More than a century after the British passenger ship Titanic sank, construction of an exact copy is moving full speed ahead. The Titanic II will retrace the route of the original vessel, sailing from Southampton, England, to New York City (see map, below). It’s due to launch in 2022.
The original Titanic set off on its historic voyage on April 10, 1912, with more than 2,200 people on board. It was the largest passenger liner in the world at the time. Its builders boasted that the ship was “unsinkable.”
But on April 15, the Titanic slammed into a giant iceberg and sank in the North Atlantic Ocean. There were only enough lifeboats for about half the people on board. More than 1,500 passengers and crew members died. The tragedy made headlines around the world.
The tale of the doomed ship inspired numerous books, plays, and movies, including 1997’s Titanic—one of the most popular films in history.