A massive functional replica of the ill-fated Titanic, the 1912 luxury liner, who’s maiden-voyage sinking inspired James Cameron’s action-packed 1997 romance-drama “Titanic” starring Leonardo DiCaprio — will set sail along its original route with thousands of passengers. Mr Palmer’s company Blue Star Line has been working on the $700 million Titanic II project since 2012 and recently resumed construction of the replica after the project stalled due to financial disputes. The new ship will carry almost exactly the same number of passengers (2,400) and crew (900) as the original, but more importantly, it will boast modern navigation and safety technology – including plenty of lifeboats. The ship, which will feature the same cabin layout as the original, will sail from Dubai to Southampton, England and then on to New York, tracing the North Atlantic route of its doomed namesake, which sunk on April 12, 1912, less than three hours after sideswiping an iceberg. The largest passenger liner in service at the time, Titanic had an estimated 2224 people on board when she struck an iceberg late on the night of Sunday, April 14, 1912.
It is announced that Titanic II, a replica of the original RMS Titanic that sank in 1912, is set to set sail in 2022 and will include modern lifeboats and technology. The ship is expected to travel the same route as the original ship.