The legend, mystery and tragedy of the RMS Titanic remain objects of interest and fascination for historians and the general public even more than a century later.
Individuals take from it the lesson they want, be it’s the arrogance of mankind for launching a ship deemed as “unsinkable” on April 10, 1912, to the tragedy of approximately 1,500 people perishing when it went under in the frigid waters of the North Atlantic four days later in an event that, through the lenses of technology and time, could have been avoided.
The tragedy has also served as a tool of education through traveling presentations such as “Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition,” which is set to open at Cleveland’s Great Lakes Science Center Thursday, May 21.
It’s the third time a Titanic exhibit has sailed into the center – 2002 and 2013 were other years – but this iteration, brought to Cleveland in cooperation with Atlanta-based RMS Titanic Inc., is the most expansive and technologically augmented, said that organization’s president Tomasina Ray, during a tour at the science center. That technology enhances and moves the story forward.
“We’ve been doing this almost 40 years now, so we have the largest archive, obviously the only artifact collection from the wreck site, so being able to bring you to the science center, bringing that recovery and expedition science to the forefront, being able to talk about the preservation and the conservation and how the things ended up this way is something that we’re really proud of,” she said.
All aboard the RMS Titanic at the Great Lakes Science Center
First and foremost, the exhibition strives to provide a feeling of the journey from start to the eventual tragedy.
Entering the shipyard where boarding began, passengers receive an education in the ship’s construction along with the opportunity to view a host of artifacts from the ship’s whistles to a leather satchel that’s been painstakingly preserved.
“This time we’re really more science forward, especially by having the expedition gallery in the front because we really want people to understand how these things were recovered and … the ongoing research behind the exhibition,” Ray said.
Eventually that includes getting a taste of the opulence of first-class quarters to what it felt like to travel in second and third class. Each room comes with a host of antiquities from those that are primarily ship related – twisted rivets, for example – to the deeply personal.
Possessions that give voices to the voiceless from Titanic
Viewing the items of passengers make viewing them emotionally moving. In one such room are the those of 27-year-old Franz Pulbaum, a machinist, born in Germany, who had immigrated to the United States in 1907.
He was on a visit to Europe returning to his Coney Island home when he boarded the ship in Cherbourg, France. His trunk with a plethora of possessions was recovered on one expedition.
“You can see that in the postcards that he collected and in the tools that he had and the souvenirs that he collected while he was in Paris for work,” Ray said. “So, you can really start to see their personalities come out in the objects that they had with them. And now that the voices of Titanic are all gone, like there’s nobody there left who was there for it. These objects and these connections are really the last thing that we can bring to people to tell the story.”
One of the objects includes a small, touchable portion of the hull that provides not just a tactile connection, but almost spiritual one given the ship’s legend.
But what is equally compelling about the exhibition is the non-profit behind the it that honors the legacy of everyone aboard, including the crew.
The human, working class face of tragedy of the RMS Titanic
Upon entering the boiler room portion of the journey, you receive the perspective of what it meant to work in the area that powered the vast vessel. Almost immediately, even with some truly amazing artifacts on display, including a gear system for the watertight doors, your eyes are drawn to the faces on the wall, particularly that of Walter Binstead, who despite being 20, looked 12. Although he survived, given his age, it truly puts a face on the tragedy and provides a reminder that no one is guaranteed another day.
It also allows the for the revelation of the lack of humanity, courtesy of the ship’s owners, the White Star Line, as the moment the ship sank, Ray said, crew members who perished were considered off the clock and their families were treated without much regard. The ship line barely paid any damages and even billed families for dead crew members uniforms.
“We romanticize Titanic sometimes. We romanticize the work of the crew, but I mean they were employed by someone. We need to make sure that we don’t give them a free pass necessarily,” Ray said. “White Star Line’s not around anymore. They [were] absorbed by their rival eventually, Cunard Line, but we want to make sure that it’s known what these people went through and the aftermath of Titanic is just as important as the actual event itself.”
That is dealt with impressively and with the interactive tools of today.
Enhancing the overall history of the Titanic through technology
A boarding pass with the name of a passenger such as Pulbaum provides entry into the exhibition and at the end it can be scanned to see whether that individual survived. The rooms also have interactive screens with original photographs and assorted facts. However, a separate virtual reality portion of the exhibition — which also carries a separate charge — puts the viewer in assorted areas of the ship from various decks.
Created by the company Titanic: Honor and Glory, it represents a truly immersive experience as senses are titillated visually with a 360-degree 10-minute tour of the ship. The VR experience’s creators spare no detail, even portraying a rodent casually strolling through the second-class dining area as if it were just enjoying the cruise.
Additionally, “The Voices of Titanic Immersive Experience,” a film shown on the Great Lakes Science Center’s enormous domed theater screen, will be available for viewing for an additional admission. It features voice actors retelling the stories of passengers adding more of a personal touch.
Taken all together — the technology, stories and artifacts — make for a chilling, memorable journey.
What to know
What: “Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition”
Where: The Great Lakes Science Center, 601 Erieside Ave., Cleveland
When: May 21, 2026 to Jan. 18, 2027
Tickets: Assorted experience prices.
George M. Thomas covers a myriad of things including sports and pop culture, but mostly sports, he thinks, for the Beacon Journal.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: ‘Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition’ sets sail at port of Cleveland
Reporting by George M. Thomas, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
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