Exhibit will be in town for 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic

By Monica Garske | SDUN Reporter

It’s been nearly 100 years since the R.M.S. Titanic sank in the North Atlantic Ocean and beginning this month, the San Diego Natural History Museum in Balboa Park will give locals a first-class look at the notorious ship that never quite finished its maiden voyage in April 1912.

On Feb. 10, the Museum will debut Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition, a world-renowned exhibit showcasing more than 200 artifacts retrieved from the Titanic shipwreck.

It’s the first time the touring expo has visited San Diego and Michael Hager, CEO and president of the Museum, said he is anxiously awaiting its arrival.

“We’ve been preparing for this for the past six months. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us and for visitors. It’s pure serendipity that the exhibition will be here during the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic.” Hager said.

The traveling exhibit is being brought to Balboa Park by way of R.M.S. Titanic, Inc., an Atlanta-based company dedicated to preserving the legacy of the infamous ship. The company is the sole salvor-in-possession to the wreck site of the Titanic, having conducted eight research expeditions to the depths of the wreckage to retrieve valuable artifacts since 1987. To date, they own more than 5,500 artifacts from the Titanic, displayed simultaneously in different cities around the world.

Theresa Nelson, spokesperson for R.M.S. Titanic, Inc., said the exhibition in Balboa Park will be one for the books. She said the interactive exhibit – which includes an admission ticket in the form of a replica Titanic boarding pass, with an actual passenger’s name on it – will display unbelievable artifacts, including fine china from the White Star Line ship and personal items belonging to passengers.

“The San Diego exhibition includes these delicate little perfume vials that belonged to a second- class passenger named Adolphe Saalfeld, who was a perfume salesman,” Nelson said. “It’s always amazing when we can trace an artifact directly to its owner.”

Nelson said another must-see artifact is man’s jacket that was recovered and preserved from the wreckage. Nelson said it was encased in a leather suitcase underwater, which acted as a protective time capsule for the textile, which otherwise would’ve disintegrated over time.

“These artifacts are so powerful because they were once thought to be lost forever. They tell the personal stories of passengers and crew, real people, who were on board. It’s hard to look at a jacket and not imagine the person it might have belonged to,” she said. “This exhibit will really connect visitors to the people who lost their lives on the Titanic.”

Nelson said exhibition visitors can walk through recreated scenes from the ship’s interior, including a first-class passenger cabin and third-class cabin. She said the major class distinctions of that historical period would be especially prevalent in those recreations. Guests will also learn exactly how the Titanic struck that deadly iceberg and how R.M.S. Titanic, Inc. has been obtaining pieces of the wreck over the past 25 years.

Hager said the Museum will also boast additional displays created in-house, exclusive to the San Diego exhibit.

“We’ve recreated a full-size replica of a boiler from the Titanic so people can see how huge these things were. We’ve also recreated one of the watertight doors that were supposed to keep the ship from sinking,” said Hager.

For the centennial sinking anniversary on April 15, Hager said the Museum will host special commemorative events, to be announced closer to that date.

“I expect people to emotionally attach to this exhibition. It will be quite the experience,” he said.

Tickets to Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition start at $27 and the exhibit runs Feb. 10 through Sep. 9 at the Museum. For more information, visit sdnhm.org.