Titanic Remembered Our World

personal connection to the tragedy My mother in a lifeboat, 15 years

old, her feet soaking wet. He was standing on an upturned liferaft

100 years ago, Titanic's passengers would have been dreaming of seeing

the Statue of Liberty. A sign that they were arriving in New York. For

many, to start new lives. But of course it never got here. Just five

days into the crossing, she hit an iceberg and sank with a loss of

more than 1,500 lives. Now, to mark the centenary of that disaster,

this ship the MS Balmoral has replaced the original route. We

will look back at the voyage. One that began 2,000 miles a go. 1912 -

she was the ship of superlatives. The biggest, fastest and most

luxurious liner the world had ever seen. Now, in 2012, the MS Balmoral

is about to retrace her route. From the same perks in Southampton to

the wreck site in the North Atlantic. -- births. Among the

passengers will be this couple. Jane's great aunt and uncle were on

board. She survived, he died. look at the face of a man and

wondered just how he met his end. He was never found. He just

disappeared on that night. I have been to the World War One and World

War II cemeteries in various places across the world and it is always

important to remember. The people here died in very different

circumstances but it was still quite unbelievable what happened

that night. HiFX that we are from New York and Chicago. We are here

to rock! -- Hi! We are from New York. As well as victim's families,

there will be many people obsessed with the history and mystery of the

world's most famous ship. This is the one time of life I may fit in.

We watched the film maybe once a month for the last several years.

Since I was about nine years old, I have been into the Titanic. To come

on this ship is a dream come true, really. I spent 49 years of my life

researching, reading, writing college papers, investigating.

has been too 0.5 years of planning this. -- 2.5 years. It is a

memorial crews. A memorial to those who perished 100 years ago and that

is how we set about it. Everybody got their lifejackets? You are OK

with the buckles? The legacy of the Titanic disaster is clear to see.

Place the life jacket over the head. Lessons have been learnt since a

century ago. The loss of life back then prompted safety improvements.

And new technology. From the radar anything. That is why the raider is

For all the passengers, this promises to be a special trip. But

for people like this woman, it is personal. Her great grandfather

went down with Titanic. It is not morbid, it is just about setting

down that marker of pride about what he did. It is going to take a

week to get to the wreck site. Following Titanic's original route.

Before we get into the Atlantic, we go to the places where she picked

up extra passengers. First, northern France. And then on to the

Irish port of Cove. It is not a smooth journey. But after high

winds and rough seas, a warm Irish welcome. Hello! When Titanic came

here, the sport was called Queenstown. The name may have

changed but the turnout is the same. Somewhat emotional because my

ancestors are Irish. This will be my first trip here. For the

relatives of Titanic victims, it is all rather overwhelming. Originally

when we got here, we had our genes and a regular shirt on. When we saw

the reception, we thought, we have to do this right. Kate had a camera

on board. In her top deck Caden -- deck cabin, I met this woman whose

relatives were on board a century ago. Her cousin was just 11 years

old at the time. That is his camera case slung over his shoulder.

looks very proud. That is his school cap. They were only on

Titanic for the first stage of the journey. They got off in, have so

they and their photographs survived. This is my favourite because it

gives a great idea of that size of the ship. It does. It looks

enormous. The family took this last photograph of Titanic before she

headed off into the Atlantic. Now, 100 years on, the MS Balmoral is

We have to make good time to reach When we have to turn back for a

medical evacuation, some worried we may not make it. There is nothing

passengers can do but keep themselves busy. Good afternoon.

There are titanic lectures. I will have to nail myself to the podium

because of this way we have. Make up your mind! Titanic retail

therapy. All of the Sudanese and menus and things like that will be

good. A mark for a cup of tea? And teddy bears. Titanic wedding

blessings. There is enough from Titanic's menu's. It includes quail

eggs with caviar, roast duckling and, to finish, peaches in jelly.

100 years ago, they were doing the same things. It is pretty amazing.

It is really like Star Trek for adults. Like a convention. All of

these people know so much. Everybody together. One, two, three.

There are 1,300 passengers on board. At least 300 of them must be here

tonight in full costume. But not everybody is convinced this is the

most tasteful way of marking the centenary of the disaster. Just

turning it into a three-ring circus. I am very disappointed in that.

What is it about what you see that you do not like? It is almost like

a party atmosphere. I was hoping by now, as we are getting close, that

the tone would have changed a bit. But as the days pass and we get

closer, things to get -- to level out. Every mile we travel closer to

the wreck site, the mood on board the ship becomes more reflective as

people think about the lives that were lost when Titanic sank. That,

of course, is the purpose of this for each. I am never likely to

forget the sight of that water. This man described the horror of

the disaster to the BBC in the 1930s. He was the most senior

member of Titanic's crew to survive. I started to swim away but got

sucked down. We played the interview to one of his relatives.

It is the first time she has ever heard his voice and his story.

died from cold during the night. A mighty long time it seemed before

daylight broke. Standing in icy water on that are upturned boat for

us stock frankly, I do not think many of us expected to see daylight.

It has got to be more terrifying to hear it here. We are out in the

Atlantic. It is cold. And he was standing on the upturned boat

freezing all night. And he was a Below deck, they prepare reaps to

through into the sea when they reach the wreck site. -- read this.

In one of the ship's loungers, an historic photograph. All these

passengers had relatives on board 100 years ago. My mother was the

middle one. These two ladies among those making a connection. They

have come to remember grandfather's they never knew. There was no

burial, no commemoration. It is a closure, I feel. The service will

be a sense of relief that this chapter has finally been closed for

the family. It is very significant. It is mixed in a lot of ways. I

wanted to see p place where my grandfather drowned -- see the

place. We arrive at the wreck site at the very moment Titanic hit an

iceberg here 100 years earlier. The only light comes from another

cruise ship. It is here for the same reason. Ladies and gentlemen,

captain speaking. We are about to commemorate one of the most

momentous come up -- occasions in maritime history. At this very

place exactly 100 years ago, the (SINGING) We remember the families

torn apart by this tragedy. We remember with pride the act of

courage. -- acts of courage. All around us is darkness. Two

miles below, the ship that was supposed to be unsinkable. Over

1,500 people banished as the Titanic succumbed to the depths of

this ocean. Tonight, we remember each and every one of them. Those

who gave their lives so that others may be saved. And for their

relatives and descendants in whom there memory lives on. May God

bless these reeds in the name of the father and of The Sun end of

the Holy spirit. In a moment's silence, we recall all who perished

And then, the human Titanic's musicians are said to have played

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 78 seconds

as she sank slowly into the water. Quite a night. I'm joined as we

approached New York by three people who have been on board, all of whom

had relatives on board Titanic. David, you wanted to make this trip

to remember your grandfather and all those who lost their lives. As

he stood there at the wreck site, what was going through your mind?

For the first time, you begin to feel it. Before, when you see the

price, it is just a story. But when you're actually there, the

conditions are very similar to what they must have been and I was

thinking of my grandfather. Fighting for his life. He was a man

of 60. My mother in a lifeboat, 15 years old, feet soaking wet. Those

things came to mind. We went from the wreck site on to Halifax, Nova

Scotia, where the bodies of many of those who died were buried. That is

an incredible sight. Many of those graves were not identified. The

scale of the last. It was the first time you had seen that cemetery.

was an emotional moment. There was not sure how well would react.

great-grandmother's body was never found. Has taking this trip given

you any kind of closure? Do you feel closer to understanding or to

her? Absolutely. Mainly because I have been able to physically be at

both sites where she could potentially have them. We do not

where she is. Based on the research I have done, I think she is in the

Atlantic Ocean. I think she went down with the ship. Jane, we saw

you packing your bags preparing to come away at the beginning. Now the

we're approaching the end, how has it been? I wanted to experience the

North Atlantic. Unless you have been there, you have no concept of

how big it is. How wide it is. That night just brought it all home. We

looked down from the side of the ship, saw the waves frothing

against it and I thought back knowing that Tom had to show

fortitude and courage. They would all have known the end. They would

have known there was no hope. you make of the dressing up, the

costumes, the music, has that been appropriate? I was quite surprised.

Titanic is a big business but I personally did not feel very

comfortable with that. Everyone has their own view. I would like that

do something like the Twin Towers disaster. I would never imagine

myself dressing up in a firefight is uniform or something white

knight. It would cause a huge amount of distress to some people.

-- something like that. I felt that if I did the right thing and

remembered what I should remember, that is the most important. As long

as those around me kept quiet in the hip cells, fine by me. You all

lost somebody from your families that night 100 years ago. As you

enter this journey, what thoughts and feelings to have? I think it

will bring some closure. It will be quite a sober moment. New York was

the promise. They never made it. Those that were coming this way to

make a new life, all their hopes dashed. For us to actually do the

round trip, we have achieved what As we arrive in New York, what has

struck me most has been just howl roar that sense of loss still is

for those families, even after a century. When you have lost a

member of the family, you are constantly reminded of it. But

through doing this journey, many of the families tell me they have