Thursday, February 08, 2007

Disaster strikes the Maritime


Thursday 08 February 07

Curator in front of silverware displayCurator Alan Scarth in front of the Ismay silver centrepiece

Curator Alan Scarth is about to unleash not just one but three international disasters in a national museum. If I had done that I'd probably make a dash for the airport as fast as my little legs could carry me. Luckily for Alan though, it's all in a day's work for him, which is why he looks so cheerful in this photo. You see, Alan is the curator behind the new gallery at the Merseyside Maritime Museum about a tragic trio of ships - the Titanic, Lusitania and the Forgotten Empress.

The gallery highlights the poignant stories of many of the people involved in the disasters, including new research into local connections. Many of the crew who perished in the tragedies were either from Liverpool originally, or had moved here looking for work on the ships. The Lusitania sinking for example devastated the tight-knit dockland communities in north Liverpool, where most of the crew lived.

Of course, lots of the museum's popular exhibits are also on show. Have a sneak preview at the new zoomable photo of the Titanic model on the website. 

You can see the gallery when opens to the public this weekend, on Saturday 10 February.


Posted by Sam | 08/02/2007 14:02   | Comments [0]

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