James Cameron hails Titanic heroes
The Belfast shipbuilders of the Titanic are “unsung heroes” who made it possible for many of the passengers to escape, film director James Cameron said.
The maker of the Oscar-winning movie was in the city to launch a new exhibition on the vessel at the Titanic Belfast visitor centre.
He said the designers of the ship worked as it sank to stop it from rolling over – allowing lifeboats to be lowered to evacuate people.
Mr Cameron said: “I believe firmly that they are the unsung heroes of Titanic, that kept that ship upright, the stately image that we all think of when we think of Titanic sinking.
“It is important for us to continue to look back at history.
“There are still lessons to be learned, there were heroes on board the ship that we did not even realise how important they were... and they were Belfast men.”
Cameron’s film Titanic won 11 Oscars after its original release in 1997. A 3D version was produced to coincide with the centenary of the vessel’s sinking earlier this year.
Cameron and producer Jon Landau opened the first exhibit dedicated to the film at the world’s largest Titanic museum – Titanic Belfast. The display features props and costumes highlighted in some of the most memorable scenes from the film.
There are some items from Cameron’s personal collection including the ship’s wheel and other technical equipment. Costumes have been borrowed from 20th Century Fox, including the originals worn by the film’s stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet in their final scenes.
The newly opened museum is 100 yards from where Titanic’s hull was launched and beside it is the drawing office where she was designed. She set sail from the city’s River Lagan.
