Titanic memorial cruise delayed by wind on trip to wreck site

A memorial cruise retracing the route of the Titanic to mark 100 years since the ship sank has been delayed by strong winds.

MS Balmoral, which is carrying relatives of some who died, is travelling from Southampton to the North Atlantic site of Titanic's wreck.

The ship is due to reach Cobh, on the south coast of Ireland, later.

The Titanic hit an iceberg on 15 April 1912 and sank, killing about 1,500.

The Balmoral was due to reach Cobh, on the south coast of County Cork, on Monday afternoon, but adverse weather and rough seas mean the ship's arrival has been delayed until the early evening - when it will be met with a civic welcome.

The cruise left England's south coast on Sunday to follow the Titanic's exact route - via Cherbourg, in north-west France and Cobh - to the spot where the liner went down.

Passengers will gather for a service to be held at 02:20 GMT next Sunday - 15 April - to mark the moment of the sinking.

The Balmoral is carrying 1,309 passengers - the same number as were on the Titanic.

Passengers, who come from more than 20 countries, include relatives of survivors, authors, historians and people fascinated by the Titanic story.

They will eat meals from the Titanic's original menu and attend lectures by historians and experts.

One passenger, Susie Miller - whose great-grandfather Thomas Miller died when Titanic sank - said she was "following in his wake".

She said although the cruise was meant to be "paying respects to those lost", it was also "celebrating Titanic because there was nothing wrong with Titanic as a ship".

Philip Littlejohn, grandson of survivor Alexander James Littlejohn and the only Titanic relative to have made the dive to the wreck site, said: "I'm sure my grandfather, a 1st Class Steward on RMS Titanic, would be proud to know his story will be shared with the passengers on this historic cruise.

"It will be an emotional moment when we are over the wreck site, where I dived in 2001, and where my grandfather left Titanic rowing Lifeboat 13."

From the wreck site, the Balmoral will go on to Nova Scotia, where some of the bodies of those who died are buried, and then onto New York City, the destination the Titanic never reached.

The Balmoral was chartered for the 12-night journey by Miles Morgan Travel.

The Titanic hit an iceberg at 23:40 (ship's time) on 14 April 1912, some 460 miles (740km) from Newfoundland and took two-and-a-half hours to sink.

About 1,300 passengers and 900 crew members were on board the liner when it sank. About 713 people were rescued by RMS Carpathia.

In 1985, Dr Robert Ballard discovered the wreck 2.5 miles (4km) below the surface of the north Atlantic.

- BBC