Memorial ceremony marks Titanic's 100th anniv.

Passengers aboard the MS Balmoral participate in a memorial service at the site of the wreck site of the Titanic in the North Atlantic, marking the 100th anniversary anniversary of the disaster, early Sunday, April 15, 2012. / (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis

(AP) ABOARD MS BALMORAL - With prayers, a hymn and a moment of silence broken by a ship's deep whistle, passengers and crew on a memorial trip marked 100 years to the moment since the Titanic sent more than 1,500 people to a watery grave.

As the 1912 disaster was commemorated around the world, the city that built the vessel - Belfast, Northern Ireland - looked back on the tragic sinking with a distinctive mixture of sorrow and pride.

In the North Atlantic, passengers lined the decks of the MS Balmoral, a cruise ship that has been retracing the route of the doomed voyage, as the ship stopped early Sunday at the spot where the Titanic went down in the early hours of April 15, 1912.

After a short service and a moment of silence, three floral wreaths were cast onto the waves as the ship's whistle sounded in the dark.

A crew member throws a wreath overboard during a memorial service aboard the MS Balmoral at the wreck site in the North Atlantic Ocean.

/ AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis

Jane Allen from Devon in southwest England, whose great-uncle perished on the Titanic, said the moment vividly reminded her of the horror of the disaster.

"All you could hear was the swell splashing against the side of the ship. You could see the white breakers stretching out to sea," she told the BBC. "You are in the middle of nowhere. And then you look down over the side of the ship and you realize that every man and every woman who didn't make it into a lifeboat had to make that decision, of when to jump or stay on the ship as the lights went out."

Another cruise ship, Journey, which traveled from New York, also held a service at the site, 400 miles off the coast of Newfoundland.

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The Titanic, the world's largest and most luxurious ocean liner, was traveling from England to New York when it struck an iceberg at 11:40 p.m. on April 14, 1912. It sank less than three hours later, with the loss of all but 700 of the 2,208 passengers and crew.

A century on, events around the globe marked a tragedy that retains its grip on the world's imagination.

In Belfast, a memorial monument was unveiled Sunday at a ceremony attended by local dignitaries, relatives of the dead and explorer Robert Ballard, who discovered the wreck of the Titanic on the ocean floor in 1985.

A brass band played as the granite plinth bearing bronze plaques was uncovered beside Belfast City Hall. Officials say it is the first Titanic memorial to list all victims alphabetically, with no distinction between passengers and crew members, or between first-, second- or third-class travelers.

"We remember all those who perished and whose names are herein inscribed - men, women and children - who loved and were loved, their loss still poignantly felt by their descendants," the Rev. Ian Gilpin told the crowd.

After a minute's silence, a choir sang "Nearer My God To Thee" - the hymn Titanic's band is reported to have played as the ship went down.

Belfast spent decades scarred by its link to the disaster, but has come to take pride in the feats of engineering and industry involved in building the ship. Last month, a gleaming new visitor attraction, Titanic Belfast, opened on the site of the shipyard where the doomed vessel was built.

"The focus of the world is on Belfast and we are doing her proud," said Una Reilly, chair of the Belfast Titanic Society. "We are all proud of this ship. What happened was a disaster; she was not."

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[KansasCity-2012]

The disaster began before the ship ever pulled away from the dock with her passengers.

All disasters and successes are a chain of events linked together.

The thinking that was prevalent at the time proved where the limitations existed. In those years, the "Too big to fail" mentality is what dominated and inspired confidence in clients.

Vanity continues to be a prevalent ingredient in many disasters, today.

[julianpenrod]

They can post any speed they want tfor the Carpathia, to make the story work. But there are so many points acceded to that stretch crdulity to the breaking point that they are sufficient to brand the "official story" a lie. No Captain would order wireless operators to shut down, especially at night! They would want to know if there is trouble in the darkness or if others were in distress! That can even be considered a breach of maritime law! As can failing to follow up on emergency rockets, assuming without verification that they were just for celebration! And as for how the band was dressed, for that kind of climate, someone dressed thickly enough to be warm would find it difficult to maneuver, and someone dressed solely in evening clothes would find it too cold to keep from shaking or being numb. This doesn't assert how they were dressed, only that the ways they wouild be dressed conflict with the story that they were playing. Indeed, playing comfortingly could cause many to be too calm and endanger their lives!

[retm-w]

Go back to maritime law at that time, there was no requirement to man the wireless 24 hours a day. Do some researh on the Carpithia itself.

[carterda]

What a total bunch on nonsense, by someone obviously fascinated by their own words...

[lomeranger]

100 years of history, stories and also artifacts. I found the unique menu being sold on ebay - titanicmenu (dot) servepics (dot) com

[julianpenrod]

The fact is that the "official story" of the Titanic is as full of holes as the "official story" of Spetember 11. And the more it is looked into, the less and less credible it becomes. Many, however, tend to fixate solely on visceral aspects of a story, so they will completely ignore the fact that, frankly, it is so unlikely, if not implausible, that the Titanic occurred, it is all but inane to lend it any significant credence. No shipbuilder or ship line would play around with dangerous designs and operation and risk the kind of lawsuits that could result. Most disasters occurred in spite of safeguards, but Titanic is described as having been built deliberately without safeguards! In fact, despite claims, the lifeboats could have carried more than 80% of the entire passenger list, but, for example, the first lifeboat launched had only 19 people, rather than the 65 or more for which it was rated! And it begs disbelief that a wireless operator on Titanic actually told other ships to stop sending reports on pack ice! The Carpathia, the ship credited with most of the rescues, was reportedly less than 60 miles away when contacted, yet took four hours to reach Titanic! Meanwhile, the Californian is described as no more than about 10 miles away and as having watched as Titanic sank, thinking the distress flares were party rockets! No ship's captain ever would assume out of hand that signs of distress aren't distress! That is inherent in all long time seamen! And it is not credible that a band wouild have played on the deck. If they were suited against the cold, they would find it difficult to play and, if they had only inside clothes on, they would be too cold or even numb to play! And there is a mysterious newsreel that shows Titanic being guided out of Southampton by English design tugboats that claims to be of Titanic's sister ship Olympic in New York Harbor! The names of the tugs, on their sterns, are scratched out in every frame of the newsreel! the "official story" of the Titanic is a lie.

[retm-w]

Do some research, the Carpathia's top speed was 14rkts or a little over 11mph. So to travel even 50 miles it would take almost 5 hours. The Californian's captain told his wireless operators to shut down at around midnight according to the reports. As for the band playing. How do you know how the band was dressed? You say it's all fake yet you post no sources to prove it.

[retiredgustav]

retm-w.....If 14 knots was the top speed ,14 kts = 16 mph.