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As the 100<sup>th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic draws near, a commemorative stamp collection is on display on the Titanic Memorial Cruise, which is retracing the voyage from Southampton of the ill-fated liner.

The collection belongs to stamp enthusiast Kenneth Mascarenhas and narrates the story of the ship from its maiden voyage to the day of the tragedy. It also includes stamps from St Vincent and the Grenadines, signed by the last Titanic survivor, Millvina Dean, before her death in 2009.

Interest in the ill-fated ship remains as strong as ever.

Two cruises, the Titanic Memorial Cruise from Southampton and the Titanic Anniversary Cruise from New York, have set sail to commemorate the anniversary of the disaster.

The cruise from Southampton left port on 8 April with exactly the same number of passengers on board - 1,316 - as on the Titanic. It included relatives of the passengers who lost their lives on the ship, relatives of survivors, authors, historians and ordinary people fascinated by the story of the ill-fated ship.

The menu served aboard the RMS Balmoral is based on the dishes served in April 1912 on board the RMS Titanic.

During their time at sea, the cruise ship offers lectures and discussions for its guests. The two ships will meet Saturday at the site where the Titanic sunk and hold services for those lost at sea at the hour it went down.

The sinking of Titanic caused the deaths of 1,514 people in one of the deadliest peacetime maritime disasters in history. She was the largest ship afloat at the time of her maiden voyage.

The wreck of the Titanic remains on the seabed, gradually disintegrating at a depth of 12,415 feet. Since its rediscovery in 1985, thousands of artefacts have been recovered from the sea bed and put on display at museums around the world. The Titanic has become one of the most famous ships in history, her memory kept alive by numerous books, films, exhibits and memorials.

Start the slideshow to get a glimpse of the commemorative Titanic stamps on display aboard the 100<sup>th anniversary cruise: