See the Titanic (for real) on 100th anniversary of its sinking

Titanic fans, your ship has come in. A dive ship, that is.

Horizon & Co. is offering tours next year that mark the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the luxury liner with a rare opportunity to plunge 12,500 feet in a submersible to see the Titanic firsthand.

“These are the same type of vehicles that James Cameron’s crew were on for ‘Titanic,’ ” spokeswoman Robin Brooks says, referring to the blockbuster 1997 film.

The 15-day expedition that begins and ends in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, includes one day to view the wreck from inside a Mir submersible that holds one guest and one expert. The trip down takes about 2.5 hours and showcases the bow section, the grand staircase, the bridge and promenade area of the ship that sank April 14-15 in 1912.

What do you do the rest of the time? Historians, oceanographers and expedition leaders on board provide lectures and research information about all things Titanic. Bear in mind, this is no luxury cruise; the dive ship is a working vessel.

The price tag for the trip is $66,257 per person, based on double occupancy. (Those who want to learn about the Titanic but don’t want to do the dive pay $12,498 per person, based on double occupancy.) Tours depart June 30, July 12, July 27 and Aug. 6, 2012.

Prior to the cruise, the tour visits the grave sites of 121 of about 1,500 Titanic passengers and crew members who perished as well as other museums and cultural sites that tell the history of the ship that hit an iceberg and sunk during its maiden voyage from England to New York City.

Contact: Horizon & Co., (800) 387-2977