Maritime Museum Offers Virtual Visit to Titanic 3-D

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Imagine yourself four kilometres below the ocean waves, enveloped in total darkness, and suddenly there it is --Titanic. This summer, Maritime Museum of the Atlantic is offering visitors the next best thing, a virtual visit to the wreck.

The museum launched Titanic 3-D, a 15-minute film on the world's most famous shipwreck, on Thursday evening in its renovated 50-seat theatre. The film is the only 3-D video of Titanic in the world, and the museum is proud to host its first-ever Canadian showing.

"This is a great opportunity for us to offer another dimension to the Titanic story that is presented in our permanent exhibit, Titanic: The Unsinkable Ship and Halifax. The film enables us to share a unique perspective of the grand ship as she rests on the ocean floor," said Michael Murray, director of the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. "The film gives a good sense of exploring the wreck, offering education in naval architecture and engineering along with the adventure experience."

Produced by Joseph MacInnis of Undersea Research Ltd., Titanic 3-D was filmed by veteran National Geographic photographer Emory Kristof, using two Sony Betacam video cameras secured outside the pressure hull of a deepsea submersible. Two whisker booms holding four high-intensity lights were mounted on the front of two subs. About 50 hours were spent filming Titanic from every angle with the cameras positioned and synchronized to give a diver's view of the ruins.

"Our 17 dives to the bow, debris field and stern helped inspire James Cameron to use the same research ship and subs in making his award-winning film," said Mr. MacInnis, also the co-leader of the expedition. "For me, the 3-D images re-create the wonder of peering through a sub's viewport and seeing Titanic for the very first time."

Education and Culture Minister Wayne Gaudet said the museum's new feature goes beyond merely entertaining visitors. "The history of our province has been profoundly shaped by the ebb and flow of the North Atlantic's tides. We encourage our visitors to enjoy the film, but we also ask them to go a step further and learn more about our great seagoing past."

Funding for theatre upgrades was provided by the Department of Economic Development and Tourism.

"This project will offer an additional and unique Titanic experience within Nova Scotia," said Manning MacDonald, Minister of Economic Development and Tourism. "The museum has a strong potential to attract new visitors to the province by offering this unique perspective, injecting tourism dollars into the local and provincial economy."

The first public showing of Titanic 3-D will be on Saturday, May 15, and showings will continue through Oct. 31. Telephone the museum at 902-424-7490 for show times. Admission is $2.50 per person.