An iceberg sank the original, but planning rules may scupper a 100ft replica of the Titanic made by a marine fanatic in his back yard. Stan Fraser, 47, spent 12 years building his 1:10 scale model and 11th April opened it to the public, 100 years on from the vessel’s ill-fated maiden voyage. However, the father-of-five failed to get planning permission for the tribute created at his home next to a canal. Now he has gone public, he is braced for a visit from the Highland Council which covers his home in Inverness.

The former lighting engineer hopes his aim of raising money for the RNLI will invoke the compassion of officialdom.

He suffers from ME, which has left him unable to work, but he defied the debilitating illness to slowly build the replica, using two caravans as a base.

His first visitors heard a foghorn and saw lights twinkling in the portholes, just as happened on the original before it sank in April 1912.

‘This is my tribute to a great ship and those who died on her,’ said Mr Fraser.

Shipwrecks and maritime disasters have always captivated the public imagination and none more so than the luxury liner RMS Titanic, which sank on her maiden voyage one hundred years ago this year.

With the loss of 1,517 lives on April 15, 1912, three hours after the ship struck an ice berg, the real life tales of love and heroism spawned a legend and fascination which shows no sign of abating.

The obsession with Titanic continues to grow and as we approach the 100th-year anniversary, take a look at what is happening around the world to commemorate this day.




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April 15, 2012 marks the 100th year anniversary of maritime's greatest disaster - the sinking of the Titanic.

More than 200,000 records relating to the Titanic have been published online coinciding with the 100th anniversary of the ship's sinking, BBC reported Monday.

The documents provide information about survivors and the 1,500 people who died, including a number of wills and hundreds of coroner inquest files.

The collection has been gathered by the subscription-based family history website Ancestry.co.uk.

However, access to the records is free till May 31.

The Titanic, built in Belfast, sank in the Atlantic ocean after hitting an iceberg during its maiden voyage to New York, April 15, 1912.

The records include the ship's official passenger list with names, ages and occupations of those on board the ill-fated liner.

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