SS Nomadic, Belfast

Originally posted online on 30 November 2014 at rmchapple.blogspot.com

(http://rmchapple.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/ss-nomadic-belfast.html)

3D images >

SS Nomadic today in the Hamilton Graving Dock

Belfast has a long history as a centre of marine commerce and construction. Of all the
thousands of boats and ships built here, one name stands out above the others: Titanic.
Pretty much everyone knows the story of how it was built in Belfast by Harland and
Wolff along with sister ships Olympic and Britannic and, after encountering an
iceberg, went to a watery grave somewhere in the North Atlantic, around 450 miles
east of New York. Youve seen the movie, listened to endless renditions of that song,
and had the opportunity to buy all sorts of Titanic-related merchandise of varying
levels of tastelessness. Belfast, of course, has been as good as any in promoting and
marketing the citys links to the ill-fated luxury liner. We now have the fantastic (and
incredibly popular) Titanic Belfast experience [Website | Facebook | Review | Video]
and the wonderful Titanic exhibit at the Ulster Folk & Transport Museum
[Website | Facebook | Video]. Ive been to both on several occasions, and love them
dearly but theyre not without drawbacks. The Belfast Titanic centre is lacking in
original artefacts, while those at the Ulster Folk & Transport Museum are all behind
glass. I never thought that either of these were drawbacks until I visited an original
Titanic artefact you can not only touch, but stand on, sit in, and walk through!
 Chapples Minor await the start of our tour
The SS Nomadic was built by Harland and Wolff for the White Star Line. She was to
be based in Cherbourg and used as a tender to bring luggage and passengers out to
Titanic and Olympic, neither of which could berth in the shallower waters of the port.
Her keel was laid down on December 22nd 1910 and she was launched (to relatively
little fanfare, I would imagine) on April 25th 1911. The vessel could carry up to 1000
passengers and was divided into first and second class areas but never the twain shall
meet! A small area at the aft end of the lower deck was used for the overspill of
passengers from her sister ship, SS Traffic. Nomadic was designed to be part of a
seamless, luxurious experience (for those in first class, at any rate) and the ship was
kitted out to the same high standards as were found on-board the liners she served.
She arrived for duty in Cherbourg in June 1911 and on April 10th she transported 274
passengers out to Titanic, anchored in deeper waters. Among the great and the good
she transported that day were Sir Cosmo Duff Gordon, his wife Lady Lucy Duff-
Gordon, millionairess Margaret the Unsinkable Molly Brown, and
industrialist Benjamin Guggenheim.

SS Nomadic and the Titanic centre

So there you have it! One day in the sun and poor old SS Nomadic was no more! Well,
you could be forgiven for expecting that, as thats where the Belfast and Titanic
connections end. However, thats not where Nomadics adventures end and thats not
where the tour ends, either! War broke out in 1914, and from then until 1919 she was
employed as a minesweeper and patrol ship. She also worked as a troop ship, ferrying
American soldiers at the port of Brest. She eventually went back to tendering duties
before being sold off by the merged White Star and Cunard Lines (getting renamed
Ingenieur Minard in the process). During World War II she was back in service,
taking part in the evacuation of Cherbourg and operated as, among other things, a
troop carrier and minelayer out of Portsmouth. Post-war, it was back to tendering from
Cherbourg for such liners as the RMS Queen Mary and the RMS Queen Elizabeth. She
lay idle for some time after being decommissioned in 1968, but was eventually bought
and converted into a floating restaurant, being moved to the Seine in Paris in 1974.
When the restaurant failed, the Nomadic was seized by the French authorities in 2002,
who removed large parts of her remaining superstructure. Nomadic eventually ended
up in Le Havre and, after the restaurateurs death in 2005, they sought either a buyer
for the vessel or, failing that, to sell her for scrap. Although there was huge interest
from individual Titanic and Industrial Heritage groups, along with wide public
support, the requisite 250,000 could not be raised, and in early 2006 the Northern
Ireland government stepped in with the necessary cash. Soon after, Nomadic returned
home to Belfast and the hard work began. The NI Department for Social Development
set up the Nomadic Charitable Trust to oversee the conservation and restoration. In
this they are supported by The Nomadic Preservation Society who raise funds, conduct
research, and publicise the ship as a tourist attraction (long may they thrive!). Along
the way several million pounds have been raised and spent bringing the ship back to
close to its original glory. Some of the most obvious and historically significant work
included the 2m contract awarded to Harland and Wolff in 2011 to restore, repair,
and rebuild (where necessary) Nomadics steelwork, along with repainting in her
original White Star Line livery. Comparing the photographs of the hull that arrived in
Belfast in 2006 significant, but sad with the accessible, refurbished, and vibrant
vessel we have today only underlines the effort and dedication poured into Nomadic
by all concerned.

Stern section
So if you head round to the Hamilton Graving Dock (where, incidentally, Nomadic
is believed to have been originally fitted out) what will you get to see? Initial entry is
by guided tour only and tickets (very reasonably priced, too) are available from the
refurbished pumping house. Once on-board youll be taken around the entire ship
stem to stern and first class to third and the crews quarters too by a truly
knowledgeable guide. When we visited it was as part of a pretty diverse group I was
there with the Chapples Minor (ages 5 & 7), there were a couple of Japanese tourists
keen to take in the sights, and a pair of very well informed maritime engineering
enthusiasts. And still our guide managed to make each part of her tour interesting and
engaging for all age and interest levels. Once the tour is complete, you are free to
wander back across the ship at your lesiure and revisit places at your own pace. And
you will want to! While the tour itself is excellent, the ship is kitted out with a nice
balance of text-and-photos display boards and the increasingly ubiquitous interactive
touch screens. The displays also use a small number of projected holographic-style
encounters with Nomadics crew and Captain (Im sure theres a technical term for the
technology, but it eludes me), along with simpler dressed mannequins, sets, and
specially recorded noises off to help bring the ship to life. All of these elements are
skilfully combined to produce a really engaging experience. I would, however, offer
one word of warning to the prospective visitor do not imagine that this is a quick
trip, twenty-minutes-and-youre-done affair! To the best of my recollection, the tour
lasted for at least an hour and a half (admittedly, this was partly fuelled by the
engineering enthusiasts asking technical questions about engine power etc. and the
Chapples Minor asking if they could play with the screens and wooden toys). Even still,
we spent another hour retracing our steps to take more photographs (me) and play
with the various toys etc. (them and me too!). However, no amount of persuading
and cajoling would get them to try on the dress-up sailor uniforms! If youve got the
time after all that exertion, or simply need the opportunity to recuperate, you can
purchase teas and coffees in the first class lounge and imagine times long past in this
beautiful, historic ship.
 The rather grand 1st Class toilets

The more utilitarian 2nd Class toilets

I do, however, have one minor criticism of the display. As this may relate more to my
own lack of knowledge of early 20th century French seafaring, I am very much open
to correction on this point. Its the crews quarters in the bow of the ship. Im willing
to ignore the iron-framed bunk bed that doesnt appear to be particularly secured to
anything. Im even willing to turn a blind eye to the typical French items of a copy
of Le Monde (even if it wasnt first published until 1944) and the accordion lying on
the mattresses. What got to me was the two plates set for dinner (with accompanying
brass candlesticks) one appeared to only be having French bread and the other had
a plate consisting solely of French onions. Balanced precariously on a bench was a
beautiful basket with bottles of interesting looking wine, wrapped up in twisted
newsprint. The whole looked like something out of rustic French eatery than what I
would imagine was a more industrial and disciplined environment on-board ship.

Internal staircase in 1st Class

Even taking my single slight reservation into account my message to you in simple: if
youre coming to Belfast this is a must-see attraction. I loved it, my kids loved it,
and wed all happily go back again. It is the last surviving White Star Line ship and
among the jewels of our European maritime heritage. Where else are you going to find
anything even remotely similar? If you have an interest in Titanic, engineering,
seafaring, social history, or simply want a good day out, this is a place not to be missed.
Its educational, its brilliantly entertaining, its heritage you can touch, feel, and be
part of youll love it!
Nomadic in her heyday in Cherbourg P. Delaunoy
used with permission of NPS

Original linoleum flooring from 1st Class

1st Class lounge with touch screens and information panels

1st Class lounge

2nd Class lounge

 2nd Class lounge

A meeting with the captain

 Reproduction chairs & linoleum go well with a partly
original table and benches

Panoramic overview of an excellent play & learn section

Chapple Minor getting excited by the fun on offer

 Learning through play at its best!
I particularly enjoyed the 'build your own SS Nomadic' & would loved to
have been able to buy one in the gift shop (hint hint)

The set of Allo Allo Crews quarters

The crew have just stepped out, but they have left their accordion, Le Monde, and
sundry things with 'French' in the title behind them
Forward storage space. There is a cunningly disguised loudspeaker somewhere in
here. I was poking about the rather lovely oil lamps on the shelf when the chamber
was filled with a cacophony of clanking chains and sundry mechanical sounds. I
thought I'd broken Nomadic!

Up on deck to take the air.

The gate visible on the right marks where the 1st and 2nd Class passengers were
divided
 View astern. One ship. French, British, Irish connections. World heritage.

The end of the tour: exit via the gift shop!

As always, I hope the photos give a feel for Nomadic and encourage visitors from near
and far to come see this amazing survivor for themselves!
 Kings of the World! Chapples Minor survey the SS Nomadic
3D images >

Resources:
The Nomadic Preservation Society | Facebook
Nomadic Belfast (tickets, events etc.) | Facebook
The SS Nomadic Wikipedia page (the source of much of the technical data used in this
post)
National Register of Historic Vessels (well worth a look, even just for the photos of
Nomadic during her refurbishment)