4- ADVANCED VOCABULARY IN CONTEXT: TITANIC II
Titanic II: Aussie
billionaire builds replica of famous liner
A Hundred
years after the original Titanic sank, she - or rather, a ship like her - is
set to sail again, thanks to one of Australia's richest men, who has
commissioned a replica of the famous passenger liner. Clive Palmer says
new Chinese-built ship will make maiden voyage across
The new
version of the ship (original pictured), already dubbed Titanic II, will be
custom-built for billionaire Queensland businessman Clive Palmer, who has
signed a memorandum of understanding with state-owned Chinese company CSC
Jinling Shipyard. The ship is due to make its maiden voyage in 2016.
The
21st-century liner will be an almost exact replica of the original ill-fated
ship and will have the same dimensions, with 840 rooms and nine decks. The
diesel-powered vessel will also have four funnels, like the original, which ran
on coal, but they will be purely decorative.
However,
there will be some differences below the waterline. The new ship will feature a
"bulbous bow for greater fuel efficiency and diesel generation, and an
enlarged rudder and bow thrusters for improved manoeuvrability" explains
the Sydney Morning Herald.
The ship
will have a few other features that the original lacked. They include an
exhibition room dedicated to promoting tourism in the state of Queensland, and,
crucially, an escort from the Chinese navy when it makes its maiden voyage from
London to New York in 2016, something that should help it avoid the same fate
as the first Titanic.
The
original liner was the largest ship of its time. It struck an iceberg on its maiden
voyage from Southampton to
When asked
if the new version of the Titanic would sink, Palmer responded with typical
Australian honesty. "Of course it will sink if you put a hole in it,"
he said. "It is going to be designed so it won't sink. But you never know
what could happen."
"Palmer
did not provide a cost estimate. He said he had established a new shipping
company, Blue Star Line Pty Ltd, and that design work for the Titanic II has
begun with assistance from a historical research team," reported the Daily Mail.
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