SS NOMADIC - BELFAST
Little Sister Tender Ship of the Titanic
The mighty and famous Titanic ocean liner of tragic legend and movie fame may lie at the bottom depths of the Atlantic, but her little sister still lives on in Belfast, the city where they were both born. While a virtual vision of the most famous ship can be seen across the quay in the multi-story Titanic Experience exhibit, the actual living reminder of nautical past rests in the dry dock basin of Hamilton Dock with its over 100 years of authentic history, allowing a stroll on the decks and the among the cabins where the same famous figures like the “unsinkable” Molly Brown, White Star director Bruce Ismay, and world’s richest man, Benjamin Guggenheim stood.
The SS Nomadic has a unique history all its own. Launched from Harland & Wolff shipyard in 1911, it is the last surviving ship of the White Star Line, the shipping company of the Titanic. The Nomadic was the tender to the bigger sister ship, serving as the ferry for first class and second class passengers from the dock in Cherbourg to the Titanic, too large to venture into the shallow harbor. This one brief duty was enough to propel the Nomadic into maritime hall of fame. She continued her task fo the Olympic sister to the Titanic, but the great ships of the White Star Line faded from the seas. The Nomadic remained at Cherbourg, serving her purpose of carrying passengers from the French port to other great luxury ocean liners. This duty saw more world famous celebrities on her decks, silent film star Charlie Chaplin, Olympic Swimmer and movie “Tarzan” Johnny Weissmuller, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, and even Madame Curie.
SS Nomadic served in both world wars, ferrying soldiers in World War I, then at the outbreak of the Second War she escaped capture by the Germans in the occupation of France and served as a mine sweeper. The historic passenger ship could escape the ravages of war and the torpedo fate of other luxury liners, but not the cruelties of age and the decline of trans-Atlantic passenger service in the jet age. In 1968, she was retired from sea duty and towed up the River Seine to Paris, in the shadow of the Eifel Tower, where she was, like an aging showgirl who had left her glory days behind, turned into a riverside restaurant and nightclub. The last remaining White Star Line ship anywhere in the world, the SS Nomadic has been returned to where she was born, now a proud member of the core collection on the National Historic Ships register in Belfast. After years of painstaking restoration to return her to the original glory of status and luxury which greeted passengers of the Gilded Age, the Nomadic has now embarked on a new chapter in her history greeting a whole new generation of visitors on board.
The Nomadic Experience for visitors covers four decks of the ship allowing a first-hand chance to experience what it was like to be a passenger to the departing Titanic on her fateful tragic voyage (see Titanic Belfast Experience). In addition to reliving the authentic grandeur of the time, the Nomadic story is told through a host of interactive and hands on experiences, both technical and traditional in-person story telling. Upon boarding marvel at the clear differences of class on board the ship and the elegant details of her design and fittings. Chat with a virtual character named Pierre, the first-class bar tender who will tell you of the part Nomadic played in the Titanic story. Go below decks to feel the cool steel and examine the rivets of her construction close up. There are a number of interactive discoveries for families, and a chance to play “dress up” as upper deck hoity passengers, or below decks working ship’s crew. Go above to the Flying Bridge Deck for views of Belfast Harbor. Take a turn at the ship’s navigation wheel to guide her to the sea, then step into the Captain’s Cabin for a salute with the character of Captain Boitard.
Visiting the SS Nomadic Belfast
The Hamilton Dock is located on Queens Road in the Titanic Quarter across from the Titanic exhibit at the former shipyard. Open times are 10am to 6pm daily from April to September and 10am to 5pm Tuesday to Sunday from October to March. Tickets for Nomadic are on a timed entrance basis. Tickets can be purchased in advance online, or in less busy times at the Hamilton Dock Pumphouse entrance. Ticket prices are £8.50 for adults, £6.50 for students and seniors, £5.00 for children 5-16, under 4 years are free. Family Tickets are available for £22.00 and £27.00. © Bargain
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Nomadic Belfast
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SEE ALSO:
ULSTER TRANSPORT & FOLK MUSEUM BELFAST
BELFAST WAR MEMORIAL & HOME FRONT EXHIBIT
GAME OF THRONES LOCATIONS TOUR
