Titanic returns to Belfast in drone show celebration

Titanic returns to Belfast in drone show celebration
A fleet of almost 1,000 drones resurrected the Titanic over the waters of her birthplace in Belfast.

The drone display used 950 drones as part of a BBC production, Made of Here, bringing the ill-fated ship to life on the same date and time that the infamous liner departed from Belfast on March 30, 1912.

The RMS Titanic departed Belfast for Southampton, picking up passengers in the city before continuing to Cherbourg and modern-day Cork. The ocean liner began its maiden voyage to New York but would strike an iceberg on the night of April 14th, 1912, sinking to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean along with 1,500 souls on board.

The drones illuminated Belfast Harbour beside the slipways where she was built, as part of a BBC campaign that aims to connect with people across the UK through homegrown storytelling.

This display was inspired by the four-part BBC series Titanic Sinks Tonight. 

Simon Young, head of history, BBC Factual Commissioning, commented: “We are so proud to have brought the Titanic back to Belfast in the shape of this extraordinary TV series. The city took the production of Titanic Sinks Tonight to its heart, and the result is a gripping second-by-second examination of the ship's final hours.

“There's no better way to mark the construction of the most famous ship in history, and the creation of this epic series, than by bringing Titanic to life in lights on Belfast harbour."