What Could Possibly Go Wrong? Aussie Billionaire to Build Titanic II
- Posted on May 1, 2012 at 5:28pm by
Becket Adams
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An Australian billionaire said Monday he’ll build a high-tech replica of the Titanic at a Chinese shipyard and its maiden voyage in late 2016 will be from England to New York, just like its namesake planned.
Weeks after the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the original Titanic, Clive Palmer announced Monday he has signed a memorandum of understanding with state-owned Chinese company CSC Jinling Shipyard to build the Titanic II.
Aussie Billionaire Clive Palmer
“It will be every bit as luxurious as the original Titanic, but . . . will have state-of-the-art 21st-century technology and the latest navigation and safety systems,” Palmer said in a statement. He called the project “a tribute to the spirit of the men and women who worked on the original Titanic.”
“These people produced work that is still marveled at more than 100 years later and we want that spirit to go on for another 100 years,” he said, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
Palmer built a fortune on real estate on Australia’s Gold Coast tourist strip before becoming a coal-mining magnate. BRW magazine reported he was Australia’s fifth-richest person last year with more than $5.2 billion.
Australian billionaire Clive Palmer poses in front of an artist impression of the Titanic ll at MGM Studios (AP Photo/Crook Publicity)
Palmer said at a news conference that previous attempts to build a Titanic replica failed because proponents failed to raise enough money and commission a shipyard. The Titanic II is the first of four luxury cruise ships Palmer has commissioned CSC Jinling Shipyard to build.
Palmer did not provide a cost estimate. He said he had established a new shipping company, Blue Star Line Pty. Ltd., and that design work for the Titanic II has begun with assistance from a historical research team.
The diesel-powered ship will have four smoke stacks like the coal-powered original, but they will be purely decorative.
The most obvious changes from the original Titanic would be below the water line, including welding rather than rivets, a bulbous bow for greater fuel efficiency and enlarged rudder and bow thrusters for increased maneuverability, Palmer said.
Asked if the Titanic II could sink, Palmer told reporters: “Of course it will sink if you put a hole in it.”
“It is going to be designed so it won’t sink,” he added, “But, of course, if you are superstitious like you are, you never know what could happen.”
Brett Jardine, general manager for Australia and New Zealand in the industry group International Cruise Council, said Titanic II would be small by modern standards but could prove viable at the top end of the luxury market.
“From a marketing point of view, many will embrace it and perhaps there will be some that wouldn’t,” Jardine said.
More than 1,500 people died after the Titanic hit an iceberg in the North Atlantic on its first voyage. It was the world’s largest and most luxurious ocean liner at the time.
“If you’ve got a niche, it’s going to work. Why go out there and try to compete with the mass market products that are out there now?” he added.
While the Titanic II would carry around 1,680 passengers, most modern cruise ships create economies of scale by catering for more than 2,000 passengers, he said.
Among the world’s largest passenger ships, Allure of the Seas is 90 meters (295 feet) longer than the 270-meter (886-foot) Titanic and has 2,700 cabins.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Comments (61)
THXll38
Posted on May 1, 2012 at 8:50pmAwesome! I always wanted someone to do this. I will be getting a first class ticket for sure.
Report Post »Stoic one
Posted on May 1, 2012 at 8:21pmMore power to him, his money. I did not hear gov’t subsidization. I hope his dream comes true. He worked for it. .
Report Post »khayesmom2
Posted on May 1, 2012 at 7:54pmI think Obama and his family should be the fitst to set sail.
Report Post »teddyc73
Posted on May 2, 2012 at 1:00pmAre you trying to make a joke that you want to the ship to sink with him and his family on board? Class, real classy. How did we get like this? According to your screen name you are a mom. Do you teach your children to hate and wish tragedy on people they don’t know and disagree with politically?
Report Post »HADEN0UGH
Posted on May 3, 2012 at 9:47amOr she could mean that he gets on the ship and sails away forever.
Report Post »jujubean
Posted on May 1, 2012 at 7:37pmwtf
Report Post »BlackCrow
Posted on May 1, 2012 at 7:37pmTechnical Alert!
With that out of the way.
1. There hasn’t been a ship built with a riveted hull in probably 80 years. First big safety change will be a welded hull.
2. In the original the watertight compartments did not got up far enough to prevent water from spilling from one to another. An easily corrected design flaw.
3. Modern standards require life boats for every passenger and crew member as well as volumes of safety requirements that were non existent in 1912.
4. Radar that would have given a real time map of the ice in the shipping lanes would not appear in civilian usage until the 1950′s.
Any ship can be sunk but I’d ride on a modern replica of the Titanic.
Report Post »J.C. McGlynn
Posted on May 2, 2012 at 11:59amOne you forgot; The radio room is manned and monitored continously while underway.
Report Post »DrFrost
Posted on May 2, 2012 at 2:17pmCall me superstitious but there is no amount of money that would get me on the maiden voyage of this ship. It seems like a perfect terrorist target to me.
Report Post »GiveUsJustice
Posted on May 2, 2012 at 2:38pm“4. Radar that would have given a real time map of the ice in the shipping lanes would not appear in civilian usage until the 1950′s.”
What about right off the coast and monitoring rocks……
Report Post »jujubean
Posted on May 1, 2012 at 7:36pminstead just call it the OBAMA 2…..for his 2nd term when all these traitourous libs vote for this clown and finish off this country….these 4 yrs were hitting the iceberg ,now we sink all the way to the bottom…weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
Report Post »Doctor Nordo
Posted on May 2, 2012 at 3:21amWhy do people like you insist on turning any random story into something political? It’s quite pathetic, bro.
Report Post »TheLeftMadeMeRight
Posted on May 2, 2012 at 10:01amand why do people “LIKE YOU” waist your comment putting down someone posting their comment? That is even more lame….bro
Report Post »Doctor Nordo
Posted on May 2, 2012 at 12:31pmIronic since you just did the same thing…..BRO!
Report Post »justangry
Posted on May 1, 2012 at 7:31pmLMAO… It could carry an Iranian EMP. Sorry, couldn’t resist.
Report Post »MammalOne
Posted on May 1, 2012 at 7:30pm“Of course it will sink if you put a hole in it.”
lol
Report Post »LIBSALWAYSLIE
Posted on May 1, 2012 at 7:13pmI predict he has no problem selling the idea to the public and fills every cabin. Watch and see.
Report Post »Ruler4You
Posted on May 1, 2012 at 7:24pmFTA: “What Could Possibly Go Wrong?”
Who cares?
Report Post »GBTVFan_Non_American_Overseas
Posted on May 1, 2012 at 7:10pmIn my humble experience, every product with a label “Made in China” lasts less than a year….I wish him better luck with that….
Report Post »The Bryan
Posted on May 2, 2012 at 2:56pmyup.
Report Post »Aceofshades
Posted on May 1, 2012 at 7:05pm25 years ago I was just a wee lad. The first model I ever built was of the Titanic and it was in my blood. I have been waiting for someone to do this for 25 years
Report Post »Clmsadjman
Posted on May 1, 2012 at 6:56pmHas the making of a bad B grade adventure movie staring someone Doug McClure. While I think its cool that it will look that the orginal Titanic would you name a new airship the Hindenburg II? What next the Lusitania, Andrea Doria maybe?
Report Post »disenlightened
Posted on May 1, 2012 at 9:48pmDoug McClure…awesome actor
Report Post »Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on May 1, 2012 at 6:52pmLets see – Titanic – unsinkable – iceberg; now – Titanic II – same idea…history repeats.
Report Post »teddyc73
Posted on May 2, 2012 at 1:01pmLet’s see, modern technology-modern tracking devices-GPS
Report Post »Larry E
Posted on May 1, 2012 at 6:52pmWhat could possibly go wrong with a ship made in China to duplicate the Titanic? I mean the finest in Chinese steels and workmanship, WHAT could go wrong?
Aside from that what a stupid waste of money.
Report Post »theprofessor1031
Posted on May 1, 2012 at 9:42pmWhile I agree with the China sentiment, I disagree with the waste of money statement. I‘ve wondered for years why somebody hadn’t done this already. If I had that kind of money, I would do it too, because he’s gonna make bank on this venture. I guarantee he’ll be able to price the tickets any way he wants, and it’ll sell out as soon as they go on sale. I would go even further if I was him. I would have the crew dress like 1912 for the maiden voyage, and have the same kind of music and entertainment. I’d also stop the ship at the spot the original sank for the same amount of time that it took to sink for people to reflect and remember and show their respect for those lost. I’d also make sure any family members of the original passengers had tickets for free.
Report Post »RRFlyer
Posted on May 2, 2012 at 9:16amI guess you think he should have given You the money since you didn’t work for it. Very liberal there.
Report Post »Gonzo
Posted on May 1, 2012 at 6:50pmI’m going to build a zeppelin and name it the Hindenburg, what could go wrong?
Report Post »GBTVFan_Non_American_Overseas
Posted on May 1, 2012 at 7:14pmBe sure to use hydrogen
Report Post »Mother of JZS
Posted on May 1, 2012 at 8:28pm@Gonzo
Dagnabit, if you build that zeppy thing make sure my no good son has a first class seat on it. I got a surance policy on him that will rival all the Obama welfare and food stamps that I get now. Just get this no good son of mine out of my basement.
Love,
Report Post »Mother of JZS
ThirtyEightWinks
Posted on May 2, 2012 at 2:48amCrossing the ocean in luxury, at 300 ft elevation, at 90 miles per hour — I could buy a ticket. The Hindenburg has many mysteries, but keeping a hydrogen balloon from igniting is pretty secure.
Report Post »Sir_Eric
Posted on May 1, 2012 at 6:43pmHis Money, His Dream, why not? The only thing i would like to say to Mr. Clive Palmer is that, British Columbia, Canada has an aw-some ship building industry.
Report Post »Watchyer6
Posted on May 1, 2012 at 6:31pmI wonder if it will have the same number of lifeboats?
Report Post »KickinBack
Posted on May 1, 2012 at 6:21pmSeems like a waste of money…But hey, whatever floats your boat man.
Report Post »RossPoldark
Posted on May 1, 2012 at 6:18pmMake it another‘ Residences at Sea’ cruise ship.
Report Post »WhiteFang
Posted on May 1, 2012 at 6:17pmI love it.
Report Post »Will the new Captain have the same style beard as the original Captain Smith?
Will the passengers dress like they did in 1912 ?
It would be so much fun to experience those days and style.
AxelPhantom
Posted on May 1, 2012 at 6:53pmI refuse to wear those torture tools known as a corset, but minus that, I love the idea!
Report Post »RightPolitically
Posted on May 1, 2012 at 6:07pmOl’ Clive is crazy. The passenger list for this ship will be very “thin.” And good luck finding crew. Hey, maybe that captain who ran the Italian cruise liner up onto the rocks several months ago will be out of jail in time to take the helm. Talk about a perfect fit!
Report Post »WhiteFang
Posted on May 1, 2012 at 6:21pmI would love to be on the passenger list, on its maiden voyage from England to New York.
Report Post »AxelPhantom
Posted on May 1, 2012 at 5:48pmMy 25 yr anniversary is coming up in a couple of years. Sounds like fun…that is if we all aren’t eating cold soup out of a can by then.
Report Post »The-Monk
Posted on May 1, 2012 at 5:45pmTitanic II or Titanic too?
Report Post »RJJinGadsden
Posted on May 2, 2012 at 5:53amExcellent analogy.
Report Post »mcsledge
Posted on May 1, 2012 at 5:40pmWith the technology today, this ship will have no problem staying afloat and avoiding objects in its path.
Report Post »trueamerican40
Posted on May 1, 2012 at 5:54pmI agree with you to some extent but NATURE is still the ruler over us. The Bermuda triangle is an example of this.
Report Post »cookcountypatriot
Posted on May 1, 2012 at 5:34pmfill it with progressives for its maiden voyage
Report Post »trueamerican40
Posted on May 1, 2012 at 5:40pmAnd please forget the lifeboats.
Report Post »Cameraman
Posted on May 1, 2012 at 5:45pmCan we get Obama and Company a1St Class Ticket?
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