When John Parkinson was 5 years old, he watched Titanic sail away from the Harland and Wolff Shipyard in Belfast Ireland. His father had spent three years helping to build her, and took his son down to the docks to watch her depart. 90 years later he remembered it like it was yesterday- He could still recall the throngs of people waving good-bye to her. It would have been un-imaginable to any of them that they would never see the ship again. Titanic sank on her maiden voyage in 1912. John's father broke down and cried when he heard the news- as did nearly everyone else in Belfast- they all had family members- or at least knew someone- who had perished when she sank.
John still had in his posession his father's tools that were used in her construction. He was very proud of his connection to the ship, and enjoyed telling school children about "The World's Largest Liner" that was built in Belfast. John Parkinson passed away in 2006 at the age of 99. He was more than likely the last person alive who had actually witnessed her launch.
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