Porthole on Titanic

2003-05-15 18:43

London - There are perfume bottles, their scent still discernable after 91 years, personal jewelry, bank notes and the bell rung to signal disaster.

More than 200 artefacts salvaged from the Titanic, wrecked by an iceberg on its maiden voyage in 1912, went on show at London's Science Museum on Thursday.

All have been raised from the wreck 4km beneath the surface of the Atlantic.

"To come into contact with real pieces of history really brings the story to the fore like nothing else can," said the exhibit's designer, Mark Lach.

"I hope the exhibition brings pieces of history back to life."

The smaller items were recovered by divers using robotic arms from a titanium mini-submarine.

Larger objects including a section of the hull and the bell the ship's crew rang to signal approaching icebergs, were raised by lift bags, large weighted balloons which floated up to the surface with the items attached.

Many delicate items, including clothing and papers, were protected from decomposition because they were stored in leather bags.

The exhibition takes visitors on a chronological journey through the life of the Titanic, from its conception and construction, to life on board and its sinking in the Atlantic in April 1912.

Window on life aboard

Visitors can compare the luxury and grandeur of the ship's first-class accommodation with the cramped dormitory-style third-class cabins.

The exhibition also tells the stories of some of the passengers, from the first-class millionaires to the third-class migrants, who were on board the vessel on its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York.

A list of all 2 228 people on board - more than 1 500 of whom died - is displayed in the final gallery.

Museum boss Jon Tucker said the exhibition, which runs until September 28, "provides an incredible window on life aboard what was then the greatest liner ever built.

"It also reveals the cutting edge of science and technology used to recover and preserve hundreds of artefacts, allowing visitors to appreciate the challenges of bringing these items 4km to the surface."

The exhibition has been produced by the Texas-based Clear Channels Exhibition company, in association with the RMS Titanic, Inc, which has recovered more than 6 000 artefacts from the wreck site in six expeditions from 1987 to 2000.

- SAPA