IT WAS one of the worst disasters in naval history.

And since 1912, people have long been fascinated with the sinking of the Titanic.

The 1997 James Cameron epic Hollywood film starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet immortalised the tragic events.

But now a replica of the ship is being built in China — to the exact same scale!

What’s more, guests who climb aboard will not only be able to walk around and look inside the 52, 310 tonne vessel, they will also be able to experience a simulated iceberg crash.

According to The Sun, Seven Star Energy Investment Group are behind the project, which will be permanently moored in a reservoir in a rural area of the Sichuan province and form part of a new tourist attraction.

Chief executive Su Shaojin told Reuters they were not acting disrespectfully:

“It’s not like a certain country owns this thing.

“Just like the US can make Kung Fu Panda and that’s very common.

“Same with Mulan.

“For China, the Titanic represents something of universal value.”

Hollywood production designer and producer Curtis Schnell, who is working on the project as its Titanic design expert, added:

“We’re trying to get as close as we can.

“We are not building every room in the ship, by any means, but the shell of the ship and the exteriors will be quite accurate.

“There will be interior rooms to be able to tour and see from the standpoint of historical accuracy.”

It’s been more than 100 years since more than 1500 people were killed when the 269-metre long Belfast-built Titanic collided with an iceberg in the North Atlantic Ocean.

The ship had embarked from Southampton and was on its way to New York when the terrifying events unfolded.

Director James Cameron had a 90 per cent scale replica vessel built for filming purposes when he made his blockbuster movie but this is the first time a full-size replica has ever been built.

In 2012 Australian billionaire Clive Palmer announced plans to build his own version of the ill-fated ship but the project has not been finished.

Despite only starting the Chinese build this week, the cost of the Seven Star replica is said to have already surpassed the original estimate of AU$200 million.