14 April 2012
Last updated at 23:50 GMT
More than 1,500 people died with the sinking of the Titanic
The 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic is being remembered at events across the world, including in the ship’s birthplace Belfast.
A Titanic Memorial Garden – with the names of 1,512 victims etched on five bronze plaques – is being opened close to where the liner was launched.
A service is being held in Southampton where the voyage to New York began.
And at the North Atlantic site of the sinking, memorial cruise ship Balmoral will mark the time it hit an iceberg.
Passengers and crew on the Balmoral will hold services at the site the Titanic sank 400 miles (460km) off the coast of Newfoundland on 15 April. Another cruise ship, Azamara Journey, has sailed from New York to take part in the ceremony.
Descendants of the victims are expected at the services, and will lay wreaths and join in a minute’s silence in memory of all those who died.
The sinking is also being remembered in other parts of the globe.
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Titanic – Essential information
- The RMS Titanic was built in Belfast by Harland and Wolff
- The largest vessel in the world when it entered service in 1912 – it had a capacity of 46,328grt (gross registered tonnes) and weighed about 52,300 tonnes
- Approximately 1,300 passengers, ranging from millionaires to poor emigrants and about 900 crew were on board
- The ship included a swimming pool, library, restaurants and a gym
- On 10 April 1912 the Titanic left Southampton for Cherbourg in France and Queenstown, Ireland, before heading for New York
- On 14 April 1912, 460 miles (740km) from Newfoundland, it hit an iceberg at 23:40 (Ship’s Time)
- The ship took two-and-a-half hours to sink
- The first life boat, designed for 40 passengers, left with 27 people
- About 713 people were rescued by RMS Carpathia
- There is no definitive agreement over the number of casualties – 1,500 is the number usually cited
- In 1985 Dr Robert Ballard discovered the wreck 2.5 miles (4km) below the surface of the north Atlantic
Titanic exhibitions are being hosted in Las Vegas, San Diego, Houston and Singapore.
The world’s largest visitor centre opened two weeks ago in Belfast on the Harland and Wolff slipway where Titanic was built. The £97m ($153m) building has already attracted more than 45,000 visitors.
In nearby Belfast city centre, the Titanic Memorial Garden was completed this weekend, just in time for the 100th anniversary.
There is no distinction on the memorial between first class passengers and others on board. The names of the dead are simply listed in alphabetical order.
Intriguingly, two of the names have an asterisk beside them – Mr Thomas Hart and Mr John Horgan.
Kelly Frizell from Belfast City Council said: “The asterisk means that somebody was travelling under this passenger’s name, but they weren’t the actual passenger in question.
“Whether it’s their true identity or not, a life is a life, and they lost their life.
“There’s no other way to recognise them.
“We couldn’t have left them off.”
Then real identities of Thomas Hart and John Horgan remain a Titanic mystery.
Ms Frizell spent almost a year researching the victims.
She said: “This is the first monument with all 1,512 names listed in alphabetical order, so it’s very significant.
“It’s breathtaking looking at such a loss. It’s emotional just looking at it.”
One of the wreaths which will be thrown overboard at the site where the Titanic sank
The plinth bearing the names is nine metres long. The flowers in the garden were chosen carefully.
Landscape architect Joy Hutchinson said: “We went for a colour scheme built around blue, white, silver and green, reflecting water and ice.
“It’s to try to encourage a sense of peace and contemplation.”
In the past two decades, Titanic has become an internationally recognised brand with movies, memorabilia and commercial ventures springing up in different parts of the world.
However, the 100th anniversary is being marked with a series of solemn events, which recognise the tragic reality of the most famous maritime disaster in history.
From 06:00 BST on Sunday, 15 April there will be live coverage of the Titanic commemorations on our Titanic live web page and from 06:20 BST on BBC Two Northern Ireland and BBC Radio Ulster. There will also be coverage on BBC Breakfast and on the BBC News Channel.