Last updated at 22:22, Thursday, 12 November 2009

THE three grand sisters of the White Star shipping line were unveiled in model form in Maryport this week.

The Titanic, the Olympic and the Britannic will all be displayed in Maryport’s Wave Centre for the next two weeks and will then go into storage until the fate of the town’s Maritime Museum becomes clear.

If it remains open and in local hands, the three ships, whose history is closely connected with Maryport, will be displayed there.

Among those present at the unveiling of the models on Wednesday night were George Ismay, great-nephew of White Star founder Thomas Henry Ismay, and Cliff Ismay, George’s nephew.

Cliff, one of the group who acquired the sister ships, spoke of Thomas’s love of his birthplace and his regular trips back there throughout his life.

He also spoke of the Ismay charity, which still operates. In earlier times the charity was founded to provide the elderly of Maryport with coal, food and blankets at Christmas. Mr Ismay also gave Christ Church its clock and a stained glass window to St Mary’s Church.

Invited guests were shown a film about the three ships. The Titanic is the most famous of the trio, but the Olympic and Britannic had their own share of fame.

The Olympic became a troop carrier during the first world war and earned the nickname The Old Reliable after evading three submarine attacks and being the only British passenger liner ever to sink a German submarine.

The Britannic never carried a paying passenger. She was commandeered as a hospital ship right after she was built and had accommodation for more than 3,000 hospital patients at a time.

In 1916 she was hit by a German submarine and sank within an hour.

Twenty-eight people were lost but more than 1,000 survived, including two Titanic survivors.

First published at 19:37, Thursday, 12 November 2009
Published by http://www.timesandstar.co.uk