This Titanic Replica Could Sink Just Like the Original

AP
David Wagner 1,897 Views Feb 26, 2013

For an as-of-yet unnamed price, you too can board a massive luxury ocean liner much like the Titanic for its maiden voyage in 2016. And just as it was on that fateful journey, you too could go down with the ship, according to designs unveiled today.

Of course, Australian billionaire Clive Palmer isn't planning for his expensive pet project to sink. At the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum today, he publicly released design plans for the ship, Hopefully James Cameron wasn't planning a sequel, because Palmer took the name Titanic II for his weirdly nostalgic cruise ship, which will be built in China and sailed from Southampton, England to New York City in 2016. When asked at today's press conference whether or not the new ship would really be "unsinkable," Palmer chose not to jinx things: 

I'm not too superstitious ... Anything will sink if you put a hole in it. I think it would be very cavalier to say it.

You got that, all you Chinese tycoons and Titanic superfans already planning to researve a cabin on the Titanic II? Even though the Finnish shipbuilder behind the reconstruction says it will be the "safest cruise ship in the world," this thing could still go down like the original Titanic in 1912. Following a rendition of Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On," Palmer said prospective passengers are already offering up to $1 million for a spot aboard the ship. He wouldn't divulge how much the project costs, but he assured journalists that he has "enough money to pay it so that's all that really matters." Recreating such lavish interiors according to the mock-ups seen below must cost a pretty penny. 

On a related note, perhaps now would be a good time for us all to gather 'round for a quick huddle, Twitter friends. We need a new sarcastic question for disaster scenarios like this. "What could possibly go wrong?" is getting a bit stale:

Let's all strive for a little more originality on social media. Why not try putting some personal spin on those Tweets? What could possibly go wrong?  

Want to add to this story? Let us know in comments or send an email to the author at dwagner at theatlantic dot com. You can share ideas for stories on the Open Wire.

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