‘I stepped on board the Titanic and saw a different side to the sinking’

At the bottom of the mid-Atlantic ocean, a dusty leather suitcase sits on the sand as fish slowly swim by. Surrounded by mangled, corroded wreckage from the Titanic, you wouldn’t notice it unless you looked hard. It belonged to William Harbeck, a cinematographer onboard the fated maiden voyage of the Titanic in 1912. But at 12,500ft below the sea, the film inside will never be recovered. Except, the leather suitcase isn’t real. But Mr Harbeck and the story behind it is, detailed in a new fully immersive virtual reality experience of the Titanic, ahead of its 113th anniversary of the sinking.

Just off of the bustling Camden High Street in north London, a small staircase leads customers to Titanic: Echoes of the Past, a VR experience Metro was able to try out. Users can step onboard a ship, go down below the waves with a submarine and hear more about the history of the Titanic which many aren’t aware of. The 3D immersion allows you to walk around while exploring the grand decks, wander through the lavish rooms, and even visit the captain’s chambers.

Karl Blake-Garcia, the venue director for Eclipso London, told Metro the program took two years to fine-tune the technology and create the content, characters, and scenes. ‘We consulted two researchers that have spent a large part of their life researching the Titanic,’ he added. In the virtual simulation, you’re guided by ‘Dive’, a narrator in the form of a floating bubble who explains the surroundings, ranging from the wreckage on the ocean floor to the various passengers you see in their rooms.

To get the latest news from the capital visit Metro's London news hub. The almost dizzying experience is made more real by surround sound on the VR headset, and technology alerts you if you’re close to a wall while walking around. The experience follows Mr Harbeck as he films various areas onboard the Titanic before it sank. Mr Harbeck boarded the Titanic in April 1912 as a second-class passenger and is believed to have been working with the White Star Line, the company operating the Titanic, to film its maiden voyage. He died in the sinking.

Another passenger featured in the simulation is a Chinese sailor – based on one of the six Chinese sailors who were onboard the Titanic. In the simulation, you hear the sailor’s story after discovering his amulet, long lost on the sea floor after the boat sank. ‘We wanted to show that there was a wealth of diversity on the Titanic, sailing to the States for a new beginning, a new life. There were people from all different backgrounds who were on the ship,’ Karl said.

There are also many interactive elements you wouldn’t expect – such as fish which react when you reach out to touch them and a ship bell which rings if you brush by it. Technology in the exhibit was so detailed, that Metro reporter Sarah Hooper was able to read a menu lying on the table during one scene. In another, she could read the label on a wine bottle. One scene not included is the actual sinking. Kyle said Eclipso didn’t want to make light of the tragedy.

‘We wanted to pay homage to the actual ship itself, the stories of the people that were on it, and we do give you a little glimpse at the end of the impact between the ship and the iceberg,’ he said. ‘We want to educate, we want to entertain, and we want people to be able to touch parts of history that you would never be able to touch.’. For Kyle, the experience was deeply personal. His great-grandfather helped to build the Titanic when it was still in a Belfast shipyard.

‘This allows me to go back and almost experience something that he did in his lifetime. It’s over 100 years later and I’m witnessing something he helped to build,’ he said. The exhibit will be a permanent staple in Camden, but will also branch out to other cities, including Chicago, New York, and Atlanta. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk. For more stories like this, check our news page.

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