Premier Exhibitions, Inc. (Nasdaq:PRXI) today announced that its new exhibitions Dialog in the Dark and Titanic: Aquatic opened successfully to audiences in Atlanta, Georgia this past Labor Day weekend. In addition, the Company announced that its Las Vegas engagement of BODIES . . . The Exhibition has successfully transitioned to the Luxor Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. August attendance at the Company's new BODIES . . . The Exhibition location at the Luxor Resort and Casino increased by 36 percent when compared to its last full month of operation at its previous location at the Tropicana Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. Overall, the Company reported that it achieved an average attendance increase of 61 percent across its U.S. engagements over the four day Labor Day weekend period when compared against any other four consecutive day period in 2008. The Company also announced that it has decided to extend both its Cincinnati Bodies exhibition and its Galveston Titanic exhibition.

Titanic Exhibit To Open At G.WIZ (2 Sep 08, Bradenton Herald - FL, United States)
"Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition" will be on display Oct. 4 through Feb. 8 at Sarasota's G. WIZ, The Hands-On Science Museum. The exhibit focuses on the legendary stories surrounding the fated ship told through authentic artifacts and extensive room re-creations on display. For information on admission fees and directions, go to  http://www.gwiz.org/.

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AUGUST


Necklace Treat For Titanic Fans (29 Aug 08, South Devon Herald Express - Torquay,England,UK)
Torquay Museum's Titanic exhibition has been hailed a huge success, with more than 10,000 people turning out to see its rare artifacts. Museum staff were run off their feet as they looked after the massive influx of visitors, and the interest was increased after the exhibition received national publicity.A series of Herald Express stories about South Devon relatives of people aboard the ill-fated ship caught the public imagination, with many other newspapers across Britain picking up on the stories.

Belfast Set To Benefit From £5 Billion Project (29 Aug 08, The Move Channel - London,UK)
The Titanic Quarter regeneration project in Belfast will bring £5 billion of investment to the city and is set to be Europe's largest waterfront development. The Titanic Quarter in Belfast, Northern Ireland, is an area situated on reclaimed land in Belfast city harbour, known until recently as Queen's Island. The 185-acre site on the banks of the river Lagan, was previously owned by Harland and Wolff shipyards, and is named after the company's most famous product RMS Titanic, has been earmarked for development as a blue-chip technology district, including apartments, a riverside entertainment district, and a major Titanic-themed attraction.

New Sphere in Exploring the Abyss (26 Aug 08, New York Times, USA)
The deep is legendary for inky darkness. William Beebe, the first person to eye the abyss, called it perpetual night. The darkness is matched by the intense pressure. Four miles down, it amounts to nearly five tons per square inch. That is too much even for Alvin, the most famous of the world’s tiny submersibles, which can take a pilot and two scientists down to a maximum depth of 2.8 miles. But a new submersible is being built here, and even the process of construction seems a rebuke to the darkness. The work lighted up a cavernous factory with fireworks on a recent visit. Hot reds and oranges burst into showers of spark and flame as blistering metal began to yield to the demands of the submersible’s design.

Piece Of Titanic Comes To Luxor (26 Aug 08, Fox5 KVVU - Las Vegas,NV,USA)
The largest piece of the Titanic ever recovered was delivered early Tuesday morning. It is all in preparation for "Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition." Recovering the piece was especially hard, officials said, due to its weight and the extreme depth it sank to in the North Atlantic Ocean. "It takes about three days to get to the site, about two and a half hours to get down there," Tom Zaller, vice president of premier exhibitions, said. "

Titanic's 'Little Sister' In Need Of Help (22 Aug 08, Practical Boat Owner Magazine - Poole,England,UK)
The SS Nomadic, a tender vessel for the Titanic and the last White Star Line vessel in existence (The Company that Owned the Titanic) is in need of restoration work, according to the Nomadic Preservation Society. 'She is in a very poor state,' according to Nigel Hampson, an official at the Society. 'We desperately need to get the word out to people that help is urgently needed.' Currently lying in Belfast, the SS Nomadic was built in 1911, on the slipway next door to the Titanic at Harland & Wolff in Belfast, as the tender vessel to be used in transporting first and second class passengers out from Cherbourg to the Olympic Class Liners.

Titanic Artifacts On Display At Atlanta Aquarium (21 Aug 08, wctv.com)
The brightly lit room looks like any nondescript warehouse packed with boxes and dusty shelves, but inside this plain brick building is nearly 200 million dollars worth of treasures from the world's most famous shipwreck. The 5,500-piece collection contains almost everything recovered from the wreckage of the RMS Titanic, which has sat 2.5 miles below the surface of the Atlantic ocean since the boat sank on April 15, 1912. When the fine china, brine-soaked shoes and water-stained sheet music aren't on tour around the world, they have a permanent home in Atlanta, the headquarters of Premier Exhibitions, which has guardianship over the artifacts. About 200 pieces from the Titanic collection will be exhibited at the Georgia Aquarium starting tomorrow, the first time the show has been at an aquarium.

Titanic Romance With Echoes Of Kate Winslet And Leonardo Dicaprio (19 Aug 08, Telegraph.co.uk - United Kingdom)
Joanna Wood said the love story involved her great aunt, Roberta Maioni, who was a maid travelling first class on the Titanic's maiden voyage in 1912, and a young ship's steward who died as the liner sank. During the voyage, 21-year-old Roberta is believed to have fallen in love with the young employee and when the Titanic struck an iceberg he gave her his lifejacket and helped her into a lifeboat. As a final gesture he pressed his White Star brooch into Roberta's hand, leaving her with a lasting memento. In the film version, directed by James Cameron, DiCaprio's character leaves his lover with a necklace before dying.

Haunted By Titanic's Tragic Sinking (15 Aug 08, South Devon Herald Express - Torquay,England,UK)
Relatives of the Torquay quartermaster who was at the Titanic's helm when it struck an iceberg, killing more than 1,500 people, have spoken movingly of his tragic life. Barbara Clarke, the niece of sailor Robert Hichens, was at Torquay Museum yesterday to see the current Titanic exhibition and share memories of her famous relative. She was speaking publicly for the first time about Hichens, whose life spiralled into disaster after that infamous day 96 years ago when the much-heralded ship's sinking shocked the world. Hichens' life story has been the subject of investigation by people around the globe, including Barbara and her husband, Peter, who live in Buckfastleigh.

Titanic Exhibit Coming To Georgia Aquarium (13 Aug 08, Coosa Valley News - USA)
The Georgia Aquarium will unveil a Titanic exhibition that displays artifacts from the 1912 voyage starting Aug. 22 and will run for nine months. Ticket prices are $31.50 for adults, $26.50 for seniors and $23.50 for children. The exhibition will include more than 190 objects, 40 of which have never been displayed publicly.

Local Family Uncover A Piece Of History With Titanic Paper (7 Aug 08, Drogheda-Independent-Louth,Ireland)
A local family has uncovered a piece of history after finding a newspaper chronicling the aftermath of the titanic sinking and a will for a man with the same name as their father. Michael Corbally was delighted when his daughter found a copy of the Daily Mirror dated from April 19th, 1912; five days after the historic ship sank. ‘They belong to my daughter, she found them and gave them to me because the name on the will. It had the same name on it as my father, Matthew Corbally.’ In an even more bizarre twist, the man was also from the same area as Michael’s father. ‘It is amazing that the man had the same name as my father and came from the same area - it wasn’t him, obviously!

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JULY

Titanic Amount Estimated For Ship’s Sacking Letter (25 Jul 08, Southern Daily Echo - Southampton,England,UK)
A piece of history which shows how the surviving crew members of Titanic were callously treated by the ship's owners has been valued at hundreds of thousands of pounds. A London auction house has reportedly put a $1.7m (£850,000) price tag on a letter which shows that the entire crew of the ill-fated liner was sacked by the ship's owners as soon as news of the sinking reached Britain.

Titanic Vision For £30M Museum (25 Jul 08, this is hampshire.net - Winchester,England,UK)
A multi-million-pound tourist attraction commemorating the Titanic disaster is today exclusively revealed by the Daily Echo. The west wing of the Civic Centre, home to the police station and old magistrates' courts, would be transformed into a £30m museum celebrating Southampton's history if the city council's vision is realised. The Southampton Heritage Centre is expected to attract more than 150,000 visitors a year from around the world when it opens in April 2012.

Sack For The Titanic Crew (24 Jul 08, The Sun - London,UK)
A letter showing the crew of the Titanic were sacked when news of its sinking reached Britain has been valued at £1million. The document, never seen in public before, has been loaned to an exhibition on the 1912 disaster. It was sent by ship owners White Star Line to steward Alexander Littlejohn and shows the crew were discharged to save paying thousands in wages to the survivors.

Titanic Lunch For Commemoration Plan (15 Jul 08, Liverpool Daily Post - Liverpool,England,UK)
Liverpool Lord Mayor Steve Rotheram yesterday hosted a lunch identical to the last meal eaten by passengers onboard the Titanic. It was part of the first gathering of the “Titanic Cities” event, aimed at bringing together representatives from places with a connection with the ill-fated vessel. The ship was registered in Liverpool and had the city’s name on her stern, although she was built in Southampton. The Lord Mayors of Belfast, Southampton and Cobh attended the event to help decide how the 100th anniversary of the tragic maiden voyage should be remembered in 2012.

Sale Of Rare Account Of Titanic Sinking (8 Jul 08, Liverpool Daily Post - Liverpool,England,UK)
The Carpathia bronze medal presented to Liverpool able-seaman George Gardner is being auctioned today with his handwritten account of that fateful night in 1912. Mr Gardner was one of the crew of Cunard’s RMS Carpathia, which became famous for rescuing 705 survivors of the Titanic. For the rescue, the 140 crew were awarded bronze medals, 14 officers were awarded silver and Captain Arthur Roston received a gold medal, along with seven other high-ranking officers. In his 16-page account of the night, George Gardner remembers the distress call being received at 11.40pm by the captain.

Norfolk Couple's Love For Titanic (4 Jul 08, Norwich Evening News - Norwich,England,UK)
The couple's interest in the Titanic ship began in 1985 when its hull was discovered on the seabed two miles down and about 600km south-east of Mistaken Point, Newfoundland, following a joint American-French expedition led by Jean-Louis Michel and Dr Robert Ballard. Since then, Mr Burrows has built three replicas of the vessel. His first attempt was four foot long and took five years to build. Two eight foot models followed, both taking six years to complete.

SOS' ,The Distress Signal Turns 100 Today (1 Jul 08, Business Standard - Mumbai,Maharashtra,India)
'SOS', the distress signal that saved thousands of lives, has turned 100 today. 'SOS', which is the commonly used description for the international morse code distress signal containing three dots, three dashes and three more dots, was first adopted by the German government in radio regulations on April 1, 1905. But, it became the worldwide standard when it was included in the second International Radiographic Convention which was signed on November 3, 1906, and became effective from July 1, 1908. 

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JUNE

Titanic Telegram On Auction Site (27 June 08, Bridlington Today - UK)
An exceptionaL piece of Titanic history which has stayed in the same family for decades is being sold by a Bridlington man. The item is a rare surviving telegram transmitted from the old Horsea Naval Station on April 15, 1912, chronicling the last hours of the doomed vessel.

Titanic Auction Bidders Play It Close To The Vest (27 June 08, Los Angeles Times - CA,USA)
So when Dietrich got another call, from a lawyer who said he had a client in Canada who had another Titanic life vest, he thought, "Sure . . . give me a call in a couple of centuries." When they sent him a photo, though, it didn't look like an obvious fake -- say, one of the life vests made for James Cameron's "Titanic." So Dietrich got on a plane to check it out. And that's how Christie's got the centerpiece of its maritime auction this week. There were 250 lots for sale -- from huge ship models and posters to a pair of Royal Holland pickle jars. But most of the attention was on the 10 items from the ocean liner that hit an iceberg and sank on its maiden voyage in 1912, including a second-class passenger list, two "Marconi Grams" from and to survivors ("Safe on Carpathia," one read) . . . and that life vest.

Bloodstained Titanic Life Jacket Fetches $68,500 at Christie's (26 June 08, Bloomberg - USA)
A bloodstained life preserver recovered from the 1912 sinking of the ocean liner Titanic sold for $68,500 last evening at a Christie's International auction in New York. The canvas and cork-filled relic, one of six known vests associated with the doomed liner, was estimated to fetch $60,000 to $80,000. The life jacket was sold to a woman in the salesroom who declined to identify herself. She bid on a number of objects at the Ocean Liner auction. ``The Titanic stuff is really overpriced because we're getting near the 100th anniversary'' of the ship's sinking, said Christopher H. Lee, a collector and founder and managing partner of Highstar Capital.

Titanic Exhibit Takes On Water, Will Resurface (25 June 08,Pittsburgh Tribune-Review - Pittsburgh,PA,USA)
A busted water pipe couldn't sink the Carnegie Science Center's Titanic exhibit. An 8-inch water line burst below a North Shore sidewalk Tuesday afternoon, sending a half-foot deluge into the center's nearby SportsWorks building, host of "Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition." The exhibit will remain closed at least through today. A sloping linoleum floor kept the artifacts on higher ground and contained the water to the entrance lobby and gift shop.

A Rare Titantic Original for Sale (25 June 08, New York Sun - United States)
"The reality is that 99% of the things associated with the Titanic are replicas and reproductions," the specialist and head of sale for today's Ocean Liner auction at Christie's, Gregg Dietrich, said. "Someone recently approached us with a bunch of Titanic items that turned out to be from a museum gift shop." The extremely rare nature of genuine Titanic objects keeps prices remarkably high. A life vest, which Christie's estimates could sell for between $60,000 and $80,000, is one of 10 Titanic items to hit the block in today's auction, which includes 250 lots including posters, replicas, and items related to many other ships.

Fort Wayne Summer Theatre Presents "Titanic -- The Musical"(23 June 08,KPCnews.com - Kendallville,IN,USA)
Fort Wayne Summer Music Theatre presents its 10th annual production, Maury Yeston and Peter Stone's Titanic...the Musical. The show will be performed at the historic North Side High School Auditorium, July 11 and 12 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday July 13 at 2. Tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for students and senior citizens. The production is an official Three Rivers Festival event and you will receive $2 off your ticket price by presenting your TRF Button. You may purchase tickets at the door or you may call 260-467-2717 for reservations or for further information.

Bloodstained Titanic Life Jacket May Fetch $80000 at Auction (23 June 08, Bloomberg - USA)
A bloodstained life preserver recovered in the aftermath of the Titanic's sinking in 1912 is expected to be the most expensive item auctioned at the June 25 Christie's International Ocean Liner auction in New York.The canvas and cork-filled preserver, one of six known vests associated with the liner, is estimated to fetch up to $80,000.

Titanic Life-Size Replica Planned (19 June 08, BBC News - UK)
A life-size replica of parts of the Titanic could be added to Belfast's Odyssey Arena if a US-backed development plan is accepted. Suspended behind glass, the £64m scale model of the boat would incorporate a five-star hotel, an exhibition area and conference rooms. The Odyssey Trust and Florida-based exhibition firm WLM Inc are seeking more than £39m in government funding. The 100th anniversary of the tragedy in 2012 is expected to attract tourists. The proposal by American Titanic enthusiast Michael Harris includes a large scale model of the ship as well as life-size replicas of various parts of its interior.

Titanic Achievement for Ballinrobe Musical Society (16 June 08, Mayo News - Mayo,Ireland)
Over 60 members of the society travelled to Killarney last weekend for the gala awards dinner where their sell-out production of ‘Titanic – A New Musical’ was honoured with three prestigious awards.
Ballinrobe were nominated for six awards at the annual Association of Irish Musical Societies (AIMS) awards and there was unconfined delight when the nominations translated into three gongs – Best Programme, Best House Management and Best Chorus. Each year AIMS honours excellence in shows staged all over the country, and Ballinrobe Musical Society chairman Pat McGovern described the awards as ‘a real boost for everyone involved with the society’.

Titanic Discoverer Robert Ballard Called To Find Lost Sarcophagus (14 June 08, Times Online - UK)
In a twist worthy of an Indiana Jones film, the sarcophagus was lost again the following year before it could reach British shores. The merchant ship Beatrice, which was carrying it and other antiquities found by the archaeologist, sank while sailing from Malta to Gibraltar — reportedly off the coast of Spain, near Alicante. Now the Egyptian Government wants to recover it with the aid of underwater robots. Zahi Hawass, who heads Egypt's Supreme Council for Antiquities, told Spanish journalists that he was seeking financing from the National Geographic Society for the search. To locate the Beatrice he has lined up the services of Robert Ballard, who found the Titanic using high-tech submersibles. The Egyptians have also privately suggested Franck Goddio, the French marine archaeologist who has discovered hundreds of artefacts from submerged parts of Alexandria.

Mariners' Museum Archivist Pleads Guilty To Charges Related To Artifacts Theft (10 June 08, The Virginian-Pilot - Norfolk,VA,USA)
A former archivist with The Mariners' Museum in Newport News pleaded guilty Tuesday to three felonies related to the theft and sale of museum property on eBay. Lester F. Weber, 46, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to mail fraud, theft and filing a false tax return. He is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 7. Weber and his wife, Lori E. Childs, 49, were arrested in February and charged with more than two dozen counts. According to the indictment, the couple sold nearly 1,500 museum items, receiving $162,959 from buyers across the country. Weber worked as a museum archivist from 2000 to 2006 and was the director of archives for the last six months of his employment. He was fired after being confronted by museum officials about the thefts.

Alien Environment Can Sink The Experts (5 June 08, Times Online - UK)
Searching for artefacts under the sea is some of the most difficult work that archaeologists encounter. The sea, like space, is an alien environment to the human frame. Complex survival equipment must often be donned before archaeologists can make even the first scrape in the seabed. The alternative to diving suits and air tanks is the submersible, but their use is expensive. Bob Ballard used one to find the Titanic in 1985, although he admitted last month that the expedition was a cover story for a mission to find and inspect two sunken nuclear submarines.

Titanic Was Found During Secret Cold War Navy Mission (2 June 08, National Geographic - Washington,DC,USA)
The 1985 discovery of the Titanic stemmed from a secret United States Navy investigation of two wrecked nuclear submarines, according to the oceanographer who found the infamous ocean liner.
Pieces of this Cold War tale have been known since the mid-1990s, but more complete details are now coming to light, said Titanic's discoverer, Robert Ballard. "The Navy is finally discussing it," said Ballard, an oceanographer at the University of Rhode Island in Narragansett and the Mystic Aquarium and Institute for Exploration in Connecticut. Ballard met with the Navy in 1982 to request funding to develop the robotic submersible technology he needed to find the Titanic.

Search For Titanic Really Was Cover-Up Mission (2 June 08, ABC News - USA)
When oceanographer Bob Ballard uncovered the world's most famous shipwreck in 1985, he grabbed the globe's attention. But in reality the explorer's search for the Titanic was a cover-up for a top-secret mission for the U.S. government. Ballard reveals he was hired to use his advanced robotic sub to check on the status of two nuclear submarines, the USS Thresher and the USS Scorpion, that sank in the Atlantic in the 1960s. "The Navy didn't want the Soviets to know they were looking for these subs," Ballard said on "Good Morning America" today. The guise of searching for the Titanic's wreckage provided a perfect alibi for the intensified presence of U.S. ships on the Atlantic. Ballard was under strict instructions for the last two decades not to talk to anyone at the time about how he secretly sought out the two subs.

Titanic Life Preserver Was NS Family's Toy (2 June 08, Globe and Mail - Canada
When Winston Dunbar MacQuarrie was growing up in Scotsville, N.S., nobody thought much of the cork and canvas life preserver that bore the word Titanic in faded blue letters. That's all changed since Christie's plans to put it on the auction block in New York on June 25 where it could fetch up to $80,000. "We actually played with it because we didn't know anything about it," Mr. MacQuarrie said Friday in an interview from Windsor, Ont., where he now lives. "It was a toy. My sister Joyce jumped off the haymow in it so she wouldn't get hurt."

Icebergs Show A Dangerous Beauty In Canada (1 June 08, Boston Globe - United States)
What is the appeal of an iceberg? Is it the sheer size or constantly changing contours or that 90 percent of it is unseen under water? Is it that it is ancient ice, some 3,000 years old? Or that one can't think of icebergs without thinking of the fate of the Titanic? Icebergs are common along the coast from March till July. Some years there are only a few. At this time last year there were 20 or 30 on our coast. When the International Ice Patrol flew over our waters this year, there were 890.

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MAY

Titanic Life Vest To Make $80000 (30 May 08, BBC News - UK)
A life-jacket from the ill-fated Titanic could make $80,000 (£40,570) when it goes up for auction next month. The life-preserver was found during the initial recovery operation after the liner struck an iceberg and sank in 1912. The item is one of several linked to the Titanic which are being sold off by Christie's in Manhattan, New York. The canvass life-vest, filled with cork, was recovered by John James Dunbar. He had gone to Halifax, Canada, to help with the clean-up after the sinking of the Titanic.

118Ft-Long Shipbuilders' Replica Of The Titanic Likely To Fetch More Than £1M (27 May 08, Times Online - UK)
The model took seven years to build using original plans and measurements from the ship which hit an iceberg and sank in 1912, killing more than 1,500 passengers. The 1:48 replica is more than 18feet (5.5m) long, weighs 1,500lb (680kg) and is held together by more than 3.3 million rivets. It is lit by eight miles of fibreoptic cable and is an exact copy, even down to the wood used for the deck furniture. Harland and Wolff, the company that built the original liner, helped craftsmen at Fine Art Models, releasing detailed documents on the ship's construction for the first time.

Carnegie Science Center Gets Interactive Titanic Exhibit (21 May 08, Pittsburgh Channel.com - Pittsburgh,PA,USA)
Teams of historians preserved more than 200 authentic artifacts, including a passenger's suitcase, toothbrush and China etched with the ship's logo. "We have a section of the hall of Titanic, that side of the Titanic," said Mure. "It's 3,500 pounds, and that is suspended from the ceiling." Visitors can see and touch a replica of the iceberg said to have sunk the Titanic. It is simulated to the same temperature of the water that fateful night.

Titanic DNA Fountain Pens Made With Real Wreckage (19 May 08, Gizmodo Australia - Sydney,NSW,Australia)
Last year we brought you news that designers Romain Jerome were making wristwatches out of parts acquired from Titanic herself, and now they're doing it again, this time with a fountain pen. The Titanic DNA pen has a steel band made from genuine wreck-salvaged rusty metal mixed with other steel from the shipyards that originally made the ill-fated ship.

Galesburg Man Led A Charmed But Harrowing Life (16 May 08, Galesburg Register-Mail - Galesburg,IL,USA)
The fact that Frank Karun escaped injury during the building’s collapse likely confirmed that he was born under a lucky star. There was indeed a very peculiar circumstance in connection with building’s collapse. It was exactly one year earlier to the day and hour, April 14, 1912, that the famed Titanic hit an iceberg and eventually sank. The tragic accident was the worst peacetime maritime disaster in history, resulting in the death of 1,517 passengers.

International Ice Patrol Remembers Titanic Victims (11 May 08, TheDay - New London,CT,USA)
At the Groton ceremony, Capt. Harry Crawford, chaplain of Canadian Forces Base Halifax, called for a moment of silence to remember the 1,517 people who died 96 years ago. ”Not only is this ceremony in recognition of the Titanic tragedy, but also in recognition of the tragedies that occur in our coastal communities every day,” he said. Crawford ended the ceremony by blessing three wreaths used to memorialize those lost on the Titanic and presented them to Cmdr. Scott Rogerson, commanding officer the IIP. ”We will never forget, even for a moment, the vast responsibility that we have, not only to those who sail the ocean now, but to the men, women and children who perished when the Titanic sank 96 years ago today,” Rogerson said.

A 'Titanic' Dream: Branson Exhibit Celebrates Film W/ Titanic (8 May 08, Joplin Globe - Joplin,MO,USA)
Open since 2006, Titanic Branson has welcomed almost 1 million visitors across the museum’s gangway to relive the short life of the ship and its ill-fated maiden voyage. Now, almost 100 years after the “unsinkable” ship struck an iceberg in the mid-Atlantic and sent more than 1,500 souls to the ocean floor, owners Jim Joslyn and his wife, Mary Kellogg, have given Titanic buffs a new reason to set sail for Branson again: “Titanic: the Movie Exhibit.” Joslyn said that he and his wife were trying to figure out last year what to do next to keep the attraction fresh and interesting. “Mary said, ‘Let’s do the 10th anniversary of Jim (Cameron) winning 11 Oscars,’” he said. “Well, that’s exactly what came out of it. We got Jim to do an interview and talk about him and (Titanic co-producer) Jon Landau. It just really came together. We got props, we got the dresses that Kate (Winslet) wore, and all of the Oscars Jim won, and behind-the-scenes footage.

Tremont Chef Serves Up Titanic-Themed Dinner (7 May 08, Daily News - Galveston County - TX,USA)
A dinner of historic proportion adds a special note to next week’s Galveston Uncorked! food and wine celebration. Tremont House executive chef Kelly Wilson researched the menus from the ill-fated maiden sailing of the Titanic to create a Titanic-themed meal that won’t leave diners with a sinking feeling. “We looked at the menu from the last evening on the Titanic, which was April 14, 1912,” Wilson said. “First-class passengers were served a 10-course meal. I edited that down to four courses in order to keep it to what people will like and enjoy, and to keep the focus on the food and wine pairings.” The dinner, scheduled for May 16, begins with consomme  Olga, a broth-based soup. Wilson opted for the soup over the other choice offered in the first-class dining room, cream of barley. “I wanted the meal to be authentic, but still in a contemporary comfort zone,” he said.

CG Intl. Ice Patrol Remembers Titanic (1 May 08, Cape May County Herald - NJ, United States)
Today's International Ice Patrol has a broad base of financial support from countries around the world. These countries include: Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Panama, Poland, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom and United States of America. The Department of State in responsible for collecting funds from the participating nations. "As a small unit with only 17 military and civilian employees, the International Ice Patrol relies on partnerships to effectively and efficiently conduct our vital mission," said Coast Guard Cmdr. Scott Rogerson, Commanding Officer of the International Ice Patrol. "Some of International Ice Patrol's more critical partners include Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, the Canadian Ice Service and U.S. National Ice Center, the Coast Guard Academy, Coast Guard Atlantic Area and the Canadian Coast Guard," said Rogerson.

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APRIL

Exhibit Uses Artifacts To Bring Titanic To Life (24 April 08, Greenwich Time - Greenwich,CT,USA)
A collection of about 300 artifacts recovered from the wreck of the Titanic are on display at the XL Center in Hartford in "Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition," a traveling show organized by the Atlanta-based RMS Titanic Inc. The artifacts - an officer's megaphone, a leather shoe, a woman's bracelet, a man's spectacles, china etched with the elite White Star Line logo, the ship's whistles, a lifeboat support arm among them - are displayed around a 25,000-square-foot space designed to look like the cabins, promenades, third-class passenger quarters, salons, boiler room and the bridge that made up the cruise ship.

Titanic Expert Dismisses Theories (23 April 08, Belfast Newsletter - Belfast,UK)
But Una Reilly, chair and co-founder of the Belfast Titanic Society, is annoyed at what she sees as an attempt to exploit a very solemn week. "All these theories have been out before and it really seems as though they have all come to the fore during the anniversary week in order to publicise books and so on," she said. "There are other theories too, for example that the rudder was faulty, but the truth is that the Titanic sank because she hit an iceberg." She said relatives of the dead had met at the memorial in the Belfast City Hall grounds on Tuesday for "a quiet and dignified event." "We need to remember that for many people this is still a very personal matter," she added.

Titanic Exhibit At Fairfield Museum (22 April 08, Norwalk Plus Magazine - USA)
Fairfield has a connection to those research and recovery efforts. George Tulloch, a Fairfield resident, founded RMS Titanic, Inc. and conducted five expeditions from 1987 – 1998 to recover artifacts from Titanic, some 12,500 feet below the Atlantic’s surface. This team retrieved artifacts ranging from children’s marbles to a 20-ton piece of hull, and brought together international experts in microbiology, sonar, naval architecture, metallurgy, robotics and history. Preserving Titanic’s artifacts for public exhibit was Tulloch’s mission, so it is fitting that the George Tulloch Room be named at the Fairfield Museum and History Center, whose mission is to collect, preserve and interpret the history of Fairfield, Connecticut and surrounding regions for present and future generations. This public tribute features artifacts related to Tulloch’s expeditions and the exhibitions that he organized.

Titanic Ticket Belonging To Last Us Survivor Auctioned (19 April 08, Associated Press)
She was the last American survivor of the disaster and the last with memories of it. Others had been too young at the time of the sinking to recall their experience. Asplund's ticket sold for $65,772 auctioneer Andrew Aldridge said. Another key item sold from Asplund's collection was her father's pocket watch, which reportedly stopped at the exact moment the ship sank in April 1912. Aldridge said the hands of the watch were stopped at 2:19 a.m., when Asplund's father Carl fell into the North Atlantic and seconds before the Titanic disappeared beneath the waves. The watch was bought by a Swedish collector for $61,786, Aldridge said.

Book By Metallurgists Blames Rivets For Titanic Tragedy (18 April 08, Associated Press)
The tragic sinking of the Titanic nearly a century ago can be blamed on low grade rivets that the ship's builders used on some parts of the ill-fated liner, two experts on metals conclude in a new book. The company, Harland and Wolff of Belfast, Northern Ireland, needed to build the ship quickly and at reasonable cost, which may have compromised quality, said co-author Timothy Foecke. That the shipyard was building two other vessels at the same time added to the difficulty of getting the millions of rivets needed, he added.The company does not have an archivist, but it refers scientific questions on the Titanic to retired Harland and Wolff naval engineer David Livingstone, who also has researched the ship's sinking. He said he largely agrees with the authors' findings on the metallic composition of the rivets, but added their conclusions that the rivets were to blame for the sinking are "misleading and incorrect" because they do not consider the ship's overall design and the historical context. "You can't just look at the material and say it was substandard," Livingstone said. "Of course material from 100 years ago would be inferior to material today." He said he has found no document to support the argument that Harland and Wolff knowingly used substandard material. He pointed out that the Olympic, a ship the company built at the same time using the same materials, had a long life with no troubles. The third vessel turned out in the early 1900s was attacked and sunk in World War I.

Carnegie Science Center Gets Set For 'Titanic' Summer (16 April 08, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review - Pittsburgh,PA,USA)
The Carnegie Science Center will open a special summer exhibit on the Titanic, the ship that struck an iceberg 96 years ago on the night of April 14th, and sank into the Atlantic Ocean early the next morning. "Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition" -- which opens on May 24 and runs through Sept. 1 -- features more than 260 artifacts retrieved from the ship's grave, such as spoons, china, passengers' personal items, coins and jewelry. Each visitor, upon entering the exhibit, will receive a replica of a boarding pass of an actual passenger, then go on a chronological journey through the ship's life. Ticket information for the exhibit -- sponsored by Atlanta-based RMS Titanic, Inc. -- will be available in coming weeks.

Riveting End To Titanic Saga (16 April 08, Dispatch Online - South Africa)
Scientists have discovered that the builder of the Titanic struggled for years to obtain enough rivets and riveters and ultimately settled on faulty materials that doomed the ship, which sank 96 years ago yesterday.The builder’s own archive, the two scientists say, harbours evidence of a deadly mix of low quality rivets and lofty ambition as the builder laboured to construct the world’s three biggest ships at once – the Titanic and two sisters, Olympic and Britannic.

Ceremony Honours Titanic Victims (16 April 08, TheChronicleHerald.ca - Halifax,Nova Scotia,Canada)
A decades-old ceremony held to remember the Titanic disaster came to Halifax on Tuesday, 96 years to the day after the luxury liner hit an iceberg and went down in the North Atlantic. With bagpipers and priests present, 18 members of the United States Coast Guard’s International Ice Patrol saluted the 1,500 people who died on April 15, 1912. "It is an honour to be here," Cmdr. Scott Rogerson said in opening the brief ceremony in front of dozens of Titanic graves at Fairview Lawn Cemetery at 6 p.m. The ice patrol started operations in 1914 and was created as a direct response to the Titanic tragedy. With many international partners, the ice patrol has been on the lookout for icebergs ever since.

City Pays Tribute To Titanic, 96 Years On (16 April 08, Belfast Newsletter - Belfast,UK)
UTV'S Susie Millar was among those who laid wreaths yesterday to mark the 96th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic – the presenter's great-grandfather, Thomas, lost his life on the fateful voyage.
A ceremony was held on the grounds of Belfast City Hall, where a memorial statue stands inscribed with the names of 22 Ulster crewmen who lost their lives when the famous vessel struck an iceberg in 1912.
Lord Mayor Jim Rodgers accompanied John Andrews, president of the Belfast Titanic Society who lost his great uncle, the ship's designer Thomas Andrews, when the liner went down and Ms Millar, as they laid wreaths in remembrance of those who died. With the Belfast Wheel towering overhead, the participants said it was still important to remember the tragedy almost 100 years on.

96 Years On... Belfast Pays A Sad Tribute To Titanic's Dead (16 April 08, Belfast Telegraph - United Kingdom)
The men, women and children who lost their lives when the RMS Titanic hit an iceberg and sank were remembered yesterday. Belfast marked the 96th anniversary of the disaster with a quiet ceremony at the City Hall. The Lord Mayor of Belfast and ancestors of victims laid wreaths at the Titanic memorial before standing with heads bowed for a moment of silence.

"Titanic: The Artifact Exhibit Opens 10 Oct At Milwaukee Public Museum (15 April 08, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Milwaukee,WI,USA)
Tickets will go on sale July 19 for "Titanic: The Artifact Exhibit," a major touring exhibit opening Oct. 10 at the Milwaukee Public Museum, 800 W. Wells St. Advance tickets will be $21 for adults, $13 for children and $18 for seniors, available at the museum and at www.mpm.edu, the museum announced Tuesday, the 96th anniversary of the ship's sinking. The exhibit runs through May 25, 2009. "Titanic" will include about 250 artifacts from the famous ship, including a 3,000-pound section of the hull and reconstructions of Titanic's cabins and Verandah Café.

The 'Titanic' Disaster: Life Snatched From The Jaws Of Death (15 April 08, Christianity.ca - Markham,Ontario,Canada)
For Trinity Western University student ‘Tori' (Victoria) Thompson, the sinking of the RMS Titanic on April 15, 1912 is more than a sensational event from the dim past or a touring display recently seen by university staff at the Royal Museum in Victoria. She knows that if strange events had not taken place as the ship was going down in those fatal early-morning hours, she wouldn't even exist today. Thompson, a student in the TWU Department of Theatre, has been reminded of these things as her peers are rehearsing Scotland Road, dramatist Jeffrey Hatcher's play based on the fabled disaster. For Thompson's great-grandfather, 1912 had been a tempestuous year. A political refugee from a Slavic state, he had made his way to Britain with a view to coming to North America. Having used up his resources, he took the desperate gamble of boarding a large ship in Southampton, as a stow-away. That ship just happened to be the Titanic. And why not? There hadn't been a major sea disaster in living memory for more than 50 years. He had every reason to believe, as did the passengers and crew, that the trip would be swift and uneventful.

Titanic Disaster Remembered (14 April 08, this is hampshire.net - Winchester,England,UK)
About 100 people assembled to commemorate one of the darkest days of Southampton's maritime history.
They gathered at Holyrood Church for a service remembering the victims of the Titanic which sank in the North Atlantic 96 years ago tomorrow. In his address, the sheriff Councillor Brian Parnell said the liner's sinking was a stark reminder of the dangers inherent to all those who plied their trade at sea. "The safety of passengers and crews is still a primary concern for those who run and operate the mighty ships that leave our shores, although today they are tourists rather than people seeking a new life. "Many of the safety measures came about as a direct result of the tragedy for which we are gathered here today and so perhaps the sacrifice that was made that night was not wholly in vain."

Titanic Doomed By Fire Raging Below Decks,Says New Theory (13 April 08, Independent - London,England,UK)
A new theory that a fire in a coal bunker on the liner RMS Titanic contributed to its sinking has been put forward, as the fate of the liner remains a subject of debate ahead of the 96th anniversary of the disaster later this week. Ray Boston, who has devoted 20 years to researching the subject, said the reason Titanic was travelling so quickly through dangerous waters was because of an "uncontrollable" coal fire on board which began during speed trials in Belfast 10 days before it left Southampton

Last Known Titanic Survivor Has KC Connection (13 April 08, Kansas City Star - MO,USA)
We will never know. Millvina Dean was only 2 months old when the Titanic went down, and all of her memories are hand-me-downs from her mother. She was the youngest survivor. Now, at 96, she is the last, the only living direct connection to the tragedy. A connection with a Kansas City connection. She and her family were on their way to a relative’s home in Hyde Park. Her father, Bertram Dean, intended to open a tobacco shop here. They were supposed to leave Southampton aboard another White Star liner, but a coal strike caused them to be transferred to the massive new ship. A third-class berth was all they could afford for their cruise into history.

A Local Man's Story Of Titanic Heroism Amid Disaster (13 April 08, Philadelphia Inquirer - Philadelphia,PA,USA)
After the Titanic's sinking, Weikman returned to Palmyra a hero on April 19, 1912, aboard the Pennsylvania Railroad (on the same right-of-way NJ Transit's River Line runs on today). He was wheeled through the crowd to his house, two blocks from the train station. Townsfolk lined up, waiting to wish him well and shake his hand. He was soon in demand as a guest speaker. Although newspaper accounts vary, Weikman's official testimony via affidavit at the U.S. Senate Titanic hearings on April 24 received national attention, contradicting much that had been said about Bruce Ismay, managing director of the White Star Line, who survived the sinking amid much controversy. Weikman found himself at an excellent vantage point on that fateful evening, helping officers load lifeboats until he was blown off the ship and into the water by a wave when the bow plummeted and the stern began to rise into the air. Weikman was 100 feet from the massive vessel when it sank. The barber suffered severe exposure to the frigid water from the waist down and injuries to his back.

Titanic's Secrets Of The Deep (12 April 08, Southern Daily Echo - Southampton,England,UK)
Now in a race against time and using the latest technology, a brand new series of amazing images has been published capturing the graveyard wreck that is constantly under attack from the sea and which slowly but surely is crumbling away in clouds of rust. These are some of the clearest views of Titanic ever seen, or will ever be seen as the wreck is rapidly deteriorating and some experts consider that soon the White Star ship's legend will be all that remains of the vessel, once dubbed the Ship of Dreams.
The story of Titanic and the dreadful disaster that befell the passengers after the liner struck an iceberg, is one that has claimed a unique place in maritime history while the circumstances surrounding the huge loss of life still captures the imagination of countless people around the globe.

Titanic Memories (12 April 08, Liverpool Echo - UK)
A starched white apron bears silent witness to the terrible night when the luxury White Star liner Titanic hit an iceberg and sank with the loss of more than 1,500 lives. It is among exhibits in the Merseyside Maritime Museum’s exhibition Titanic, Lusitania and the Forgotten Empress which looks at three great shipping tragedies. The Empress was the Empress of Ireland, the loss of which was overshadowed by the others. The full-length cotton apron, with lace-trimmed top, was worn by survivor Laura Francatelli on the night of the disaster. It may be the only item of such clothing on display in a public collection.

Bloomington Family Recalls Surviving Titanic Sinking (12 April 08, Bloomington Pantagraph - IL, USA)
“I will never forget the shrieks of those people in the water,” remembered Albert Caldwell, a Bloomington resident who survived the sinking of the Titanic. “We supposed at the time that there were 40 or 50, never dreaming that over 1,500 would lose their lives that night.”Albert, his wife, Sylvia, and their 10-month-old son, Alden, were passengers on the Titanic, which sank in the North Atlantic in the early hours of April 15, 1912. The Caldwells were in the fortunate minority of about 700 passengers and crewmen who lived to tell the tale. In the 1920s, the family moved to Bloomington, becoming the area’s only known survivors of the most infamous maritime disaster of all time.

Titanic Letters Sold For £19000 (11 April 08, Dorset Echo - Dorchester,England,UK)
An archive of correspondence informing a Dorset farmer of the fate of his friend on board the Titanic has fetched more than £19,000 at auction. The collection of letters and telegrams were written to James Foot and relate to his friend Charles Jones, an American businessman who had worked with Mr Foot regarding the sale of sheep before setting sail on the ill-fated liner to return home. The documents include a letter from Mr Jones written on a White Star Line Card on the day the Titanic set sail from Southampton as well as telegrams from Mr Jones' boss James Colgate who informs Mr Foot of his friend's death.

Nephew Of Titanic Survivor Tells Uncle's Harrowing Tale (11 April 08, Houston Chronicle - United States)
Pat Dwyer can't shake the thought of his uncle struggling to survive in near-freezing water after leaping from the deck of the Titanic 96 years ago this month. The emotions conjured by the Titanic exhibit at Moody Gardens in Galveston are so strong that Dwyer, 66, of League City, declined to take the tour Thursday. "It just engulfed me with emotion," said Dwyer, who toured the exhibit two weeks ago but returned to Moody Gardens to tell his uncle's story, 96 years to the day that the luxury liner steamed out of Southampton, U.K., on its first and final voyage.

More Crazy Recycled Titanic Watches Surface (11 April 08, Groovy Green - Ithaca,NY,USA)
Remember that watch made from recycled steel and coal from the legendary doomed ship Titanic? Yea, well there are some new versions — from the same designer — that are now fetching upwards of $500,000 a piece. The previous watch has been selling for $300,000! The best part? Some of these aren’t even meant to be worn!

Titanic Watch To Go Under Hammer (9 April 08, This is Wiltshire.co.uk - Swindon,England,UK)
The watch is one of the most iconic lots in the auction as the hands are frozen in time at 2.19am, a moment before Titanic sank beneath the waves and when her husband Carl Asplund entered the frozen waters of the North Atlantic. The collection also contains Carl and Selma Asplund's wedding rings, unpublished family photographs, keys recovered from Carl which may well have held the families savings, two pocket books, important correspondence from the White Star Line and numerous other previously unseen items. The collection is without doubt one of the most important of its type to be offered in recent years.

Millvina Dean To Miss Titanic Commemorations (9 April 08, this is hampshire.net - Winchester,England,UK)
Ill-health has forced Millvina Dean, the last living survivor of the infamous sinking of the liner Titanic to cancel a public appearance she was due to make on Friday. The event at the Turner Sims Concert Hall, part of a series of Titanic commemorations being staged in the city this weekend, was sold-out but the 96-year-old has developed a chest infection, resulting in the loss of her voice.

Local Chef Brings New Life To Last Titanic Supper (7 April 08, The Daily Planet - Telluride,CO,USA)
They shared a passion for culinary greatness, but Montrose Chef Inge Cheatham differs in one very important way from the chef who served the last first-class meal aboard the ill-fated Titanic. It would take more than an ice berg to sink the irrepressible Cheatham, who will recreate that luxurious but doomed repast through a Weehawken Creative Arts class in Ridgway on April 12. Although there were numerous courses to the original meal, Cheatham has narrowed things down to a more simple, but sumptuous presentation. She will not only cook the dinner — which consists of creamed barley-wheat soup, Chicken Lyonaisse with hazelnut mousse stuffing, potato roesti and asparagus followed by strawberries marinated in Grand Marnier and Kirsch and served layered with Chantilly cream — but will teach proper table settings and correct use of utensils as well.

Locals With Titanic Ties Call Moody Gardens (2 April 08, Daily News - Galveston County - TX,USA)
Moody Gardens is looking for Southeast Texas and Southern Louisiana locals with connections to passengers or crew members who sailed aboard Titanic almost 96 years ago. Approaching the 96th anniversary of the ship’s maiden voyage on April 10, Moody Gardens is collecting local links to the historic liner. “The sinking of the Titanic was very personal to the port city of Galveston, and there are local people with direct ties to the disaster,” said John Zendt, general manager of Moody Gardens. “The main focus of this exhibit is about the passengers. There are so many fascinating stories and it is important to recognize the local people whose lives have been affected by Titanic.

Titanic Artifacts Belonging To Last Us Survivor To Be Sold (2 April 08, International Herald Tribune - France)
A collection of artifacts owned by a Titanic survivor including a ticket for the ill-fated voyage will be sold at a London auction later this month. The collection also includes a pocket watch that reportedly stopped at the exact moment the ship sank in April 1912. The items belonged to Lillian Asplund, the last American survivor of the disaster. She died in 2006 at the age of 99.

Titanic Explorer Debuts New Science Program (2 April 08, KPNX-12 - Phoenix,AZ,USA)
With a hearty laugh, Dr. Robert Ballard, world renowned oceanographer and discoverer of the Titanic, likes what he's seeing in north Phoenix. It's Ballard's latest project, and sharing his discoveries has been worth the struggle. "I go to incredible places, but it's hard to take a lot of people with me," Ballard confided. But now, from this state of the art command center at the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Scottsdale, Ballard's team has developed a real-time, interactive experience that will put hundreds of kids right on board a working research vessel. "That command center on the ship is gonna be connected to this one. So kids can literally be a fly on the wall and come in here and watch exploration as if they were watching people walking on the moon,." Ballard said.

Ham Radio Operators To Commemorate Titanic Anniversary In Branson (1 April 08, News-Leader.com - Springfield,MO,USA)
For the second year, ham radio operators around the world will participate in a special-event transmission to commemorate the 96th anniversary of the sinking of Titanic, originating from the Titanic museum in Branson. Operators will transmit the news of the 96th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic using special event call sign W0S. The special call sign, W0S, stands for “White Star,” the name of the company that built the Titanic. This year a group of 16 to 20 high school students, who recently passed their ham license exams, will travel from northeast Oklahoma to Branson and participate.

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MARCH

RNLI Hosts A Titanic Night Out (31 Mar 08, North Wales Pioneer - Colwyn Bay,Wales,UK)
A spectacular Titanic themed event will be held to raise money for the RNLI.
The night will be hosted at St George’s hotel on Friday, April 18, during the week of the 96th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. The famous ship set sail from Belfast on April 2, 1912 and sank 13 days later. A fantastic gala dinner has been organised and live music will be preformed by a local band. A charity auction will be held with fantatic prizes including a luxury weekend break. The chairman of the Belfast Titanic Society will speak in memory of the people who lost their lives. More than 1, 500 people died in the freezing Atlantic when the ‘unsinkable’ ship hit an iceberg. An amazing replica of the titanic, which took more than three years to build, will be visiable for all to see.

Titanic Watch Withdrawn From Auction (28 Mar 08, The Argus.co.uk - Brighton,UK)
A collector who was selling a pocket watch found on the frozen body of the last victim to be recovered from the Titanic had a change of heart and cancelled the auction. The watch, which had belonged to Dumfries-born steward Thomas Mullin, was put up for sale on internet auction site eBay on March 13 with a starting bid of only $100 (£50). With 36 hours to go, and bids having reached $23,000 (£11,500), East Grinstead collector Paul Thorpe, 48, cancelled all bids. He said: "I have decided not to sell it for the moment because I had some interest from a television production company that wants to do a documentary. So at the moment it's still locked away in the safety deposit box."

Council To Stop Titanic Project Sinking (27 Mar 08, Belfast Telegraph - United Kingdom)
Belfast City Council is on the verge of investing £10m of ratepayers' money to co-fund a Titanic tourist attraction, the Belfast Telegraph can reveal. Northern Ireland's biggest council is considering dipping into the public purse to help ensure the £90m Titanic Signature Project will be built by 2012 after it struggled to secure the final funding needed. However, some members have voiced fears that the millions proposed to be taken from the public purse could be invested into a "potential white elephant".

Titanic's 'Birthplace' Open To Public (25 Mar 08, Belfast Telegraph - United Kingdom)
The secrets of the world's most famous ocean liner were unveiled yesterday in the very place of its birth, as the drawing offices in the old Harland & Wolff building were opened to the public. The original plans for the Titanic were drawn up in the historic shipyard building, which includes the private offices of Lord Pirrie, Chairman of Harland & Wolff, and Thomas Andrews, who helped design the vessel. Among the exhibits on display yesterday were photos and drawings of the ship, period costumes and other memorabilia. Una Reilly, from the Belfast Titanic Society, said the open day was the chance to show visitors and local people alike a little more of the Titanic.

Titanic Offices Open Secrets Of Liner's History (24 Mar 08, Belfast Telegraph - United Kingdom)
The Titanic drawing offices are to be unveiled to the public today, unlocking the secrets of the world's most famous ship. The former offices in the old main Harland & Wolff building on Queen's Road will give a unique insight into the history of the ill-fated liner. The building, which was the hub of the H&W empire, is not usually open to the public, but courtesy of Titanic Quarter Ltd, visitors will get the chance to view a real piece of Titanic history never seen before. The drawing offices gave rise to the inception and creation of the Titanic and many other famous luxury liners.

Titanic Watch Up For Web Auction (19 Mar 08, BBC News - UK)
A pocket watch found on the body of the last victim of the Titanic to be recovered has been put up for sale. The item, which belonged to Dumfries-born steward Thomas Mullin, hopes to attract bidders on the internet auction website eBay. The 20-year-old, who later moved to Southampton, was one of more than 1,500 victims of the 1912 disaster.

Premier Exhibitions Clinches 10-Year Deal With Luxor Resort (18 Mar 08, Trading Markets (press release) - Los Angeles,CA,USA)
Tuesday after the markets closed, Premier Exhibitions, Inc. (PRXI | news | PowerRating
announced signing a 10-year deal with Luxor Resort & Casino in Las Vegas to develop a new exhibition complex to showcase 'BODIES . . . The Exhibition', and 'Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition'. The terms of the lease provide a renewal option for an additional 10 years. Premier Exhibitions stated that the 50,000 square feet complex would include the Titanic exhibition, along with at least one themed bar and restaurant, a ''Photo Op'' on Titanic's bow by using a lifeboat to gain access, the BODIES exhibition and gift shops.

Titanic Letter Could Fetch £9000 (17 Mar 08, BBC News - UK)
A letter penned by a passenger of the doomed Titanic which sank in 1912, killing 1,522 people on board, is expected to raise £9,000 at auction. Charles Jones, who worked for the Colgate firm in New York, was returning to the US after a UK trip to buy sheep from Dorset farmer James Foot. Mr Foot received Mr Jones' last letter on 15 April, the actual day the Titanic sank after hitting an iceberg. Duke's of Dorchester Auctioneers will auction the item on 10 April.

Titanic Telegrams Up For Auction (15 Mar 08, Dorset Echo - England,UK)
Telegrams revealing how a West Dorset farmer was caught up in the drama of the Titanic come up for auction next month. The cables were wired across the Atlantic in the aftermath of the disaster as farmer James Foot waited anxiously to find out the fate of his friend Charles Jones, who sailed on the liner shortly after the pair clinched a sale of sheep. The eight telegrams were found in an envelope along with newspaper cuttings of the sinking and a White Star Line card written by Mr Jones and posted the day that the Titanic sailed from Southampton.

St. Pat's Queen Honors Great-Granny's Courage (12 Mar 08, Chicago Sun-Times - United States)
Nearly a century ago, 15-year-old Anne McGowan sat freezing in a lifeboat in the middle of the Atlantic. Her aunt, Katherine McGowan, was dead more than 2 miles below with the wreckage of the Titanic as young Anne waited for a rescue ship to arrive. "She said by the time the Carpathia finally arrived, her eyes were bleeding from the salt and the cold," Eileen Kapolnek said. "She could remember the screams too." As Kapolnek helps kick off the St. Patrick's Day Parade Saturday, she will remember the courage her great-grandmother, Anne McGowan Straube, demonstrated in leaving Ireland and surviving one of the most harrowing disasters of the 20th century. Straube died in 1990 when Kapolnek was 4, but the Marquette University student said she entered the St. Patrick's Day Parade queen pageant on "a big whim" to make her great-grandmother proud. "The courage that she had, for being that young, is amazing," said Kapolnek, 21, of Park Ridge.

Titanic Exhibit Leaves A Record In Its Wake (6 Mar 08, Times Colonist - Victoria,British Columbia,Canada)
The exhibit generated more than $30.2 million during its six-month run and led to the creation of 742 full-time jobs, according to an economic impact report released yesterday. That $30-million figure overshadows the museum's second-largest featured exhibit, 1999's Leonardo da Vinci show, which attracted $16.1 million in incremental income -- spending by visitors who came to Victoria solely for the exhibit.

Belfast Puts On A Smile (6 Mar 08, Times Online - UK)
More than 1.3 million foreign visitors stayed overnight in Belfast last year, up from 200,000 in 1998, when the Good Friday agreement was signed, beginning the peace process exactly a decade ago next month. The podcast will also cover the whole city. New attractions such as the Titanic's Dock and Pump-House attraction, which explains how the Titanic was built, and the Belfast Eye observation wheel next to City Hall, will be included.

TV Film On Nazi Germany's "Titanic" Draws Millions Of Viewers (3 Mar 08, Deutsche Welle - Germany)
The "Wilhelm Gustloff" had been built to hold 1,500 passengers. The 209 metre-long (685 feet) ship, named after the assassinated head of the Swiss Nazi party, was launched in 1937 and conceived as a cruise liner for the Nazis' leisure organisation Kraft durch Freude, or "strength through joy." Once war broke out, it was used by the German military. But 10,000 refugees, many of them women and children, fleeing the advancing Red Army were on board the former Nazi cruise ship when it was sunk by torpedoes from a Soviet submarine on Jan. 30, 1945, in the Baltic Sea shortly after leaving the port of Gotenhafen (now Gdynia, Poland) in Gdansk Bay. The boat had not been flagged as a Red Cross transport. Over 9,000 died in the icy water, six times more than were killed when the "Titanic" sunk after hitting an iceberg in 1912.

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FEBRUARY

Journey Into Birth Of Titanic (29 Feb 08, Belfast Telegraph - United Kingdom)
An exhibition telling the story of Titanic's birth in Belfast has opened at W5 in the Odyssey. The 'Titanic: Designed and Built in Belfast' exhibition journeys into the past through the lens of RJ Welch - who was the official photographer at Harland & Wolff where the legendary liner was built. The new exhibition, developed with Belfast City Council for the 2008 Titanic Made in Belfast Festival, will open to the public tomorrow

12-Year-Old Student Finds A Titanic Mentor (26 Feb 08, Seattle Post Intelligencer - USA)
When you want to find out about a profession, sometimes it's best to go straight to the expert. It was 1985 when underwater explorer Robert Ballard made his discovery of the Titanic shipwreck and Kris Ludwig was growing up in Colorado. Four years later, a 12-year-old Ludwig wrote a letter to Ballard, seeking information about becoming an oceanographer. To her surprise, he replied. It was the start of a lifelong mentorship and, eventually, a friendship. Ballard remembers it was Ludwig's enthusiasm and passion to follow the same career path he had followed that prompted him to answer her questions.

Search For Titanic Tales To Mark Centenary (25 Feb 08, Irish Independent - Dublin,Ireland)
People across Ireland are being called to tell their tales and memories of the Titanic. The Belfast Titanic Convention wants historians and maritime fans to become part of the centennial celebrations to mark the launch of the vessel in 1911. Although the story of the Titanic has been told many times across the world, the convention wants to compile an Irish angle on the ship, which was built in Belfast and sailed from Cobh. The anniversary of the sinking of the stricken vessel will be marked in April, 2012. Dick Mackenzie, chairman of the convention, said: "Obviously, the Titanic has a lifeblood connection to Northern Ireland, but the story is much bigger and covers every part of the island of Ireland.

Berg Watchers; International Ice Patrol Keeps Shipping Lanes Safe From Icebergs Since The Sinking Of The Titanic (25 Feb 08, St. John’s Telegram - St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada)
The iceberg season has begun, at least for the International Ice Patrol. The U.S. Coast Guard’s annual hunt for ocean-going bits of glaciers drifting through Iceberg Alley off Newfoundland started with the sinking of the Titanic 95 years ago. It continues with air reconnaissance patrols over 500,000 square miles of the North Atlantic, looking for icebergs that pose a threat to international shipping lanes.
“We draw the limit of all known ice,” said Cmdr. Scott Rogerson, head of the ice patrol based in Groton, Conn. “We have had reports through the years of icebergs as far south as Bermuda.”
Rogerson was in St. John’s earlier this month for the first ice patrol flight of the season that typically runs from mid-February to July. Almost two weeks ago, the most southerly icebergs were spotted along the edge of sea ice about 60 miles northeast of St. John’s.

Art On The High Seas (23 Feb 08, Liverpool Echo - UK)
A painting by Norman Wilkinson is perhaps the most famous artwork on a ship. The Approach to Plymouth Harbour hung above the mantelpiece in the First Class smoking room on the Titanic. It has been represented in many films and TV documentaries about the disaster. Thomas Andrews, the Titanic’s designer and a hero of the tragedy, was last seen staring fixedly at the painting, awaiting his fate.
Shortly afterwards Titanic plunged beneath the waves, taking Andrews and 1,500 people to their deaths. His body was never recovered. Leading marine painter Wilkinson (1878 – 1971) also painted The Approach to the New World on Titanic’s sister ship Olympic which plied the seas successfully for many years before being scrapped. At Merseyside Maritime Museum there are a number of artworks which once graced famous ships. There is one of a pair of glass panels removed from the officers’ wardroom on the doomed Lusitania, sunk by a German U-boat submarine in 1915.

Former Director At Mariners' Museum Charged With Selling Items (20 Feb 08, The Virginian-Pilot–Norfolk, VA, USA)
A former director at The Mariners' Museum and his wife face federal mail and wire fraud charges accusing them of selling nearly $163,000 worth of historical items, including memorabilia from the Newport News museum's Titanic collection.Lester F. Weber, 46, and his wife, Lori E. Childs, 49, made their initial appearances in U.S. District Court on Tuesday and were released on $5,000 bond each. In an indictment unsealed Tuesday, Weber was charged with 26 counts of mail and wire fraud, theft and filing false tax returns. His wife was charged with 25 similar counts, excluding theft. Among the most prized collectibles Weber is accused of stealing are memorabilia collected by a mother and son who survived the 1912 sinking of the famed luxury liner Titanic. In 1986 the museum acquired 115 items collected by Leah and Frank Aks, who were aboard the Titanic on their way to Norfolk to join Leah's husband. Weber is accused of taking original Titanic photographs, lawsuit papers filed a year after the tragedy, and letters, and selling them on eBay for between $300 and $988 each, according to the indictment.

Titanic Wreckage and Ephemera Highlight Sale of Fine Books & Manuscripts at Bonhams & Butterfields (19 Feb 08, Art Daily-USA)
Within the Fine Books & Manuscripts auction at Bonhams & Butterfields on Sunday, February 17, 2008 are five lots of ephemera related to the infamous British luxury passenger liner RMS Titanic. Crowned jewel of the White Star Liner at the time, the vessel sunk during its maiden voyage in the early hours of April 15, 1912. Nearly 96-years later, the Titanic disaster, mythology and items surrounding the tragic event have continued to fascinate millions. Among the offerings at Bonhams are wreckage and recovery items, including: a piece of perhaps the most famous of all Titanic's lifeboats -boat #6; an original Titanic silver print photograph-postcard; an advertisement for Titanic's return voyage on April 20, 1912; several period press clippings from the New York Herald, Pennsylvania Chronicle and News and the Christian Herald Magazine; and sheet music memorializing the disaster -- as well as two copies of a book on the tragedy.

RIP: Ralph White Passes Away At Age 66; Documented Discovery of Titanic (13 Feb 08, Los Angeles Times - CA,USA)
Ralph Bradshaw White, who documented the 1985 discovery of the sunken Titanic, then returned to the bottom of the ocean more than 30 times to film and recover artifacts from the ill-fated vessel, died Feb. 4 at Glendale Adventist Medical Center. He was 66. White died from complications of an aortic aneurysm, said his daughter, Krista Few of Yokosuka, Japan. The public received an up-close look at the wreckage site through images White captured. His footage appears in James Cameron's 1997 Oscar-winning film "Titanic" and in "Titanica," a documentary for IMAX released in the early 1990s.

Titanic Museum Plans Month-Long Valentine's Event (6 Feb 08, Joplin Independent - Joplin,MO,USA)
Valentine’s Day will be celebrated for 29 days in February at the Titanic Museum Attraction in Branson, Missouri. Among the original passengers, at least 12 couples were honeymooning aboard Titanic, many celebrating their first journey as newlyweds on the ship’s own maiden voyage. Now, sweethearts everywhere can experience pure romance, beauty and elegance on the world’s only full-sized replica of Titanic’s original Grand Staircase. With a reservation and the price of admission, guests can make arrangements to propose marriage, announce their engagements or renew wedding vows with Titanic’s Captain Smith presiding. More than 20 couples have already reserved the Grand Staircase as their special spot to say ‘I do’ again.

A Story That Was Nearly Lost In The Icy Atlantic (3 Feb 08, Irish Independent - Dublin,Ireland)
Martina was inspired to write this book when she stumbled across the passenger list for the Titanic. A name and address leapt out at her, that of Thomas O'Brien of Bonavie, County Limerick. Martina's grandmother Josie English, nee O'Brien, came from Bonavie. Further investigation revealed Tom O' Brien to be her grandmother's uncle. Then Martina learned how he had eloped with a local girl, Hannah Godfrey, taking passage on the Titanic. His family in Ireland only knew that he was emigrating to his sisters in Chicago. No-one knew he was bringing a wife with him. Martina humanises this story on an intensely personal level and tells his story, not as history or fact, but fiction. This extraordinarily moving story happened to a man who perished in the icy Atlantic waters just three generations removed from Martina and so Martina tells his story and the story of those he left behind, Hannah Godfrey, the woman with whom Tom O' Brien eloped and Marion O'Brien, their baby.

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JANUARY

Lindsay's Titanic Connection; New Exhibit Highlights Lindsay Man's Belongings (26 Jan 08, Lindsay Daily Post - Lindsay,Canada)
A Lindsay native's personal belongings lost at sea are one of the main focal points of a Titanic Exhibit currently on display in Toronto. The irony is that although Harold Irwin's luggage was on board the Titanic, he wasn't. In 1910 Irwin decided to leave town and set out on a journey to discover the world with his good friend, Henry Sutehall. The young men hitched rides, stowed away in boxcars and even met a few of the era's most notorious people, such as author Jack London, communist Vladimir Lenin and India's spiritual leader Mahatma Gandhi. In 1912 they were ready to return home, so they purchased two third-class boarding passes for the maiden voyage of the Titanic. The night before the Titanic set sail Irwin was kidnapped after cheating in a poker game. He never made it on board.

Titanic Set To Dock In Ballinrobe (25 Jan 08, Mayo Advertiser - Mayo,Ireland)
Rehearsals and preparations are now in full swing for Ballinrobe Musical Society, who will stage the acclaimed musical Titanic – A New Musical, in Ballinrobe next month. The most elaborate set-construction project ever undertaken by the Society has now been completed in the auditorium of Ballinrobe Community School, where the show will open on Saturday February 9, and run until Saturday February 16. The set took about 1,000 working hours to build, boasts enough 9x2 trusses to roof a large house, sits on three levels, and has nine sets of stairs – and it will all be dismantled the week after the show.

Titanic Musical At Norwich Theatre Royal (25 Jan 08, Norfolk Eastern Daily Press - Norwich,England,UK)
One of the major stories of the 20th century is about to make a big splash in Norwich as the Theatre Royal stages Titanic the Musical sailing from Monday January 28 to Saturday February 2 in a lavish production by the Norfolk and Norwich Operatic Society. Performances are nightly at 7.30pm with a Saturday matinee at 2.30pm.

Exhibit Chronicles Life Aboard The Titanic (25 Jan 08, Daily News - Galveston County - TX,USA)
Beginning Saturday, Moody Gardens will display more than 125 authentic artifacts recovered from one of the world’s most famous shipwrecks. Although you won’t find a ridiculously big blue heart necklace in any of the glass cases (that’s all movie magic, said exhibit spokeswoman Katherine Morgenstern), you will find haunting remnants from the more than 1,500 artists, movie stars, government officials, business tycoons and immigrants who died on the Titanic 95 years ago. “This exhibit focuses on the people on board,” Morgenstern said. “It’s designed to give a feel for 1912. We all know the story of the Titanic, but you don’t know the people.”

Titanic Stamps To Be Launched (23 Jan 08, Belfast Telegraph - United Kingdom)
The first set of commemorative stamps marking the 96th anniversary of the Titanic have been designed.
The collectable First Class stamps have been produced by the Titanic Heritage Trust in conjunction with Royal Mail and will be the first in the 'White Star History' series being rolled out every year from now until 2012 - the centenary of Titanic's maiden voyage. Each sheet in the first series includes five RMS Titanic 'The Fourth Funnel' and five 'SS Nomadic The Farewell' stamps. The images are taken from fine art paintings by Belfast artist Jim McDonald whose work depicts shipyard people, street children and pub scenes from the bygone era in the east of the city. A First Day Cover with Belfast or Southampton postmarks and franked 15, April 08 will also go on sale.

Swansea Museum Exhibition One Of Best In UK (22 Jan 08, News Wales - Knighton,UK )
The Titanic Honour and Glory exhibition currently running at Swansea Museum in Victoria Road has been named in Britain's top five by The Times newspaper. It's the only exhibition in Wales to have made the cut. Thousands of visitors have been to see Titanic Honour and Glory since it was unveiled in October. And anyone looking to catch a glimpse of the exhibition has just over a month left with the exhibits due to be packed away on March 2.

Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition To Open At The Moody Gardens Discovery Center In Galveston,
Texas on 26 Jan (21 Jan 08, CNNMoney.com - USA )
RMS Titanic, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Premier Exhibitions, Inc. has entered into an agreement to present Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition at the Moody Gardens Discovery Museum in Galveston, Texas. The Exhibition will open on January 26th for a limited engagement. "Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition will be a great addition to the Moody Gardens experience, adding more opportunities for education in history and science," said John Zendt, General Manager of Moody Gardens. "We are happy to bring this opportunity to our guests while simultaneously making a positive impact on the city and local tourism."

Ice Sculptors Try To Keep Cool In Competition (20 Jan 08, News-Leader.com - Springfield,MO,USA)
Visitors to the Titanic Museum on Saturday saw artwork that will never be seen again. It all melted in a few hours. Titanic's second annual National Ice Sculpture Contest featured 17 sculptors, ranging from a 15-year-old first-timer to the 2005 world champion. Their artwork was just as diverse. These included a giant jellyfish and a "Tigershark" with the head of tiger and the body of a shark. The museum gave more than $7,500 in prizes to 10 professionals and five amateurs. Most competitors work either for an ice sculpting company, a restaurant or are in culinary school."

My Remarkable Titanic Tale (19 Jan 08, Norwich Evening News - Norwich,England,UK)
After the St Thomas More Middle School pupil won a part in a musical about the tragic ship, he was amazed to discover the story of his own great-great-grandfather's cousin, who was on the boat when it hit an iceberg on its maiden voyage and sank. But Jack's character in the musical performed by the Norfolk and Norwich Operatic Society will be more fortunate than his relative, Michael Linehan, who drowned in the icy seas at the age of 21 after the ship hit an iceberg.

Don't Sink A Lot Into Titanic Paintings (19 Jan 08, Toronto Star - Ontario, Canada)
Q: I have two paintings of the Titanic that were originally in my grandparents' Toronto home in the 1950s when I was a child. One shows the Titanic floating; the other it sinking. I was told they're painted on the back of the glass. The actual images, without the frames, measure 36 by 46 centimetres. Some of the paint has chipped off and the paper backing is very brittle and breaking off. There's a signature, G.L. Irish, on the bottom corner of one of the paintings.

Titanic Exhibition Forms Part Of Pendle Beer Festival (14 Jan 08, Pendle Today - UK)
As part of the forthcoming Pendle Beer Festival, Colne Heritage Centre will be exhibiting a display depicting the story of the Titanic and Wallace Hartley. Martyn Pashley, festival organiser, said: "The theme of this year's festival is 'All At Sea' and features beers with a nautical link. We were delighted when Christine Bradley of Colne Heritage Centre suggested a display of information about the Titanic and Wallace Hartley, one of Colne's great heroes." 

A Titanic Survivor (4 Jan 08, Daily Echo - Southampton,England,UK)
The last living survivor of the Titanic will be giving a rare talk about how the fateful event shaped her life. Millvina Dean, will be speaking on April 11, three days before the 96th anniversary of the sinking at The Turner Sims concert hall as part of a three-day programme of events organised by Southampton City Council to remember the disaster. The 96-year-old recently hit out at the BBC's Christmas Day Doctor Who episode depicting the liner as a spaceship colliding with the Tardis as "disrespectful to the dead". She said: "I didn't watch it. I don't watch anything connected with Titanic because it upsets me."

Titanic Ceremony Still On (3 Jan 08, BBC News - UK)
The official commemoration of the 96th anniversary of the Titanic tragedy will go ahead as planned, Belfast City Council has said. A service is held at the Titanic memorial at the City Hall every April to remember the 34 NI victims. The council is due to consider an application to extend the popular Big Wheel's stay in Belfast. However, it said that this would not affect the annual commemoration marking the 1912 sinking of the Titanic.

5¢ Toronto Streetcar Tickets Found In Titanic Wreck (3 Jan 08, National Post - Toronto,Ontario,Canada)
A piece of Toronto transit history went on display today at the Ontario Science Centre, tying the city to one of the greatest disasters of the 20th century: the sinking of the ocean liner Titanic. A dozen 5¢ Toronto streetcar tickets dredged up from the famous shipwreck, which lies on the bottom of the north Atlantic nearly four kilometres beneath the surface, will be part of the science centre’s Titanic exhibit, along with dozens of other personal belongings from the more than 1,500 passengers and crew who died when the huge liner struck an iceberg and sank in 1912.

Concerns Over Belfast Memorial (2 Jan 08, Belfast Newsletter - Belfast,UK )
Titanic devotees said yesterday that they will hold Belfast City Council to its word to ensure future memorials to the ocean liner's victims are able to continue without the hindrance of Belfast's Big Wheel. The Belfast Titanic Society was concerned when news that the success of the wheel could result in its stay being extended past the original March deadline, because a Titanic memorial is surrounded by the wheel. Una Reilly, chairman of the society, said however that the council had informed them that though the wheel will stay beyond March, thereby affecting the 2008 memorial service, it would be gone by the following year.