The first of a series of new projects based on Nova Scotia's marine heritage was unveiled today, when the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, Halifax, launched its newly expanded exhibit, Titanic: The Unsinkable Ship and Halifax.

The permanent exhibit, originally opened in December, has been expanded in response to the huge demand for Titanic information following the success of the blockbuster film. The new exhibit is now about three times its original size, and contains over 40 new items.

"This exhibit will help Nova Scotians and our visitors from around the world learn the real Titanic story," said Education and Culture Minister Robbie Harrison. "The reality is more touching and personal than any movie could convey."

Halifax has a strong connection to the Titanic story. In 1912, the first ships dispatched to the scene of the sinking came from Halifax, and almost 150 victims were laid to rest in three local cemeteries. Almost 85 years later, part of the film was shot here.

Among the new pieces in the exhibit are a bench from the first-class deck, a new wreckwood display containing many new pieces, including a beautifully carved table leg which closely matches photographs of tables in the first-class lounge, and a postcard mailed from Halifax to Owen Sound, Ontario on May 1, 1912, recounting the writer's emotion as he watched the arrival of the victims' bodies that very day.

Particularly moving is the wall on which the names of all the Titanic's passengers and crew have been painted, with the survivors' names in white and the victims' names in black.

The exhibit expansion is the first project in a provincewide series called Voyages Remembered. A partnership between the Province of Nova Scotia, the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, and Halifax Regional Municipality, Voyages Remembered aims to interpret the real stories which make up the province's marine heritage.

Under the Canada/Nova Scotia COOPERATION Agreement on Economic Diversification, the provincial and federal governments are dedicating $500,000 to these projects over the next two years. An additional $100,000 is coming from joint initiatives with Halifax Regional Municipality and the private sector.

Senator Al Graham, Minister responsible for Nova Scotia, said on behalf of Fred Mifflin, Secretary of State for Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), "The compelling story of the Titanic has distinct ties to Nova Scotia, and this expanded exhibit plays a key role in educating visitors and Nova Scotians alike. The exhibit is also important to the province's tourism industry, a growth area strongly supported by the federal government."

Halifax Mayor Walter Fitzgerald, said, "Our municipality has been associated with the preservation and protection of the Titanic grave sites since 1912. We are very pleased that this latest effort will allow us to share our part of the history with the world, yet ensure that the dignity and public respect for these grave sites will be preserved."

Other projects include the preservation and upgrading of Titanic sites, including three Halifax cemeteries; informative displays and audiovisual presentations at the International Visitor Information Centre in Halifax; improved interpretation at other Titanic sites throughout Nova Scotia; literature and guides for visitors; and improvements to sites connected to the Halifax Explosion.

Sensitivity and authenticity will be paramount throughout all stages.

According to provincial estimates, Titanic initiatives will inject $20 million in additional tourism revenues into the provincial economy in 1998. That should also generate an additional $2 million in tax revenues.

The Economic Diversification Agreement is managed federally by the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency and provincially by Economic Development and Tourism.

Harold Rennie

Nova Scotia Marketing Agency

Phone: 902-424-0939

E-mail: renniehd@gov.ns.ca

Geraldine Beaton

Halifax Regional Municipality

Phone: 902-490-5977

E-mail: beatong@region.halifax.ns.ca

Angela Campbell

Maritime Museum of the Atlantic

Phone: 902-424-6446

E-mail: campbeam@gov.ns.ca

Catherine MacIsaac

ACOA

Phone: 902-426-9304

E-mail: cmacisaa@acoa.ca