April of 2001 brought about another fantastic visit to Southampton England for the British Titanic Society's convention at the Southampton Hilton.  Robert Hahn and I are two of only three Lifetime Honorary members of the BTS (the third being Melvina Dean), and are very proud of our positions.  The Trustees of the BTS  once again asked us to return this year to give lectures in the auditorium.  Robert gave a very convincing lecture on the last moments, and break-up of the Titanic as she slid under the water.  What made Robert's lecture so special was the fact that it completely defies the common theories of the Titanic's break-up.  I gave a lecture on the subject:  "Titanic-The Ship that DID Sink".  My lecture was basically a presentation on the differences between the two sisters.  This is in response to the Robin Gardiner book entitled "Titanic: The Ship that DIDN'T Sink".  As you can probably guess, I left no one second guessing that there wasn't a switch.
   This year also brought about another tour through the back roads of Southampton with Genevieve Bailey, who is a BBC radio/T.V. broadcaster and historian.   Genevieve introduced Robert and I to a man named Trevor who owns the room that was once Bruce Ismay's hotel suite at the famous South Western Hotel (now converted to high priced flats).   The Ismay Suite overlooks the Ocean dock where the White Star vessels, including Titanic, were berthed.
   Also on the list of things accomplished, was a visit with Alastair Arnott of the Southampton City  Heritage Collections.  Alastair revealed to us  that he had an actual Welin Davit set in his yard, and allowed us to photograph it.  Robert and I were also permitted to inspect some of the archives, where we found some previously unpublished pictures of the Olympic!
  I do not want to ramble on with information that can be explained in pictures, so here they are; pictures from the trip with captions.

Please enjoy,

The South Western Hotel where the big names like Bruce Ismay and Thomas Andrews stayed before the Titanic's maiden Voyage on April 10th 1912.  The interiors have  been fully refurbished, and the rooms turned into private flats.  Pieces of the marble that once lined the walls encompassing the fireplace in the grand ballroom have been donated as prizes for the TRMA modeling contest.

The view from Bruce Ismay's window over the Ocean Dock.  Unfortunately a shed is obstructing the view of what would have been a beautiful sight, as the White Star liners would be docked in the area where the floating crane is in this picture.  The Cunard dock was where the tall buff faced storage bins are located to the left of the crane.

The old White Star Ocean dock as it appears today.  This picture is looking outward from the rear.  The Titanic's stern would have been right where I was standing.  the sheds have long since been knocked down.
 

Me, Robert and Genevieve Bailey (BBC Historian) at the Grapes having a drink. The man in the forefront at right is a relative of a crewman who perished on the Titanic, and I believe his name Bin.

The Gala Dinner.  I do not know all of the people's names who dined with us, and are seated here at our table, but the man with the beard to the left is Alan Ruffman, author of "TITANIC REMEMBERED: The Unsinkable Ship and Halifax".  Seated to Alan's left and moving right are: Charlie Haas, Robert Hahn, Bruce Beveridge, an empty seat  reserved for someone who will remain nameless, two officers from Titanic International, and Jack eaton.  I do not know who the man and woman are sitting in the front (at least as of this writing anyway).
 
 

Bruce Beveridge