I definitely agree that no one will remember the Voyager of the Seas in 80+ years, and I fear the same holds true of all the newer ships (at least, the megaships), since they are all so impersonal.

It seems that we Yanks are far more sentimental about old rusty tubs than the
average Brit! She went on to explain that they have a habit of scrapping anything
that has lived beyond it's useful life span.

As a matter of fact, the only thing the
Maritime museum of Southampton had that
once belonged to the Olympic was the carved
fresco that was on the grand stair case.

I think it would have been great to have
saved three ships that met their demise
on the breakers,namely, Aquitania,Mauretania,
and last but not least the Olympic.

Well, at least I have my memories.

"The Olympic completed her last journey in 1935 and was later scrapped at Palmers Shipyard, Jarrow. At the sale that followed, anything that was of any use was auctioned off.

"The then owner of White Swan Hotel Mr Algenon Smart, who had been a frequent passenger on the liner, successfully bid for the wood panelling and ceiling from the First Class Lounge, the Second Class Staircase and the revolving door from the liner's Restaurant. The fittings from the First Class Lounge can now be seen in the hotel's 'Olympic Suite' and the staircase now leads up to the hotel's first floor. The revolving door now forms part of the main entrance".

For more info see: http://www.ejr.ndo.co.uk/whiteswan.html

Olympic's Windows

The obove picture was borred from Phil Ottewell's excellent web page.Make sure you follow ALL his links:

http://www.yrl.co.uk/~phil/titanic/white_swan.html

Yeah, I knew that the paneling was previously in a hotel, but I had forgotten what hotel it was. Thanks.

(I was not aware that it was ever for sale?)

"It seems that we Yanks are far more sentimental about old rusty tubs than the average Brit! She went on to explain that they have a habit of scrapping anything that has lived beyond it's useful life span".

Firstly, I don't think the average person (Brit or Yank) is particularly sentimental about old ships - its just us fanatics! The average guy is more likely to cruise on the Destiny or Voyager, than he is to visit the Queen Mary!

Britain has numerous old ships on display, many are far older than the Queen Mary! For example, we have the Cutty Sark (1869), Nelson's HMS Victory, Mary Rose (1511), SS Great Britain, HMS Belfast, The Discovery (Captain Scott's Ship) and the Royal Yacht Britannia. Additionally, the newly refurbished National Maritime Museum at Greenwich, London - must now be one of the best in the world.

I don't think any nation or cruise line is very sentimental when their ships become unprofitable. Apparently, the wet British climate tends to rust old ships, so preseving them is particularly expensive here.

I am particularly surprised that a nation as rich and proud as the United States could allow her legendary liner, the SS United States, to be gutted and rust!

HMS Victory (1759), Portsmouth, UK. (For info about Portsmouth's Historic Dockyard, see: http://www.flagship.org.uk )

We waste far too much here, and of what is not wasted, sometimes the wrong things are salvaged. In addition, our wonderful government often throws money at the wrong causes. Consider this: how can the US government justify any sort of artistic grants to so-called "artists" whose idea of art might include smearing a crude representation of the Virgin Mary with elephant dung, and stand by apathetically while the National Flagship slowly wastes away? I think I know where I'd rather have my tax money spent.

And I do agree with you that it appears that it may be only us fanatics who really care. I suspect most people only see ships as a hunk of metal, designed only for service, and once their service life has expired, it's off to the scrappers with them. Of course, to be fair, could you imagine how crowded our waterfronts might be if many more ships had been saved than had been scrapped?

(Sorry I've repeated myself!)

You made a good point about my comment that
the average Brit isn't real sentimental about
saving old liners. I am really red faced
about being American and having a woderful
piece of our history quietly rusting away
in a Philly dock. Another thing you said
rang true, yes we are fanatics, and I suppose
that is what drives us to be so interested
in what once was and wishing that we could go
back and relive it. But alas, we go on dreaming anyway.

James Cameron (or at least his crew) visited the 'White Swan' in Alnwick, Northumbria (UK).

They studied the Olympic's panels (now the hotel decore) in order to assist them in recreating them for the Titanic Movie sets!

I've just read that the Titanic's last male survivor, Michel Navratil, has died at the age of 92.

Michel was nearly 4 in 1912, the date of of the tragerdy. His father was among those who died.