Exhibit at Science Museum bring visitors closer than ever the real Titanic
On June 12, the Science Museum of Minnesota will open the doors of Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition, an exhibition that features a spectacular collection of more than 250 authentic artifacts recovered from the haunting wreckage of the world-famous ocean liner.
During its first visit to Minnesota in 1999, Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition dazzled visitors of all ages. When it returns this summer, it will be expanded, featuring dozens of artifacts more recently recovered from the wreck site, detailed room re-creations, and a gallery devoted to Minnesota’s connections to the historic voyage.
In addition, Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition will feature the worldwide debut of nearly two dozen artifacts from Carpathia, the ship that raced across the icy waters of the North Atlantic at its own peril to rescue Titanic’s survivors. Carpathia, one of the most famous ships in the Cunard line, was 58 miles from Titanic when its crew received the distress call. After the historic rescue, Carpathia returned to transatlantic service and was sunk by a German torpedo during World War I. Her wreckage was discovered in September 1999, approximately 185 miles off the southwestern coast of England.
The Titanic Experience
Upon entering Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition, visitors will be drawn back in time to April 1912, when Titanic, the largest and most luxurious ocean liner in history, embarked on its maiden voyage. They’ll receive replica boarding passes, assuming the role of passengers on the Titanic as they take their tour. They’ll follow a chronological journey through life on Titanic — from the ship’s construction to life on board, the famous sinking, and the modern day efforts to recover the wreckage. When they reach the end of the exhibition, they’ll step into a Memorial Gallery, where they’ll witness the world’s reaction to the disaster and learn of their passenger’s fate.
Highlights include:
• A three-ton section of Titanic’s hull.
• Re-creations of both first- and third-class accommodations that give visitors a glimpse into the traveling experience of the Titanic passengers, from the smallest detail to the grandest spectacle.
• Personal items that remarkably survived the harsh deep sea environment and have been recovered from the wreckage. Examples include seal-skin slippers, a gentleman’s top hat, china etched with the logo of the elite White Star Line, and more.
• A collection of perfume vials, recovered during a dive in 2000, that belonged to first-class passenger Adolph Saalfeld from Manchester, England. The 62 vials, which were preserved by their leather case, still release fragrance nearly 100 years after they plunged to the ocean floor.
• The D-Deck door, a massive steel door originally mounted in the side of Titanic’s hull that was, in effect, the “front door” for first class passengers.
• A simulated iceberg that will give visitors a sense of the environmental conditions at play on the night of the Titanic disaster and test their capacity to withstand touching a frozen surface.
• A telegraph top from Carpathia’s wreckage which, because of its size and position, proved to be the most difficult item to recover.
• A porthole from Carpathia, which weighs over 50 pounds and has its original glass and wood still intact.
• A gallery devoted to local connections to the Titanic tragedy, where visitors can learn how the sinking of the great ship resonated here in Minnesota, and more.
At 14,000 square feet, Titanic is the largest exhibit the Science Museum has ever hosted, offering visitors a rare chance to see what life was like on board Titanic and connect with this legendary story of human drama.
Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition is produced by RMS Titanic, Inc., the only company permitted by law to recover objects from the wreck of the Titanic. The company was granted salvor-in-possession rights to the wreck by a United States federal court in 1994 and has since conducted seven research and recovery expeditions, where it recovered approximately 5,500 artifacts.
Tickets for Titanic
Tickets for the exhibition are currently on sale. Tickets are timed, so before making a purchase, visitors should select the date and time they plan to visit. Tickets may be purchased in one of three ways:
• Online at www.smm.org/titanic [1]. This 24-hour ticketing option provides visitors with the opportunity to print out their tickets at home, thereby avoiding any lines at the Box Office on the day of their museum visit. A per-ticket reservation fee applies.
• Via phone at (651) 221-9444. Callers can reserve Titanic tickets with a credit card during regular Call Center hours. A per-ticket reservation fee applies. Visitors who purchase their tickets by phone may pick up them up at the Box Office on the day of their visit.
• In person at the Box Office during regular museum hours.
Admission into the Science Museum and to Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition is $23 for adults and $18 for kids ages 4 to 12 and seniors. (Combination exhibit, Titanic, and Titanica Omnitheater tickets are also available.)
Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition at the Science Museum of Minnesota
June 12, 2009 – Jan. 3, 2010
Titanic Specifications and Facts
RMS Titanic
Specifications
Length: 882 ft., 8 in.
Height (keel to funnel): 175 ft.
Breadth: 92 ft., 6 in.
Gross tonnage: 46,329
Top speed: 23-24 knots (26-28 mph)
Passenger capacity: 2,435
Crew capacity: 885
Lifeboat capacity: 1,178
Did you know?
The story of Titanic is one of the most famous in history, but how much do you really know about it? Check out some of these interesting facts:
• Between June 1911 and March 1912, more than 3,000 craftsmen worked to fit the Titanic with latest marine technology and the best fixtures and furniture.
• Titanic had three bronze propellers that weighed a total of 92 tons. Titanic had four funnels, three of which were exhaust vents for the boilers that ran the engines. The fourth funnel was added to balance the ship’s profile and make it look grander.
• The room number “13” was not used on the ship.
• A first-class ticket for Titanic started at $4,350 (approximately $50,000 today). A third-class ticket cost $35 (about $620 in today’s currency).
• Titanic began her maiden voyage from Southampton on April 10, 1912 under the command of Captain Edward J. Smith. She carried 2,228 passengers and crew.
• One of the most exotic objects in Titanic’s cargo was The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, a book of ancient sayings. The copy was adorned with 1,050 precious stones, each set in gold.
• Titanic was so large that it had two grand staircases in the first-class accommodations. A bronze cherub that adorned one of those staircases was recovered from the wreck site and successfully conserved; visitors to Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition will have the opportunity to see it.
• There were only two bathtubs for the more than 700 third-class passengers aboard the ship.
• Sixty chefs and assistants worked in Titanic’s five galleys, which were equipped to prepare over 62,000 meals during the crossing.
• Titanic had 29 boilers that each measured over fifteen feet in diameter. They were fueled by coal — 650 tons of it per day.
• At 11:40 p.m. on April 14, Titanic lookout Frederick Fleet rang a bronze bell three times and shouted the famous words: “Iceberg, right ahead.” The crew was able to avoid a head-on collision with the iceberg, but below the waterline, a spur of ice intermittently punctured 250 feet of the ship’s hull. (Contrary to some reports, there was no continuous 300-foot gash in the hull.) At 2:20 a.m., Titanic began its final plunge to the ocean floor.
• The forward part of the boat deck was promenade space for first-class passengers and the rear part for second-class passengers. People from these classes thus had the best chance of getting into a lifeboat simply because they could get to them quickly and easily.
• Many ships received Titanic’s distress call, but only the RMS Carpathia was close enough to respond. It traveled 58 miles at its own peril through the frigid waters of the North Atlantic to come to Titanic’s rescue. Carpathia arrived on the scene at 4 a.m.; Titanic was gone. The crew began loading survivors from lifeboats. At approximately 8:50 a.m., Carpathia circled to ensure there were no more survivors, then began the journey to New York.
• The wreck of the Titanic lies approximately 400 nautical miles southeast of Newfoundland and more than two miles beneath the ocean’s surface.
• RMS Titanic, Inc. has conducted seven research and recovery expeditions to the Titanic’s wreck site, including expeditions in 1987, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000 and 2004. More than 5,500 objects have been recovered.