TRURO - The Colchester Historical Museum will welcome a special historian this week to discuss the Titanic and its connections with this area.
The topic is timely said the museum's curator, Aidan Norton, because this April marks the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, a ship that was described as "unsinkable."
On Thursday at 7:30 p.m. historian Dan Conlin will present Nova Scotia and the Titanic, including Colchester's Connections.
Conlin, who is curator of the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax, which has a permanent Titanic exhibit, and is a historian at Parks Canada, has a wealth of information on the topic, said Norton.
"He's been living and breathing it for a long time," said Norton. "He brings a very engaging approach to history, is very well researched, looks for personal stories and has a great sense of humour."
Conlin, who spoke about the Planters at the Truro museum last year, has been enthralled with the story of Titanic since his childhood.
"I became interested in Grade 6 when I read A Night To Remember. I was amazed by this big, big drama," said Conlin, who has been collecting Titanic stories and memorabilia for about 16 years.
His presentation on Thursday night will highlight the role Colchester County played in the Titanic.
"It's part of the world's culture, including Colchester's. With all the bodies undertakers, including from here, were called to help because there were so many bodies," said Conlin.
The presentation is open to everyone. Museum members get in for free and non-members will pay $2.
mchiasson@trurodaily.com
Did you know?
- The idea of the "unsinkable" luxury ocean liner was first conceived in 1907.
- Titanic construction did not begin until March 31, 1909 in Belfast, Ireland.
- It was designed to be the largest ship to ever take to the seas and took three years to build.
- It cost $7.5 million to finish the ship and required more than 3,000 men to build it.
- The Titanic set sail on April 10, 1912 and was only equipped with 20 lifeboats so that deck space for first-class passengers would not be taken up by bulky lifeboats.
- There were 2,228 people on board: 337 in first class, 285 in second class, 721 in third class and 885 crew members.
- The ship sank less than three hours after striking a massive iceberg on the evening of April 14, 1912 and sunk beneath the calm waters of the Atlantic Ocean, south of Newfoundland.
- There were only 705 survivors and only 330 bodies were found out of the 1,523 people who died.
- The Titanic's wreckage was discovered in 1985.
