Nomadic goes on show at the Odyssey

The historic boat SS Nomadic has docked beside the Odyssey leisure complex in Belfast, as part of a welcome home ceremony for the vessel, which was used to ferry passengers to the Titanic.

The ship arrived in the city four days ago, travelling to Belfast from the French port of Le Havre. The interior of the Nomadic will undergo extensive cleaning before it can be opened to the public, but the ship itself will remain on show at the Odyssey for two further days.

A trust has been set up by the government to decide the future of the vessel, and it is thought that the final bill for restoration could come to around £7million.

However, it is planned that a fully-restored Nomadic could become a large tourist attraction for the city, especially in light of the forthcoming centenary of the Titanic's creation and loss at sea - due to be commemorated in 2012 - which is expected to draw a large number of people to Northern Ireland.

Commissioned by the White Star Line and built by Harland and Wolff, the Nomadic was used to transfer first and second class passengers out to the Titanic at Cherbourg in France. It later became a floating restaurant beside the Eiffel Tower, before ending up in storage in Le Havre – and its home-coming to Belfast marks full circle for the ship, one of the world's last remaining links with the Titanic.

(CL)