Two cruise ships marked the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the RMS Titanic by tossing wreaths into the North Atlantic early Sunday morning directly over the site of the ship's wreckage.
The 450 passengers gathered on the Azamara Journey, a ship chartered for a "Titanic Memorial Cruise," began their evening of remembrance by sitting in silence as 1,503 names of those who perished aboard the Titanic were displayed on a projection screen. A ceremony followed.
"We pray for the departed, especially those who died on this night 100 years ago," said the Rev. Robert Lawrence. "We pray for the relatives of all those who died in Titanic."
Descendants of the dead, as well as Titanic enthusiasts, were among the crowd that had gathered for the occasion.
Earlier in the night, an announcement was made to let passengers know they were passing over the point where the Titanic put out its distress signal, alerting others that they needed help.
A few hours later, two wreaths were tossed overboard into the chilly waters as a way of honoring those whose lives were lost.
"This is very emotional for me to be here," said Diane Lind of Blaine, Washington. "I'm right above where that ship went down and all those people perished... All those people were out in this frigid water, frigid temperature outside and within minutes they were gone."
Lidia Anorga of Miami echoed the sentiments.
"It's about paying respects. I wish that in some way they would know that 100 years later we're still remembering them and thinking about them," she said.
The Journey is one of two ships chartered by Miles Morgan Travel for the Titanic event.
