Exploring the concept of Titanic II

The RMS Titanic is arguably the most famous ship to ever set sail, though obviously not for the best reason. So in 2012, when Australian billionaire Clive Palmer said he was going to build a Titanic 2, a lot of people thought he was out of his mind. What happened to this bold but unnecessary sequel? Well, today we're diving into some strange facts about the Titanic 2. Okay? All aboard, if you dare. Anyone who's seen James Cameron's massively successful movie of the same name already knows the story of Titanic. Although the movie had more involvement from Billy Zane than the real life event, probably. But just in case you lost the second VHS in the box set, here's a quick recap. The RMS Titanic was a cruise liner operated by the White Star Line, advertised as being absolutely, positively 110% unsinkable. So when it sank in the North Atlantic on April 15, 1912 after hitting an iceberg, everyone was pretty surprised. At the very least, that was false advertising. More than 68% of the passengers died, making it one of the deadliest sinkings of its era. After that, the name Titanic would become a synonym for pretty much anything doomed by its own hubris, until Cameron released his movie, making the name synonymous with box office gold and Billy Zane. But why would anyone want to recreate the tragic ship? And more importantly, who would dare take a voyage? Sailors aren't known for being above superstition, so naming a ship Titanic 2 would be considered unlucky at best. Among other reasons, the Titanic 2 project was controversial because of the man behind it, Australian billionaire Clive Palmer. Born March 26, 1954, Palmer is an entrepreneur who has interests in the iron, nickel, and coal mining industries. He also owns a lot of golf courses, which is what happens when you're so rich you run out of things to buy. Palmer's also a politician, having served one term as a member of Australian Parliament in 2013. He even once named a political party after himself, the Palmer United Party, and campaigned to make Australia great. The Australian Financial Review estimates his net worth to be just under $24 billion. So in 2012, when he announced he was planning to build a replica of the Titanic, people took him seriously. After all, he could afford to do it. Plus, Palmer had long been considered an eccentric figure with a fondness for publicity stunts. For example, around the same time, he announced he was building a dinosaur-themed amusement park in Queensland that Steven Spielberg's attorneys would call a Jurassic Park knockoff. He called it Palmersaurus. That is not a joke. Palmersaurus still exists, although it's notorious for providing a less than satisfactory experience. Unlike John Hammond, Clive Palmer spared every expense. The maiden voyage of the original Titanic was an unprecedented tragedy for a multitude of reasons. Design flaws, inadequate safety protocols, human error, and too many employees trying to sneak a peek at Kate Winslet being drawn like one of Leo's French girls. But at the end of the day, the most substantial factor in the disaster was, well, the massive iceberg that pierced the vessel's hull. Of course, that was a long time ago. Thanks to many factors, including technological innovations and plain old climate change, ice is much less of a threat now. But just to reassure passengers history wouldn't repeat itself, the designers of the Titanic II made some anti-iceberg updates. The new ship was to have a welded hull instead of a riveted one, which would make it more durable. And it would be slightly wider than its doomed predecessor, making it more stable. Additionally, the ship was to have modern navigation equipment, making another encounter with a foreign object like an iceberg extremely unlikely, unless they're aiming for it. Apart from the iceberg, the biggest culprit in the loss of life during Titanic sinking was the lack of enough lifeboats for everyone on board, an oversight that became one of the more infamous examples of the ship's hubris. But according to the people behind the Titanic II, even though it was billed as a replica of the original, the safety measures would be very different. Among other things, they would have included a lot more lifeboats. It's the little things. Finally, as a tribute to the original White Star Line, Palmer decided to name the company operating the prospective Titanic II the Blue Star Line. Whether it's a great idea to name your company after the same one that lured 1,500 people to a watery grave is certainly an interesting question, but not for the creator of Palmersaurus. The original Titanic set sail from Southampton, England on April 10, 1912, and was scheduled to arrive in New York City a week later. Of course, it did not arrive, because it was too busy arriving at the bottom of the Atlantic, which is an inconvenient connection. When he first announced the Titanic II project, Clive Palmer stated his intention to make the maiden voyage the same Southampton to New York route the original ship traveled, except for the little part where it sank. But later, Palmer changed his mind, announcing that the first trip would actually set sail from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. The final destination would still be New York City, so the sequel ship would still pass through the area where the original hit the iceberg. Tempting fate was presumably the name of the ship's band. After its maiden voyage, the Titanic II was then to travel from New York City to Southampton, England, From there, it would start making regular trips between Southampton and New York, as the original Titanic was intended to do. Palmer advertised that the Southampton-New York relay would be the Titanic 2's regular route during the summer, but that it might go other places in other seasons. He envisioned the Titanic 2 as a worldwide vessel, traveling to ports everywhere as a floating tourist attraction. Presumably, he reserved the right to stand on a bow yelling, I'm the king of the world, as it sailed into every port. If you remember the movie or have seen some weird history episodes about the Titanic, you know that the original Titanic was sectioned by class, and social status significantly affected passengers' accommodations on the ship. The Titanic II would have similarly been split into first, second, and third class accommodations, and the berths were intended to be authentic. That meant cramped quarters but discounted prices for those in third class, and extreme elegance for those in first. No word on whether they planned to lock the third-class passengers below deck so the bigger spenders could make it to the lifeboats first in the event of an emergency, but we imagine that's reflected in the discount. Although a lot of tantalizing claims were made, the exact details of the experience offered by the Blue Star Line were never fully announced, sort of like the fire fest of cruise lines. However, it does seem possible that Titanic 2's design wasn't going to be the only part of replicated history. A promotional video depicts both the crew and, bizarrely, the passengers, dressed in vintage costumes accurate to the early 20th century, which suggests the voyage would have been some kind of LARPing event or a cosplay party, like one of those pioneer villages where everyone pretends to be trapped in the past. Blue Star also claimed it was featuring all of the same restaurants and dining rooms as the original luxury liner. Those eateries would carefully replicate the 1912 at-sea dining experience, with antique decor and menu to match. Other onboard amenities would have included saunas, pools, and a Turkish bath. Nobody does bathing like the Turks. The Titanic II was originally scheduled to set sail in 2016. But don't worry, you didn't miss it. It just didn't happen. The ship's construction was delayed by a financial dispute that lasted from 2015 to 2018. Long story short, the conflict was about payments between Palmer's company and Citic Group, a Chinese business tied to the shipyard where the Titanic II was to be built. The conflict ended when the West Australian Supreme Court ruled Siddiq owed Palmer millions in back payments. Palmer then started the project back up in late 2018 and set a 2022 date for the maiden voyage. But don't worry, you didn't miss that one either. It also didn't happen. Clive Palmer first announced his intention to construct the Titanic II in 2012. That year marked the 100th anniversary of the Titanic's maiden voyage. At the time of Palmer's announcement, there was some debate whether or not his project honored the tragedy or crassly cashed in on it. But the whole debate seems moot now, and it's become increasingly apparent that the project has been quietly sunk. Signs that the Titanic II have been scuttled include the fact that no construction on the ship has taken place yet, and workers at the shipyard have gone on record saying they don't ever expect it to. Additionally, the Blue Star Line trademark was officially abandoned in 2015, and public records from one of Palmer's companies reveal that little to no money has been spent on the project since 2016. And while Blue Star did put out an announcement confirming that the project was still moving forward in 2018, its official website hasn't been updated since 2014. Guess it's true what they say. The sequel's never as good as the original. Clive Palmer may have failed at rebuilding the Titanic, but at least he could take comfort that he wasn't the only one. Around the same time, a completely different Titanic replica project was going on in China. Titanic cinematic universe, anyone? The rival government-funded project, being built in the Sichuan province, was never meant to sail on open seas. It was actually just intended to be a tourist attraction rather than a functional ship. And when completed, it would have permanently resided on a reservoir in the Xijiang River. While that project made it a little further toward being realized, construction has long since stopped with no indication it will ever start again. And the project's website and Twitter account have long since gone dormant. The rusting hull still exists in China, serving as a reminder that some things might actually be cursed to fail, particularly Titanic's.