Nomadic settles in permanent home

The Nomadic as she looked early in the 20th century

The SS Nomadic, which was used to ferry passengers out to the Titanic, is to take up permanent residence in Belfast.

The tender ship will be part of a major tourist attraction built around the story of the Titanic's heritage in Northern Ireland.

It will be housed behind the Odyssey at Hamilton Graving Dock, which was once part of the Harland and Wolff shipyard.

Nomadic has attracted huge interest from around the world since it returned to Belfast from France two years ago.

The ship, which was built in Belfast, saw out the end of the last century as a floating restaurant beside the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

It is expected to be moved to Hamilton Graving Dock before the end of the year when renovation work will continue.

The dock, in the Abercorn Basin, has not been used for more than 15 years and is also being renovated.

The ship's return to Belfast came almost a century after it was built by Harland and Wolff, the company which also built the Titanic.

It was commissioned by the famous White Star Line and was used to take first and second class passengers out to Titanic at Cherbourg in 1912.