Titanic Exhibition Docks at National Harbor
By • November 16, 2023 0 4883
By Trish Foxwell
Travel back in time and relive the night of April 14, 1912 when the RMS Titanic struck an iceberg and sank into the Atlantic Ocean the following day claiming the lives of 1,517 passengers.
The Maiden voyage, carrying 2,240 passengers, was owned by the White Star Line and J. Pierpont Morgan. The ship, christened at the Harland & Wolff Shipyard in Belfast, Ireland, was advertised as the most luxurious ship afloat and considered unsinkable. The sister ship of the RMS Olympic, the Titanic was designed by Thomas Andrews. The RMS Carpathia was the first ship to arrive at the scene of the tragedy and rescued 706 passengers. Other ships arrived at the scene later on in the early morning hours including the British ship the SS Californian but the Carpathia was the ship whose crew saved the lives of passengers on lifeboats who escaped the tragic event.
Courtesy Titanic Exhibition.
The Titanic exhibit, opened in October and scheduled to run through mid-December, takes visitors on an emotional journey of that fateful evening through stories of both crew and passengers who survived the tragedy. An audio guide, included in your price of admission, accompanies onlookers on an emotional journey where over 200 objects and artifacts are showcased in the dramatically lighted venue.
Aboard RMS Titanic. Courtesy Titanic Exhibition.
Photographs, artifacts of survivors, a model of the grand ocean liner and an ice wall depicting the temperature of the water that night can be experienced on a visit. Tastefully done, the exhibit has been on display in both London and New York. Some weekends are already sold out.
Photo from aboard RMS Titanic. Courtesy Titanic Exhibition.
The exhibit, organized by Musealia with tickets administered by Fever, is located in a building a few blocks from National Harbor. Parking is available across the street. For those traveling from Virginia, a convenient Metro bus departs regularly from the King Street Metro Station to National Harbor with one of the drop-off points a short walk from the bus stop to the exhibit.
Dramatic lighting accents the vintage and priceless artifacts which include a deck chair, life jacket and china from the first-class dining room with the most impressive part of the exhibit a recreation of a first-class stateroom and corridor as well as a third-class stateroom displaying bunk beds. Reading and examining personal letters from Titanic passengers are the most emotional part of your visit.
A deck chair on RMS Titanic. Courtesy Titanic Exhibition.
Large scale photographs of the ship and its captain, Edward Smith along with Bruce Ismay of the White Star Line and J. Pierpont Morgan, are on display as well as Isidor and Ida Strauss from New York who owned Macy’s Department— and went down with the ship.
A fitting tribute to the musicians who played until the very end is also on display. Over 200 objects comprise the exhibit including clothing, diaries, letters and keepsakes of passengers with one of the most interesting items on view being a diamond and sapphire necklace given to Mrs. Kate Phillips by her fiancé as they secretly traveled together on the ship. The necklace inspired director James Cameron to include that item in the film Titanic. (Cameron is releasing a 4k edition of the film in December this year commemorating the twenty-fifth anniversary of the blockbuster film).
Over 200 items are on display. Courtesy Titanic Exhibition.
Titanic: The Exhibition is scheduled to run through mid-December. Tickets are timed for the event. Allow at least two hours for your Titanic excursion. For more information go to www.titanicexhibition.com, the exhibit is located at 151 St. George Boulevard, Oxon Hill, Maryland. 20745.
