SEPTEMBER 1 will mark the 30 years since the final resting place of the Titanic was discovered on the ocean bed of the Atlantic.

The world’s most famous ship was discovered in 13,000 feet of water in 1985 – 73 years after it sank after hitting an iceberg on its maiden voyage. As the ship went down on April 15, 1912, band master and violinist Wallace Henry Hartley, born in Colne, is remembered for leading the eight-member band on deck. His father was Albion Hartley, choirmaster and Sunday school superintendent at Bethel Independent Methodist Chapel, in Burnley Road.

After leaving Colne’s Methodist day school Wallace started work with the Craven and Union Bank in Colne. He joined the Cunard Line as a musician in 1909, serving on the ocean liners RMS Lucania, RMS Lusitania and RMS Mauretania and three years later was appointed bandmaster for the White Star Line ship RMS Titanic.

The Titanic was built at the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast, where the Titanic Belfast museum – the largest in the world is now based, which tells the story of the ill-fated liner and displays historic artefacts. To mark the anniversary of the discovery of its graveyard, the museum has put together a list of facts about the liner.

  • Did you know that: n At 271 metres long, the Titanic spanned three Atlantic Ocean wave crests.
  • Titanic’s funnels were wide enough to drive a train through.
  • Facilities on board included a gym, pool, Turkish bath, a kennel for first class dogs, and a squash court.
  • It had nine decks, seven for the use of its passengers – although it had capacity for 3,500, it had 2,200 on board on that first voyage.
  • The famous staircase, which was among the most luxurious appointments on the ship, was inspired by that in Belfast City Hall, which can still be visited today.
  • Titanic was stocked with literally tons of food and drink – including 40,000 eggs and 15,000 bottles of ale.
  • Titanic was launched in 62 seconds on May 31, 1911 and it sank in two hours 40 minutes. n It could accommodate a maximum of 64 lifeboats, but 20 boats were installed during construction to avoid cluttering the deck and provide more space for passengers.
  • Titanic now lies 370 miles off the coast of Newfoundland, nearly two and a half miles below sea level overlooking a canyon.