Author Alf McCreary - who wrote Titanic Port, the history of Belfast Harbour - voices his Titanic impressions and recalls what building the ‘almost unsinkable’ ship and her tragic demise on her maiden voyage meant for Belfast and Northern Ireland at the start of the 20th century.

The underwater footage of the Titanic wreck was filmed by Robert Ballard during one of his first expeditions to the site in the 1980s. It is contrasted with some of the best known archive pictures of the ship ahead of her ill-fated journey and following the disaster.

“The Titanic was in its day one of the greatest achievements in world history, one of the greatest machines and vessels the world had ever known,” says Alf McCreary.

“It remains a reminder of what we can achieve together with our ingenuity and technology, which we don’t often talk about, but it’s also a reminder that life can be so uncertain and even an almost unsinkable ship can against all the odds drop into the ocean.

“The Titanic is a reminder of the brilliance of technology. It’s also a reminder of the power of nature.”

^{Pictures courtesy of Getty and The National Museums Northern Ireland.}