New York - Day 2

 One and Two Manhattan West are twin towers situated on 9th Avenue opposite the Moynihan Train Hall near the Hudson Yards. Nearby is the Edge Building which features 100th floor perspex viewing platform.

One and Two Manhattan West

Edge Building and viewing platform

Hudson Yards are on the  West Side of Midtown Manhattan bounded roughly by 30th Street in the south, 41st Street in the north, the West Side Highway in the west, and Eighth Avenue in the east. It takes it's name from the rail yards used to store commuter rail trains operating out of Penn Station. 

Hudson Yards Rail Yards

Hudson Yards 

Hudson Yards - The Vessel

Hudson Yards

New York Harbour Pier 54 on the Hudson River was the location of the Cunard Lines terminal for trans Atlantic crossings. 

Cunard Line Pier 54 New York Harbour

Pier 54 New York Harbour

On the 18th April 1912 the SS Carpathia docked at Pier 54 landing the survivors from the Titanic.

SS Carpathia Pier 54 18th April 1912

Located at the former Pier 55 in New York Harbour is an artificial island "Little Island". 

Pier 55 Little Island IJ / VM

The highline is a walkway and park which utilises part of the former elevated rail line operated by the New York Central Railroad.

The original rail line into lower Manhattan operated during the late 1800's delivering food and freight operated at street level.

 New York Central Railroad 10th Avenue 1920's

It's operation caused road congestion as it traversed the streets along 10th Avenue. The operation was also dangerous with many fatal accidents which resulted in 10th Avenue being nicknamed "Death Avenue".

To solve the problems of the congestion and safety, in the mid 1920's it was decided that the rail line would operate on elevated lines and construction began on the West Side Elevated Line, the first train running in 1933.

West Side Elevated Line

West Side Elevated Line

By the 1960's the use of the route started to decline and sections of the rail line closed over the next 20 years and by the 1990s it had fallen into disuse. 

High Line in disuse

Regeneration of sections of  the former elevated rail line began in 2003, and opened in phases from 2006 onwards. The High Line consists of  2.33 km of the former elevated railway.

High Line

High Line Gansevoort St

High Line

High Line

High Line VM

One World Trade Centre was built in the shadow of the original twin towers of the World Trade Centre which was destroyed in the terrorist attacks of 9th September 2001. 

 One World Trade Centre

National Museum of the American Indian

Houndstooth Pub 8th Avenue / 37th Street

Houndstooth Pub IJ

Houndstooth Pub 8th Avenue Mike Jane VM

Yorkshire - Titanic Exhibition

 

Titanic Exhibition Dorman Museum IJ

The RMS Titanic sank on it's maiden voyage in the early hours of the morning 15th April 1912 after hitting an iceberg. An exhibition was staged at the Dorman Museum in Middlesborough. 

Titanic Exhibition Dorman Museum 

Titanic Exhibition Dorman Museum
Titanic Lifeboat Nameplate

This ship sank with the loss of over 1,500 people. One of the passengers who was lost was William Thomas Stead, a  pioneer of investigative journalist former editor of Northern Echo.

Titanic Exhibition Dorman Museum
Northern Echo Reports

William Thomas Stead

New York 2019 - Husdon River

New York 2019 Hudson River

The Hudson River flows between Manhattan Island and New Jersey into New York Harbour. The river originates in the Adirondack Mountains, Upstate New York, flowing from north to south or 507 km (315 miles). It takes it's name from English sea explorer Henry Hudson who explored the river in 1609.

Hudson River



The 'North River', the southern most part of the river lies between Manhattan and Jersey City. As New York grew, the piers along the Hudson on Manhattan Island became the location for the berths for ocean going ships. Chelsea Piers (23rd Street) became the main locations from 1910 to 1930s for passenger liners. With the decline of trans Atlantic passenger liners the piers closed down leaving their remnants along the Hudson.

Hudson River Piers Downtown Manhattan

Hudson River Chelsea Piers

Hudson River Chelsea Piers
Cunard Pier 59

New York 2019 Hudson River
New York Harbour

New York 2019 Hudson River
New Jersey Jersey City

New York 2019 Hudson River
Manhattan North Esplanade



New York 2019 Hudson River
New Jersey Ferry Terminal and Rail Station

New York 2019 Hudson River
Former Piers

 
On the 14th April 1912 at 11:40 pm ships time, the RMS Titanic struck an iceberg 620 km (400 miles) south of Newfoundland and sank two hours later. The 705 survivors from the Titanic were picked up by the RMS Carpathia. On the evening of 18th April 1912 Carpathia arrived in New York disembarking the Titanic survivors at Pier 54.

RMS Carpathia Pier 54New York

New York 2019 Hudson River
Pier 54

New York 2019 Hudson River
Pier 54 IJ

New York 2019 Hudson River
Pier 56 garden under construction

New York 2019 Hudson River
Pier 59

Belfast - Titanic

The RMS Titanic sank on it's maiden voyage in the early hours of the morning 15th April 1912 after hitting an iceberg. The ship was built in the Harland and Wolf Shipyard in Belfast. In the Titanic Quarter of Belfast the Slipway where Titanic was built is marked out next to the a visitor centre, the Titanic Experience, which tells the ship's story. The old Harland and Wolf Offices are now the Titanic Hotel Belfast.

Titanic Experience and slipway

In 1907 the White Star Line conceived the idea of two trans-Atlantic liners to rival their rivals, Cunard Line, which were to be the largest and most luxurious ships afloat. The concept was given to Harland and Wolf Shipyard in Belfast, a company with a long standing relationship with the shipping line.

The plans for the two Olympic class-liners were drawn up in Harland and Wolf's Belfast drawing office and presented to the White Star Line on 29th July 1908.

Harland and Wolf Offices Belfast
now Titanic Hotel Belfast

Harland Wolf Drawing Office 2 1912

Harland & Wolf Drawing Office 2
Titanic Hotel Belfast

Titanic Hotel Belfast Drawing Room 2
Enjoying a Guinness

Harland and Wolf Presentation Room
Titanic Hotel Belfast

The plans were approved and letters of agreement made for the two new ships, at that point only known as ship 400 and 401.  The two ships were built along side each other. Two slipways, numbers 2 and 3, were built specifically for the Olympic class-liners and gantries constructed by Sir William Arrol and Company.



Harland and Wolf
Number 2 and 3 Slipways and Arrol Gantries

The location of the two slipways and the pylons of the Arrol Gantry are now marked out next to the Titanic Experience centre.


Belfast Titanic Quarter
Slipway 2 and 3 Location

 The keel of the first ship, Olympic was laid down on 16th December 1908.  Three months later, 31st March 1909,the keel of ship 401, Titanic, was laid.


Titanic Keel Commemoration

The story of the Titanic is chronicled in the Titanic Experience Visitor Centre. This is located next to the Slipway 2 and 3, and opposite the Titanic Hotel.

Titanic Experience and Slipways

Titanic Experience Visitor Centre Belfast

Titanic Visitor Centre Belfast

The construction of the ship took place between December 1908 and May 1911.



Titanic under construction 1911




Titanic Slipway

The Titanic was launched on 31st May 1912 into the River Lagan.

Titanic Launch 31st May 1911

  

Titanic Slipway River Lagan

 The ship at this stage was only a shell and still needed to be fitted out, as well as constructing the upper superstructure and funnels.

Titanic Launch 31st May 1911

Fitting out was completed 31st March 1912 and sailed from Belfast on 2nd April 1912 bound for Southampton.

Titanic leaves Belfast 2nd April 1911

Titanic arrived in Southampton on 3rd April 1911. There it took on board crew and supplies, before the passengers were embarked. It left Southampton on 10th April 1912, sailing to Cherbourg to pick more passengers. The following day more passengers were embarked at Queenstown (now Cobh), before sailing into the Atlantic towards New York.

 

Titanic - New York bound

 

 

 

On the Deck of the Titanic

Titanic Voyage

 On the  14th April 1912, at around 23:40 ships time the Titanic hit an iceberg. The ship had swerved to miss the iceberg and in doing so opened open a long opening approximately 90 metres long below the waterline.

Titanic hits iceberg

The watertight compartments began to flood and Titanic began sinking, eventually breaking in two and disappearing below the waves over two and half hours later.

Titanic sinking

Unfortunately the Titanic did not carry sufficient lifeboats to hold all those on board, and sadly this resulted in the deaths of over 1,500 people.

Titanic Lifeboat



New York Times announces the disaster

The exact location of the wreck of the Titanic was not discovered until September 1985, over 73 years after it's sinking. The expedition looking for the wreck discovered the Titanic had split into two and debris was strewn over a wide area.

Titanic Wreck Ste map

The Titanic Experience includes a cinema which shows am exploration of the wreck and debris field. A Perspex floor allows one to walk over the site. 


Wreck of the Titanic Bow Section

Titanic Experience - Wreck of the Titanic Bow Section