An Australian billionaire is working on a perfect, period-correct Titanic replica dubbed ‘Titanic II’.
And the new ship is expected to set sail sooner than you’d think.
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The idea is pretty simple and straightforward.
Clive Palmer, a 69-year-old billionaire, runs and owns a company called Blue Star Line, whose main goal is to build a perfect replica of the Titanic.
But wait because the details are quite juicy.
For starters, Titanic II will be a faithful, 1:1, period-correct replica of the ill-fated ‘unsinkable’ ship.
The construction of the ship, which should start next year, will cost Palmer at least $1 billion.
Just like the ‘original’ Titanic, the new ship will feature a first-class grand staircase descending through most of the boat’s decks, a massive wrought iron and glass dome with a 50-light chandelier and an exact replica of the vessel’s bridge.
Even the gym (pictured above) is 100 percent period-correct.
It’ll span nine decks, for a grand total of 835 cabins, with 383 first-class cabins, 201 in second and 251 in third.
All in all, the Titanic replica will have room for 2,500+ people.
Which is relatively small when compared with the world’s biggest cruise ship, which is the same size as five Titanics.
And, according to Palmer, a “couple of million people” have already registered their interest.
There are at least two things people will be wondering, though.
First, the plan was first announced in 2012, and then in 2018.
So even though Palmer says the ship should be ready by 2027, the fact there have been delays before indicates the maiden trip may be delayed further.
But the biggest ‘issue’, and again we can totally see why some people might use that word, is the ship’s maiden voyage aims to replicate the exact Southampton-New York route the Titanic attempted to cover on her maiden trip in 1912.
This isn’t unheard of per se, because it’s not like the Southampton-New York route has been discontinued.
From the massive Icon of the Seas to cruise ships you can live on, different ships use different routes all the time, and that particular route is just one of many that’s available.
But would people do that on the Titanic II, a literal Titanic replica? Possibly, let’s wait and see.
