The UK's sole Titanic survivor was only nine weeks old when it sank

More than 1,500 people died in the tragedy and 549 of those - mainly crew - came from Southampton.

Mayor Kelly said: "Ninety years ago an event took place that meant that in some streets in Southampton every household lost a family member."

She said that although the story of the Titanic had become a blockbuster film "we want to remember the sinking, not the spectacle, not the entertainment".

The ceremony took place fittingly at the memorial to the engineers who stayed at their posts to maintain the ship's power as it sank and all perished.

Historic

All the musicians in the orchestra that played to the last also died.

The UK's sole Titanic survivor Millvina Dean, 90, who was only nine weeks old when the ship sank, was not present at the commemorative event.

She was rescued along with her mother, Georgetta, and older brother Bertram Junior. Her father Bertram, 27, who was taking his family to a new life in America, drowned.

Miss Dean, who lives in the nearby New Forest will unveil a heritage plaque at the former headquarters of the White Star Line in Canute Road, Southampton on Monday.

The plaque will mark the building as a site of historic significance.