Yeah but the passengers actually embarked from Cobh. White Star Line had a pier in Cobh (now called the Kennedy Pier) that the tenders left from, so it's fairly legitimate for Cobh to stake a claim to the Titanic history. I'd hardly call it "hijacking".
My point is just to correct OP. This photo couldn't possibly have been taken from Queenstown as it was never there. You will note there is no town or land in the photo. More likely taken from Crosshaven or Roches Point.
It was at the harbour mouth so would definitely have been visible from Queenstown (Cobh). Once it started to move off westwards it wouldn’t be any longer.
No for 2 reasons, looking out from the pier in Cobh, directly in front of you is Spike island, which almost completely obstructs your view of the harbour mouth. Also, it didn't drop anchor at the harbor mouth. It was closer to Roches Point, which is basically Trabolgan and is not in view from Cobh. Cruise ships couldn't enter the harbor (or the mouth) as their turning circles were too wide at the time, called a tactical turn.
Bonus reason. If it was visible from Cobh someone would have taken a photo as it dropped anchor just before noon. But no such photo from Cobh exists. There are 2 last known photos of Titanic both taken from near Crosshaven / Camden Fort where Titanic was visible.
If you were up by the Cathedral or at any height, which a lot of the town is, you can see over Spike. You wouldn’t from the pier that’s correct, but you didn’t specify location. You just said Queenstown.
Cameras weren’t as common back then and taking photos of a liner that you don’t know is going to subsequently sink so there would be no reason to. The sight of a liner at the mouth would have been v common and apart from it being its maiden voyage probably not noteworthy.
Yes, I take your point. It would have been visible from the elevated areas of Queenstown. I should have specified the pier / main thoroughfare.
On cameras, yes they weren't common but certainly weren't uncommon by 1912 either. I would respectfully say that Titanics maiden voyage was noteworthy, precisely because it was the maiden voyage and it was the biggest ship of its day. My point was that the people who did have cameras had to go to Crosshaven/ Roches Point to capture an image.
Also just to inform people that Titanic didn't visit Cobh in the way that cruise ships do today. Which was my previous imagining.
Another fun fact, there was a question on the chase before, where did Titanic last dock before she sank?. I assumed Queenstown. The answer was of course... Cherbourg which sparked my interest on Titanic's visit to our shores.
Yes to be fair if you didn’t know where Cobh is situated you would assume it actually docked in the town. Especially when they do nowadays and if you’d seen those photos. Even though they are longer stop offs rather than the short one Titanic had. I suppose it’s always been said as Queenstown:Cobh rather than qualified as the mouth of Cork Harbour. And the fact the passengers embarked from Cobh prob meant that was how it became known. Presume that was how it was printed on tickets/advertisements.
I wasn’t sure if the fact it was a maiden voyage was notable enough for people to be aware of or interested in. And yes def would have had to be in Roches point or Crosshaven to take a photo this close up. This photo looks like it was taken from another boat though, maybe a bigger tender that was waiting for the smaller boat. The tenders in Cobh were def bigger than the little boat in the photo.
Went out with a girl years ago thats great grandfather had bought her future grandfather a ticket on titanic to get him to piss off away from his daughter.
He didn't go, and the family still has the ticket.
The real question is, why was the priest summoned off the ship? Not for kiddy fiddling I wouldn't say, sure they used to send them TO the US if they got too err "prolific".
His uncle was the Bishop of Cloyne who lived in Cobh. As far as I remember he was the person who called him off. Prob thought he was off gallivanting with that camera of his and having fun and that was too frivolous for a priest. He was such a prolific amateur photographer, thousands taken. And the fact that Titsnic sank afterwards and his photos were the ones that survived made it more poignant. I’m not sure that he was ever meant to travel to the US on it though.
Fun fact, Titanic never docked or visited Queenstown (Cobh). It dropped anchor at nearby Roches Point.
The tourist office of Cobh deserves raises for hijacking this piece of history
Yeah but the passengers actually embarked from Cobh. White Star Line had a pier in Cobh (now called the Kennedy Pier) that the tenders left from, so it's fairly legitimate for Cobh to stake a claim to the Titanic history. I'd hardly call it "hijacking".
My point is just to correct OP. This photo couldn't possibly have been taken from Queenstown as it was never there. You will note there is no town or land in the photo. More likely taken from Crosshaven or Roches Point.
Hijacking was very obvious tongue in cheek.
Relax, Queenstown was still the official name of the stop. The Titanic museum is located at the pier where people were ferried to the ship.
I'm very relaxed. What's wrong with saying correctly that the photo isn't taken from Queenstown? Titanic wouldn't have been visible from Queenstown.
It was at the harbour mouth so would definitely have been visible from Queenstown (Cobh). Once it started to move off westwards it wouldn’t be any longer.
No for 2 reasons, looking out from the pier in Cobh, directly in front of you is Spike island, which almost completely obstructs your view of the harbour mouth. Also, it didn't drop anchor at the harbor mouth. It was closer to Roches Point, which is basically Trabolgan and is not in view from Cobh. Cruise ships couldn't enter the harbor (or the mouth) as their turning circles were too wide at the time, called a tactical turn.
Bonus reason. If it was visible from Cobh someone would have taken a photo as it dropped anchor just before noon. But no such photo from Cobh exists. There are 2 last known photos of Titanic both taken from near Crosshaven / Camden Fort where Titanic was visible.
If you were up by the Cathedral or at any height, which a lot of the town is, you can see over Spike. You wouldn’t from the pier that’s correct, but you didn’t specify location. You just said Queenstown.
Cameras weren’t as common back then and taking photos of a liner that you don’t know is going to subsequently sink so there would be no reason to. The sight of a liner at the mouth would have been v common and apart from it being its maiden voyage probably not noteworthy.
Yes, I take your point. It would have been visible from the elevated areas of Queenstown. I should have specified the pier / main thoroughfare.
On cameras, yes they weren't common but certainly weren't uncommon by 1912 either. I would respectfully say that Titanics maiden voyage was noteworthy, precisely because it was the maiden voyage and it was the biggest ship of its day. My point was that the people who did have cameras had to go to Crosshaven/ Roches Point to capture an image.
Also just to inform people that Titanic didn't visit Cobh in the way that cruise ships do today. Which was my previous imagining.
Another fun fact, there was a question on the chase before, where did Titanic last dock before she sank?. I assumed Queenstown. The answer was of course... Cherbourg which sparked my interest on Titanic's visit to our shores.
Yes to be fair if you didn’t know where Cobh is situated you would assume it actually docked in the town. Especially when they do nowadays and if you’d seen those photos. Even though they are longer stop offs rather than the short one Titanic had. I suppose it’s always been said as Queenstown:Cobh rather than qualified as the mouth of Cork Harbour. And the fact the passengers embarked from Cobh prob meant that was how it became known. Presume that was how it was printed on tickets/advertisements.
I wasn’t sure if the fact it was a maiden voyage was notable enough for people to be aware of or interested in. And yes def would have had to be in Roches point or Crosshaven to take a photo this close up. This photo looks like it was taken from another boat though, maybe a bigger tender that was waiting for the smaller boat. The tenders in Cobh were def bigger than the little boat in the photo.
Went out with a girl years ago thats great grandfather had bought her future grandfather a ticket on titanic to get him to piss off away from his daughter.
He didn't go, and the family still has the ticket.
How’s her great grand father now?
I'm not an expert going to say Dead a long time. How's yours?
A uprising and Two world wars wiped all relatives out
As of 2026 only 10 women that still alive are older than this photo
The real question is, why was the priest summoned off the ship? Not for kiddy fiddling I wouldn't say, sure they used to send them TO the US if they got too err "prolific".
His uncle was the Bishop of Cloyne who lived in Cobh. As far as I remember he was the person who called him off. Prob thought he was off gallivanting with that camera of his and having fun and that was too frivolous for a priest. He was such a prolific amateur photographer, thousands taken. And the fact that Titsnic sank afterwards and his photos were the ones that survived made it more poignant. I’m not sure that he was ever meant to travel to the US on it though.