When news broke that RMS Titanic – the supposedly unsinkable ship – had sunk with the loss of 1,500 lives there was shock across the world. While there have been larger maritime disasters since, the tragedy of the then most luxurious liner ever to be built has been remembered in a way few other shipwrecks have.

This talk provides an insight into Britain and the international situation in the ‘Belle Époque’ before the First World War. It tells the story of the conception, construction, and fate of Titanic and her two sister ships. Developed and built in Belfast, learn about the fraught and violent political situation in what was then one of the most important industrial cities in the world.

The impact of the sinking (as well as the conspiracy theories that emerged) are discussed, and the clandestine Cold War reasons for the ship’s discovery revealed. I add stories of my family connexions to Titanic and the Belfast shipyards to explore her history and why over a century later Titanic is still claiming lives.