Titanic ferry to be auctioned off

The Nomadic took passengers out to the Titanic

A ferry that transported passengers to the ill-fated Titanic before its maiden voyage is going under the hammer in France on Thursday.

The SS Nomadic is being auctioned in Paris for 250,000 euros (£170,000), the French Titanic Society said.

At least three buyers - from Belfast, Monaco and France - are expected to bid for the derelict vessel.

The 67-metre (221-foot) ship is docked in the port of Le Havre after finishing its life as a floating restaurant.

The ship is up for auction as the Port of Paris authorities try to recover unpaid mooring fees.

A company from Northern Ireland is hoping to take the Nomadic back to Belfast - where she was built - for a full restoration, as part of a permanent Titanic memorial.

Tragic history

In 1912, the Nomadic transported 142 passengers from Cherbourg to the Titanic for its inaugural voyage.

The Titanic sank five days later with the loss of more than 1,500 people when she hit an iceberg en route to America.

The Titanic sank on its maiden voyage to New York

Following the disaster, the Nomadic was used to move cargo and passengers onto massive trans-Atlantic liners.

After its last transfer, for the Queen Elizabeth II in 1968, it was sold to a scrap metal dealer for demolition.

It sat derelict until 1974 when Yvon Vincent bought the vessel and transformed it into a floating restaurant on the River Seine in Paris.

It has been in dry dock in Le Havre since 2000 after being seized by the Paris Port Authority for unpaid mooring fees.

The Nomadic failed to sell at auction last year for a reserve price of 500,000 euros (£340,000).