In other news, the NIO Minister David Hanson announced today that the Department of Social Development has bought a boat at an auction in Paris.. at a cost of €250,001. Some restoration work will be required, he thanked Belfast City Council for the £100,000 towards that.. and has set up a Charitable Trust for further fundraising.. emphasising that “no further public funding is available for the cost of restoration”.. [shouldn’t you say that it’s the SS Nomadic? – Ed] Oops, that’s €250,001 or, as this report points out, £171,320.The BBC report mentions some of those careful owners.. and the next stage.. and the estimated cost –
The 221st ship ferried passengers to the White Star liner Olympic, and in April 1912, it did the same job for Titanic.
Nomadic saw service in both world wars and was later used as a restaurant on the Seine in Paris.
More recently, it has been languishing semi-derelict in the port of Le Havre.
A feasibility study by Belfast City Council estimated the cost of buying the ship and bringing it back to the city would be around £750,000.
It would then need about £7m to restore the ship to its former glory.