Transatlantic Crossing Day 3

Start of day: Southampton, England
End of day: Southampton, England

The maiden voyage of the RMS Titanic departed Southampton April 10, 1912.

A black-and-white photograph from April 1912 of RMS Titanic moored at the Southampton docks, her black hull and three of her four tall funnels rising through hazy smoke, with crew lining the forward deck rail. A small steam tug puffs dark smoke to the left, dock cranes and warehouses line the far shore, and on the stone quay at right a man in a bowler hat and long overcoat sits on a timber beam while other dockworkers stand by a bollard — Titanic in Southampton

You know the rest of the story.

About 80% of the crew were natives of Southampton. As such, the sinking of Titanic had an outsized impact on the city. I spent a few hours that morning at the SeaCity Museum learning some of their stories.

A display at the SeaCity Museum in Southampton introducing members of Titanic's crew, with tall colored panels for Captain Edward John Smith in a blue panel, quoted as saying 'A man any officer would give his ears to sail under,' Second Officer Charles Herbert Lightoller in yellow, and Coal Trimmer Walter Francis Fredericks, each with a black-and-white portrait and biography text

A white museum display box at SeaCity holding a small paper ticket, with a placard headed 'Ticket for 2nd Class dining room' explaining that each passenger was given a ticket for one of the dining rooms - 1st, 2nd, or 3rd Class. A brown border of illustrated 'COAL' sacks surrounds the case

Close-up of an original pale blue-grey card ticket under clear mounts, printed 'White Star Line - R.M.S. Titanic - Second Class - First Sitting.'

A recreated Edwardian ship's cabin at the SeaCity Museum, with a tall wooden wardrobe on the left, a small washstand with a mirror and white towel at the back, and two wooden bunks with white bedding on the right, a dark bowler hat and a hatbox resting on the lower bunk. The floor is laid in green and cream patterned linoleum, viewed past a glass barrier with an information card

In the mid-afternoon I decided to check out Winchester, which was a short 20 minute train ride away.

A hand holding an orange-and-cream National Rail ticket reading 'Off-Peak Day Return - Valid for one journey from Winchester to Southampton Central - Adult Standard Class,' dated 17-OCT-26, over grey paving at Southampton Central station, with a navy sneaker visible at the bottom of the frame

I miscalculated some with my timing, as the Winchester Cathedral and The Great Hall were both set to close shortly after I arrived. I did a large loop through the town and found my way back to the train station.

One note on the ticket shown above: magnets will eat these. Magnets like the cell phone we all carry in our pockets. Of the 4 times I needed to use the ticket, it failed 3, each time requiring human intervention. Something to be mindful of so you don’t repeat my mistake.

Once back in Southampton, I wandered around for a bit looking for a dinner place but ultimately ended up having chili at the hotel.

A small square tile mosaic of a startled Homer Simpson on a blue background, set into the side of a concrete plinth beneath a metal post at a covered bus area in Southampton, with a long lit canopy, people walking in the distance, and a red 'Locked Room' sign on the building to the right

Tomorrow: the cruise begins!