The titanic of tennessee

The 100th anniversary of her sinking is approaching fast, but the Titanic - the ill-fated cruise liner that collided with an iceberg and slipped to the bottom of the North Atlantic in 1912 - continues to exert a curious fascination...

How else to explain the arrival of a giant recreation of the doomed vessel in the less-than-oceanic confines of the American South?

This is the unlikely scene that greets visitors to the Tennessee town of Pigeon Forge, as a model version of the ship goes on show.

Standing 100 feet tall and three decks high, this 50 per cent scale replica of the famous ship's front bow is set to attract nearly one million visitors this year.

Costing £16million and taking over one year to build, the Titanic of Pigeon Forge is billed as the world's largest museum attraction.

Built to include a 30-foot tall replica of the infamous iceberg off the ship's starboard bow, the 30,000 square foot museum was opened in April of this year to celebrate the 2,208 passengers and crew who died on April 15th 1912.

The second such museum of its kind in the United States, the Pigeon Forge Titanic has an identical sister ship in Branson Missouri.

'This museum is not a thrill ride or Hollywood style museum,' said Mary Kellogg-Joslyn, the Titanic Museum Attractions owner.

'It is an interactive experience that brings in all elements of the famous and tragic Titanic story for families to experience.'

On entering the front foyer, guests part with £13 for entry and are presented with a boarding pass that has the name of one of the deceased from the ill-fated voyage.

And on entry into the main ship are confronted with an incredible £675,000 exact recreation of the White Star liners Grand Staircase.

'We have 75 employees here who are dressed as part of the period,' said Mrs Kellogg-Joslyn.

'So we have stewards and ships officers all who are in character and who are on hand for information about the ships and its sinking.

'They will even jokingly re-direct you if you try to enter our first class area if you are found to have a third class ticket.'

Inside the ship are up to 400 artefacts from the original Titanic, but as Mrs Kellogg-Joslyn points out, none are recovered from the wreck which was located in 1985, two miles under the stormy mid-Atlantic.

'We have White Star cutlery and tea sets from the company that built the ship in Belfast in 1910,' said Mrs Kellogg-Joslyn.

'And we even have a tooth from a second class passenger who had it removed after she was rescued because she suffered tooth ache whilst on the ship.

'Our most impressive display is the life-jacket of Madeline Astor, the American heiress and millionaire who was rescued from the sinking vessel.'

The original Titanic museum in Branson is 13,000 square feet smaller than this new version and as such, Mrs Kellogg-Joslyn expects visitor number to almost double.

'We have a replica third class cabin that has four bunks inside and shows the conditions that the majority of those who died in the sinking were living in before it hit the iceberg,' said Mrs Kellogg-Joslyn.

'There is an approximation of the bridge which we have looking out to a starry night sky, so as to help visitors appreciate visibility that night.

'And we also have installed a section where you can place your hand inside a tank of water which is at -2 (28f). The temperature the sea was when the ship sank.

'That caused the majority of the deaths as it was impossible to last more than 15 minutes in that water.'

Of course, James Cameron's 1997 blockbuster film of the same name is not far away.

'We have first class cabin parlour that is the same design as the one where Leonardo DiCaprio drew Kate Winslet's portrait when they were Jack and Rose,' said Mrs Kellogg-Joslyn.

'People instantly recognise that.'

In addition to the interactive features are three lengths of decking which simulate the differing angles that the ship slipped to as it sunk beneath the waves.

'We hope people enjoy this attraction and remember that even though the Titanic never made it here to America it still fascinates.'

Source: www.dailymail.co.uk