Titanic Memorial At Sinking Site 100 Years On

Passengers on a Titanic memorial cruise have been marking the 100th anniversary of the disaster with a ceremony at the site of the sinking.

Rev Huw Mosford held a short service on the MS Balmoral to remember the 1,512 people killed, after the vessel reached the fateful spot in the Atlantic.

Deckboys then threw wreaths into the water from three sections of the cruise ship, which has been retracing the route of the ill-fated liner.

The 1,309 passengers of the ship - including descendants of the victims - heard the captain make an announcement before an emotional minute's silence was held.

It was 2.20am on April 15, 1912, when the liner sank on its maiden voyage. It was sailing from Southampton to New York when it collided with an iceberg 375 miles off Newfoundland. Of the 2,228 passengers on board, only 706 survived.

As well as a service in Southampton, the 100th anniversary was also marked in Northern Ireland and in the Irish Republic, where many of the victims were from.

The largest commemoration took place north of the Irish border.

Thousand of people attended or listened to a service of remembrance at Belfast City Hall, which featured another minute's silence.

Lord Mayor Niall O Donnghaile unveiled a new section of the city's long-established Titanic memorial garden. It includes the first monument in the world to list all 1,522 victims.

Una Reilly, head of the Belfast Titanic Society, said: "The focus of the world is on Belfast and we are doing her proud."

Robert Ballard, an oceanographer who found the wreckage of the Titanic, told Sky News: "My thoughts were at the site. I've spent a lot of time with Titanic, more time than the passengers did, so my thoughts were at the bottom of the ocean where I found her."

South of the border, in Lahardane, or Addergoole, County Mayo, villagers organised a church bell ringing.

The tiny parish suffered the greatest proportionate loss - 11 residents died in the maritime disaster.

A century later, they are still mourning their dead.

Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny was due to attend a ceremony in Lahardane's newly-constructed Titanic memorial park.

Belfast recently opened a new £97m Titanic visitor attraction - the largest in the world.

The ship was built in and launched from the city's Harland and Wolff shipyard.