
The RMS Titanic was one of the most opulent liners ever built and the largest steamship in the world - and now it has been brought back to life in amazing full-colour images.

The unique project has taken black and white images from the iconic ship and turned them into colourful photos.

Interest in the ill-fated liner, which struck an iceberg on its maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City and sank on April 15, 1912, has barely dwindled over the years.

Now, a century after 1,503 people were killed when the ship went down, Thomas Schmid of 3D History has allowed people to see the ship in a new light with his colourised images.

The RMS Titanic is pictured at Southampton Dock before departing on its maiden voyage. The photo shows eight lifeboats along the starboard-side of the boat deck and four lifeboats near the bridge wheel house. The ship had 20 lifeboats in total but they could only accommodate 1,178 people, despite the fact that there were approximately 2,224 on board

The original black and white photo of Titanic before she departed form Southampton is pictured here. The ship was capable of carrying 64 lifeboats but designers chose not to include them all, meaning lives were lost needlessly

‹ Slide me › Construction of the Titanic took place at Harland and Wolff shipyards in Belfast from 1911. It took three years to build and 3,000,000 rivets were used in the construction of the hull, a mix of iron and steel

A total of 1,517 people died when the Titanic (its engine room pictured above) hit an iceberg. When she was launched, Titanic was the largest moving object built to date. Her power came from a combination of two reciprocating steam engines used to drive the port and starboard wing propellers, and a low-pressure steam turbine to drive the centre propeller

‹ Slide me › The First Class gym: Thomas McCawley, the Titanic's fitness instructor, demonstrates a brand new rowing machine to Frank Browne. First-class passengers had the use of the gymnasium which included dumbbells and rowing machines, as well as a mechanical horse and mechanical camel

The luxurious interior of the ship resembled the contemporary style of leading hotels such as The Ritz and the dining rooms were decorated with ornate ceilings and plush carpets

Schmid's coloured-images show the lounges with plush pink carpets, floral-decorated lounge chairs and curtains that match the floor. The gold trimming on the ceiling, walls and pillars adds a luxurious touch

The Cafe Parisien was on the starboard side of the ship and was was connected to the À la Carte Restaurant, with which it shared a menu and servers. The cafe - only available to first class passengers - was most popular among younger passengers

In colored images of the cafe, its wicker tables feature pink and blue tops, while the chairs are an off-white color. The cafe, which could accomodate up to 69 passengers, was decorated with ivy-covered trellises and other climing plants

‹ Slide me › The Titanic had two main staircases - one used by second-class passengers, and the Grand Staircase, pictured above, used by first-class passengers. The staircase, which rose through six decks, was between the first and second funnels of the boat. Irish company Harland and Wolff decorated the staircase with oak paneling and gilded balustrades, and a glass dome was put on top for a majestic finishing touch

The Titanic had several dining rooms for the various classes aboard the ship. Pictured above, is the third-class dining saloon, which was enameled white and brightened by side lights. The dining room featured long tables that could seat up to ten people in specially designed chairs

While the third-class passengers ate simple meals, their meals were plentiful. Their last meal aboard the boat - dinner on Sunday April 14, featured rice soup, fresh bread, biscuits, roast beef with gravy, corn and boiled potatoes

The Titanic's first-class accommodation held up to 735 passengers, and featured single-room cabins as well as multi-room suites

The first-class rooms, like the one decorated with Dutch-style furniture above, were located across five decks. Also among the first-class wing were several single-bed standard cabins used by servants and staff

DISASTER IN THE ATLANTIC: HOW MORE THAN 1,500 LOST THEIR LIVES WHEN THE TITANIC SUNK The RMS Titanic sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on April 15, 1912, after colliding with an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton to New York. More than 1,500 people died when the ship, which was carrying 2,224 passengers and crew, sank under the command of Captain Edward Smith. Some of the wealthiest people in the world were on board, including property tycoon John Jacob Astor IV, great grandson of John Jacob Astor, founder of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. Millionaire Benjamin Guggenheim, heir to his family's mining business, also perished, along with Isidor Straus, the German-born co-owner of Macy's department store. The ship was the largest afloat at the time and was designed in such a way that it was meant to be 'unsinkable'. It had an on-board gym, libraries, swimming pool and several restaurants and luxury first class cabins. There were not enough lifeboats on board for all the passengers due to out-of-date maritime safety regulations. After leaving Southampton on April 10, 1912, Titanic called at Cherbourg in France and Queenstown in Ireland before heading to New York. On April 14, 1912, four days into the crossing, she hit an iceberg at 11:40pm ship's time. James Moody was on night watch when the collision happened and took the call from the watchman, asking him 'What do you see?' The man responded: 'Iceberg, dead ahead.' By 2.20am, with hundreds of people still on board, the ship plunged beneath the waves, taking many, including Moody, with it. Despite repeated distress calls being sent out and flares launched from the decks, the first rescue ship, the RMS Carpathia, arrived nearly two hours later, pulling more than 700 people from the water. It was not until 1985 that the wreck of the ship was discovered in two pieces on the ocean floor. Advertisement

The expensive first-class staterooms, like the one pictured above, were decorated in period styles, including styles ranging from the periods of Louis XVI, Louis XV, Georgian and Queen Anne

‹ Slide me › Some of the first-class suites had more than one bed, and a door connecting the room to another room in the cabin. It is believed these rooms could be used for children aboard the ship with their parents

First Class suites were decorated in period styles, and came equipped with telephones, heaters and steward call bells. Many first-class cabins had doors connecting their rooms to other rooms so they could walk directly from one room to another without going into the hallway

The first-class suites did, however, come with a price. Tickets for suites would have cost up to £870 in high season (£72,932 today). The Titanic's designers wanted their liner to resemble a fine hotel on water with the highest stands of luxury

Only the wealthy could afford to travel first class on the ship, but luckily for them, children and pets could come aboard at half price. Second and third-class passengers took much smaller cabins on the ship, often with bunk beds and sharing bathrooms and toilets

Outside of the ship's cabins (one pictured above), passengers could take part in several activities, including using a library, visit the barbers or go swimming in the ship's pool. There was also a squash court, Turkish bath and electric bath

For first class passengers who were less active, there were plenty of lounge rooms to spend time in, and an orchestra performed in various rooms throughout the day

Second-class passengers were able to play shuffleboard, ring toss and board games while on the ship. For third-class passengers, however, activities were much less sparse, but they had a deck available where they could meet, chat and play games

THE 'UNSINKABLE' TITANIC - BY THE NUMBERS Construction timeline: 1909-1912 Cost: $7.5million (£1.5million) Maiden voyage: April 10, 1912 Passengers: 2,223 Crew: 885 Length: 882ft 9in Height: 174ft Lifeboat capacity: 1,178 Decks: 9 Maximum speed: 24 knots Construction company: Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast Advertisement

Titanic is pictured at the Harland & Wolff dockyard in Belfast. The ship cost $7,500,000 (£1.5 million) to build, and it took a staggering 20 horses to transport the main anchor

Harland & Woff built more than 70 vessels for the White Star Line, including the Titanic (pictured above) and other liners including the Olympic and Britannic

The luxurious Titanic was one of three Olympic-class vessels built for White Star Line between 1908 and 1914. Hundreds of people lined up to see the liner head off on its first - and only - voyage

‹ Slide me › The Titanic, Olympic and Britannic were built in response to thee threat posed by the Cunard Line's elegant liners, the Lusitania and Mauretania. The concept of the three ships was made over a dinner between White Star Line chairman Bruce Ismay and Harland and Wolff chairman William Pirrie in 1907