Titanic-link barge returns home

A rusting monument to Belfast’s bygone maritime era was brought home tonight as crowds cheered from the quayside.

The SS Nomadic, which once transported first class passengers to the ill-fated Titanic, returned for a multi-million pound restoration to make it into a spectacular centrepiece for a world-class visitor attraction.

It came dangerously close to ending up on the scrapheap after lying idle and decaying in the French port of Le Havre. But the British government paid €250,000 to keep it afloat and save part of Belfast’s history from disappearing.

In the shadow of the famous cranes at Harland and Wolff where it was built 95 years ago – the year before the Titanic sank – it was towed on a barge into the city docks.

As onlookers cheered and a brass band played, the luxury liner Golden Princess with nearly 2,700 passengers on board heaed seawards after a 12-hour stop-over - one of an increasing number of huge ships docking in Belfast and Derry since the 1998 Northern Ireland peace agreement.

Captain Nick Nash sounded his horn in triumph as the huge ship eased out of Belfast Lough, passing the Nomadic below.

One of his passengers, a German who spent Northern Ireland’s hottest day of the year on a sightseeing trip on the Antrim coast, said: “How wonderful to see the Nomadic back in its spiritual home. It’s a treasure.

“This is where it belongs and hopefully all the people of Northern Ireland will live to appreciate that.”

The Golden Princess was built just six years ago as part of the Princess Cruises fleet which sails worldwide. It is due to arrive in Dublin tomorrow.

But Mr Nash and his crew never imagined there would be so many people standing quayside to see him off and greet the arrival of an old boat which will need over €10m spent on it to bring it back to its former glory.

The Nomadic was commissioned by the White Star Line and used to take passengers out to the Titanic at Cherbourg in 1912 before it sank with the loss of more than 1,500 on its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York.

It was later used as a troop carrier in both world wars and became a floating restaurant beside the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Then it was left to rot in Le Havre where weeds grew from its deck with rusting plates of iron covering up half the portholes.

A trust is to be set up as part of a massive fundraising campaign to pay for the restoration work, but the British government believes it has invested well and is convinced the new Nomadic can become a tourist attraction like no other.

Northern Ireland Office minister David Hanson said: “Given the phenomenal interest around the world in all things related to the Titanic, it will bring more visitors to Belfast.”

David Scott-Beddard of the Nomadic Preservation Society said while the work would take years to complete, it was important to have the boat return to its home port.

He said: “It’s lovely to see her back here, to see 95 years of history. It’s a tremendous day.”