Lecturers

Lecturers appearing on the Titanic Memorial Cruise:

Michael Martin BA (Hist)

Education

Michael completed a single honours history degree at University College Cork receiving first class honours and is currently has just submitted his doctoral thesis. He was jointly awarded the John A Murphy Memorial Prize for best dissertation on an Irish history topic.

Michael has written a book on Spike Island which was published in January 2008 Spike Island, saints, felons and famine (Dublin, 2007) is the second of his books the other, Titanic Trail Cobh Queenstown (Cork, 1998) has sold over 25,000 copies.

Michael was a guest speaker of RTE radio 1 in delivering one of the prestigious Thomas Davis Lectures. In May of 2006 he recorded a series of three contributions for the RTE Radio One show ‘Seascapes’. He has featured briefly in television documentaries produced by 20th Century Fox, Korean National Television, Australian TV and National Geographic regarding Cobh and Titanic. In the last 2 years he has featured in 3 television documentaries for RTE television. His most recent appearance was on ‘Nationwide’ of RTE on June 8th of this year. Filming for a documentary for Taiwan national TV is due to be broadcast in Autumn. He publishes an annual visitor guide to Cobh since 2003 entitled Cobh What’s on and Where.

Having retired from the Navy Michael set up and still operates an historical guided walking tour of the town of Cobh and in this regard has had visitors from over 65 countries on his walk. He received the Cobh Mayors award in 2005 for his work for the town and was made an honorary citizen of Baltimore USA by the Governor there in 2003.

Alan Hustak

Alan Hustak is a veteran Canadian journalist and broadcaster who has written for every major newspaper in Canada, and whose byline now regularly appears in The Globe and Mail. He has worked for both the Canadian Television Network and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and is the author of more than a dozen books, including Titanic the Canadian Story, the histories of several Montreal institutions, the biographies of former Alberta Premier Peter Lougheed and Montreal Mayor Sir William Hingston as well as They Were Hanged, a book on capital punishment. He is the CBC’s principle consultant on two television documentaries about Titanic being produced in English for the Canadian network, and worked on the French-Language television documentary, Halifax: Le Memoire Vivant du Titanic, all of which will be released next year. He is also an advisor to Canada Post in conjunction with the commemorative Titanic postage stamps being issued by Canada in 2012. A revised edition of his book Titanic The Canadian Story will be released in November. Recently retired, he divides his time between his home in Old Montreal and his native Saskatchewan.

Claes-Göran Wetterholm

Claes – Goran Wetterholm Author and maritime historian's interest in the Titanic began in 1961 when he watched a television documentary from the BBC on Swedish television.

Claes's research initially focused on the ship but gradually he has taken a greater interest in the personal history of the people on the Titanic and particularly the third class passengers. This has led to various books, publications, TV, and radio documentaries. Claes is also cofounder and president of the Scandinavian Titanic Society.

Claes has worked with various Titanic exhibition projects as a full time Titanic historian and has also worked with Voyager Titanic Exhibition, GmbH.

He has partaken as a maritime and Titanic historian in four different expeditions to the Titanic in cooperation with RMS Titanic, Inc. The most extensive recovery expedition so far was in 1994 when he spent around four weeks over the wreck. Whilst Claes has not dived to the wreck himself he has had the privilege to see and investigate thousands of objects as they were raised.

Philip Littlejohn

Alexander survived after being ordered to row Lifeboat 13, which also contained the youngest passenger on the Titanic, nine week old Millvina Dean and her mother.

Philip lectures widely in England and overseas for cruise liners, professional groups, schools and universities. He is the author of "Titanic- Waiting for Orders" which tells his grandfather's story. He is the only Titanic relative to make the dive to the Titanic wreck site.

“ I am delighted to be part of the cruise to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the maiden voyage of the Titanic. I'm sure my grandfather who was a 1st Class Steward on RMS Titanic would be proud to know his story will be shared with the passengers on the Balmoral. It will be an emotional moment when we are over the wreck site to which I dived in 2001 and where grandfather left Titanic rowing lifeboat 13. I am sure that everyone who takes part in the cruise will share the words of James Cameron when he completed filming his Titanic documentary "Ghosts of the Abyss" - "You may leave Titanic but Titanic will never leave you" ”

Philip Littlejohn - Grandson of Titanic survivor Alexander James Littlejohn

Peter Boyd-Smith

Born and brought up in Southampton, England, Peter has been associated with ships for most of his life.  As a young child he was often on board warships with his father, who was in the Royal Navy.  As a young adult he worked in shipping offices and for other companies associated with ships.  In 1975 he opened Cobwebs in Southampton as an antique and collectables shop.  He then decided to specialise in liners and has now become known throughout the world for his knowledge of ships and their artefacts. 

Peter advises both individual collectors and organisations such as museums, shipping lines and film and television companies.  He was an advisor to Cameron’s Titanic movie, and a consultant to RMS Titanic Inc. Salvors of the Titanic and to the Titanic Museum in Orlando, Florida.

As well as lecturing, Peter is a contributor to television and radio programmes and writes for magazines and journals.  He has written several books on ocean liners and on local history.

Books - Titanic From Rare Historical Reports, Life on the Liners, Southampton: Gateway to England, Southampton in Focus, A History of Southampton in Picture Postcards

Susie Millar

Susie Millar has lived in Belfast all her life and now runs a tour company specialising in the Titanic sites in the city. Her great grandfather, Thomas Millar was an assistant deck engineer on board Titanic and was lost in the tragedy. Her grandfather, who was left orphaned by Titanic's sinking went on to become a celebrated author and poet. Much of his work dealt with the Titanic tragedy and its effect on the family.

Susie was a television reporter in Belfast for over 20 years before setting up her own company. She also works with the SS Nomadic Trust, delivering the Titanic Nomadic Schools Project. She is a committee member of the Belfast Titanic Society.

Charles Haas & Jack Eaton

Charles and Jack are experts on all things Titanic and have written five books about the ship. They have both dived the two-and-a-half miles down to the bottom of Atlantic to see the ship with their own eyes and both say it’s like nothing they’ve ever experienced. Both have been featured speakers at the conventions of the British and Belfast Titanic Societies, and have served as consultants to Titanic-related projects and television programmes on three continents.

Charles Haas

Charlie’s interest in ships was sparked by his grandfather, who worked in the management of a New York stevedoring company. He introduced Charlie to ocean liners through his office windows, which overlooked New York Harbor. His grandfather also loaned him a copy of A Night to Remember, thus beginning a lifelong interest in the Titanic. In high school and college, he studied microfilm of newspapers’ coverage of the disaster. His particular interests are the ship’s features, exploration of the wreck, the state of the wreck and the artifacts. He is also interested in Cunard, White Star and other British shipping companies. Charlie is a co-founder of the Titanic International Society, a longtime trustee and its current president. A lifetime highlight was making dives to the Titanic wreck in 1993 and 1996. He narrated the program “Titanic: Untold Stories,” was an active member of the 1998 expedition to the wreck, and contributed to the design of artifact exhibitions until 2000. With co-author John P. Eaton, he has written five books: Titanic: Triumph and Tragedy, Titanic: Destination Disaster; Titanic, The Exhibition; Titanic: A Journey Through Time; and Falling Star: Misadventures of White Star Line Ships.

Jack Eaton

Jack is particularly interested in the Titanic’s crew and ships that played a role in the Titanic story. Jack is a co-founder of Titanic International Society and a longtime trustee and historian for the group. He has served as historical consultant to expeditions to the wreck site in 1993, 1996 and 1998 and made a dive to the wreck in 1993. He contributed to the design of artifact exhibitions before 2000 for RMS Titanic, Inc., and the Maryland Science Center. He has appeared in many TV documentaries and written numerous articles for Voyage, the TIS journal. With his co-author Charles Haas, he has written five books: Titanic: Triumph and Tragedy, Titanic: Destination Disaster; Titanic, The Exhibition; Titanic: A Journey Through Time; and Falling Star: Misadventures of White Star Line Ships.

Senan Molony

Dublin, Ireland.

Senan is the political editor of the Irish Daily Mail. Born in 1963, he has over 25 years’ experience in journalism.

He has written and lectured extensively on the Titanic and other ships. He is the single leading contributor of research articles to the website Encyclopedia Titanica – approaching 60 papers in all – and has appeared in a number of maritime history documentaries.

He has authored several significant Titanic books, among other works of history. They include The Irish Aboard Titanic; Titanic and the Mystery Ship, Titanic: Victims and Villains, and most recently, Titanic Scandal: The Trial of the Mount Temple.

Familiar with all the major Titanic sites, her building and her complement of both passengers and crew, Senan is a specialist rooted in the events in 1912 who believes continuous research is vital to illuminating the incomparable Titanic story for future generations.

From a seafaring family, an uncle was a Merchant Marine captain in the Second World War whose vessels were twice sunk by enemy action. Another uncle became commanding officer of the Irish Naval Service, while a great uncle sailed the Lusitania to New York before she was destroyed steaming eastbound in 1915.

Mr. Molony lives in Dublin, Ireland, with wife Brigid and their three children.

Commodore Ronald W Warwick OBE FNI LLD MNM

Commodore Warwick commenced his sea-going career at the age of 15 as a cadet at the pre-sea training ship HMS Conway in North Wales. He became an indentured apprentice two years later on the cargo ships of the Port Line whose principal area of trade was Australia and New Zealand. After obtaining his Second Mate’s Certificate in 1962, Commodore Warwick spent the next several years sailing with various companies to gain experience on different types of ships. It was during this time he served as Fourth Officer on the Royal Mail cruise liner RMS Andes and this experience left him with the desire to eventually specialize in passenger shipping.

He was Navigator on the first world cruise of the QE2 in 1975 and Chief Officer for a number of years, which included the period when the liner was requisitioned by the British Government for service in the Falkland Campaign. In June 1996, Commodore Warwick was appointed to the position of Marine Superintendent of the Cunard Line fleet. He then went on to take permanent command of the Queen Elizabeth 2. During his association with the QE2 he originated the first authoritative book about the liner.

For the years 2002 and 2003, Commodore Warwick held the position of President of the annual Merchant Navy Memorial Service. The service is held every September at the Tower Hill memorial in London to honour all those merchant seafarers that lost their lives in times of conflict.

In February 2004, the Commodore received the Shipmaster of the Year award from the Nautical Institute and Lloyds List. This accolade was closely followed a few months later on the opposite side of the Atlantic. In New York, at a special function held on board the Queen Mary 2, the Commodore was presented with the prestigious Silver Riband Award by the Ocean Liner Council of the South Street Seaport Museum for his lifetime achievement in the maritime industry. In 2005 he was made an Officer of the British Empire in the Queen’s Birthday Honours, received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Liverpool, awarded the Merchant Navy Medal and was elected a Honourary Fellow of the Institute of Transport Administration.  In 2006 he was elected an Honourary Member of The Company of Master Mariners of Canada and in November 2007 received the Honourary Degree of Doctor of Maritime Studies from Southampton Solent University.

His interest in the Titanic lead to a visit in August 2001 by deep-sea submersible to the wreck which lies at a depth of two and a half miles below the surface of the North Atlantic Ocean.

All lectures will be spoken in English.