The artifacts on display will include a large chunk of the doomed ship's hull. The exhibit opens Oct. 4.
By ROB BRANNON
Published September 17, 2003
[Times photo: Ken Helle]
"The Big Piece," the largest recovered section of the Titanic's hull, is raised by crane as it is prepared to be moved into MOSI.
TAMPA - He's traveled the world and been 2 1/2 miles below the surface of the sea. Now Mark Lach is coming home to the Tampa Bay area.
And he's bringing with him a massive chunk of steel.
Lach, who grew up in St. Petersburg, has spent the past five years working on an exhibit designed for ClearChannel Exhibitions that features RMS Titanic artifacts. The most prized possession, a piece of the doomed ship's hull encompassing two decks, has been Lach's responsibility since it was raised from the ocean floor in 1998.
Lach and the chunk, known as "The Big Piece," have traveled to major cities throughout the United States. On Tuesday, they arrived in Tampa, where the piece will be a part of the Museum of Science and Industry's Titanic exhibit, which opens Oct. 4.
"It's enjoyable to bring it back home," Lach said.
The hull piece, which came from the starboard side of the 882-foot ship near the spot where the ship broke in half while sinking, is a haunting reminder of the 1912 catastrophe that traumatized the world. Visible on the section are several rivets, as well as stateroom portholes.
The piece, the largest ever recovered, is but a small part of the exhibit. There are more than 300 artifacts in the exhibit, along with re-creations of both third- and first-class staterooms and Titanic's famous grand staircase.
Also in the exhibit is an ice-making wall intended to give visitors a realistic portrayal of the iceberg that sealed the ship's fate.
"We are the same company as the St. Pete Titanic exhibit (which ran at the Florida International Museum). This exhibit is a bit more theatrical. You walk in and on the ship," Lach said. "You really start to relate to the passengers. It's more human."
Toward that end, Lach said, each visitor will be given a boarding pass labeled with a real passenger's name. At the end of the exhibit, visitors will be urged to search a wall with the names of each of the 2,200 passengers and find out what happened to their person.
"People are going to be touched in a way they're not quite ready for," Lach said. "It's quite amazing that after 91 years, it's a story that still captivates people."
The exhibit will run at MOSI, on Fowler Avenue across from the University of South Florida, through the spring of 2004.
