An Irish diver has succeeded in his attempt to place a memorial plaque on behalf of the Irish people on the wreck of the Titanic, 2 1/2 miles beneath the Atlantic's surface.
Ironically, given the tragedy of the 118 crew on board the Kursk nuclear submarine in the Barents Sea, Russian technology assisted with the effort. Mr Rory Golden, of Flagship Scuba-diving Ltd in Dublin, engaged the assistance of a Russian Mir submersible fitted with a robotic arm to place the plaque on the bridge of the ship which sank off Newfoundland with the loss of 1,513 lives in April, 1912.
The task was completed a week ago at latitude 41 degrees 43 minutes north, 49 degrees 56 minutes west, in the north Atlantic as part of the latest expedition to the shipwreck. The plaque was commissioned by Cobh and Harbour Chamber of Commerce and its tourism committee. It reads: "Commemorating all those lost on RMS Titanic. From the people of Cobh (Queenstown) and Ireland. Go dtuga Dia suaimhneas siorai da nanamacha. August 2000."
Mr G. Michael Harris, expedition leader and chief operating officer of RMS Titanic Inc, the legal owners of the wreck, said those who perished, including Irishwoman Margaret Rice and her five children, could now be remembered with dignity.
