Titanic fanatic builds ship replica
June 25, 2014
Amarillo, Texas
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Joshua Milford, a Titanic historian, created a 10-foot, 60-pound replica of the ill-fated ship over two years.
By JON MARK BEILUE
There was no signature moment when the Titanic disaster became Joshua Milford’s passion, no specific incident when the famous shipwreck became so much the focus of his 32-year-old life.
“A lot of people ask me that question, and the only way I can give anybody an answer is it seems to be God-given,” Milford said. “There’s just so many things that stand out about that story that it’s hard to describe.”
Though Milford has known about Titanic most of his life, in 1996, at age 14, he became especially fascinated with the story, the 1912 wreck with the iceberg that claimed 1,503 lives on the famous ship’s maiden voyage. Then the movie “Titanic,” which won 11 Academy Awards, premiered the next year.
“The movie just brought everything to life,” Milford said. “It added fuel to the fire. I literally drove my family crazy. Everything Titanic, Titanic, Titanic. My grandmother today still tells me I live and breathe Titanic.”
It would be hard to argue with her, especially after Milford’s latest and greatest project. It took him two years, averaging 10 hours a week, but Milford has his own RMS Titanic, 1/88th to scale.
Beginning two years ago in the 100th anniversary year of the Titanic, Milford, who studies drafting at Amarillo College, built from oak, plywood and fiberglass an intricate remote controlled model of the luxury ship. It’s 10 feet long, 2½ feet high and weighs 60 pounds.
“I thought this was the best way I could present the Titanic to people so the story would be remembered,” he said. “I want to keep the story going, so that’s why I decided to make this. I thought I might as well make it big if I do that. It’s easier to detail that way.”
Milford already had Titanic blueprints in his extensive collection. He got the correct color schemes from the Titanic paintings of renowned maritime artist Ken Marschall. He’s got plenty of those in his collection as well.
The Titanic has had a hold on many for a century, and Milford lists the reasons why: It was the largest moving object made by man; it was thought to be unsinkable; it was on its maiden voyage from England to New York; many nationalities were affected; 12 square feet of damage sank the 900-foot ship; and it took more than two hours to sink.
“Most ships sink quickly,” Milford said, “but the drama with the Titanic tends to unfold over 2 hours and 40 minutes. It struck the iceberg at 11:39 p.m. on April 14, 1912, and went underwater at 2:20 a.m. April 15, 1912.”
Milford casually reels off Titanic facts like he might home improvement suggestions at Lowe’s, where he’s worked for the last 10 years. One of the 1,503 who died, Alfred Rowe, he said, donated land where the town of McLean sits.
Rowe, an English cattle baron, founded the RO Ranch near Clarendon, and gave some of his land where McLean resides.
He was returning to the Texas Panhandle from England aboard Titanic. A good swimmer, Rowe refused a spot on one of the few lifeboats for others.
Through encouragement from his late mother, Gwen Milford, he has 59 books on the Titanic, including a rare one, “The Sinking of the Titanic,” written in 1913. A friend found it in Oklahoma City. Inside is the owner’s name, written in pencil and dated from 1917.
He owns coal from the ship, the only artifact sold to the public. He has three models, including his masterpiece, and every DVD on the disaster.
“Some people don't understand it — ‘How can you be so interested about a disaster where so many people died?’ But Titanic was really meant to grab the world’s attention,” Milford said. “It was the world’s first media spectacle. When the ship sank, it was almost like a 9/11 of 100 years ago.”
Last September, Milford drove to Pigeon Forge, Tenn., home to one of two Titanic museums, for the 50th anniversary of the Titanic Historical Society, which, of course, Milford is a member.
Like the real Titanic, Milford’s model experienced some difficulty Saturday on its maiden voyage at McDonald Lake. High winds prevented the launch, which is now rescheduled most likely for July 5.
But has anyone made a scale model of an iceberg for the re-enactment? “I’ve had a lot of friends volunteer to do that,” he said.