Cherbourg was the Titanic's first port of call after leaving Southampton, arriving in the early evening on 10th April 1912. Here, the White Star Line’s specially constructed tenders Nomadic and Traffic transported 142 first class, 30 second class and 102 third class passengers, and their luggage, along with cargo for the trip to New York, to the Titanic. The transfer took approximately one and a half hours before the Titanic weighed anchor for her final port of call, Queenstown, in Ireland.

The memorial stone and plaque are located in the port area in Cherbourg, close to the location on the Quai de l'Ancien Arsenal where the Titanic’s passengers boarded the tenders Nomadic and Traffic for their short journey to the Titanic waiting at anchor off Cherbourg. Passengers were processed in the Gare Maritime building, but this was subsequently demolished once the new passenger terminal (now housing the La Cité de la Mer) was inaugurated in 1933.

R. M. S. Titanic Au cours de sa croisière inaugurale, le paquebot Titanic fit sa seule escale à Cherbourg le 10 avril 1912. Il devait sombrer dans la nuit du 14 au 15 avril, au large de Terre-Neuve. La Société Historique du Titanic à Indian Orchard (Massachussetts U. S. A.) et la Ville de Cherbourg ont commémoré ce tragique évènement le 19 avril 1996.

The memorial was unveiled on 19 April 1996 by Titanic survivor Louise Laroche. The installation of the stone and plaque was funded by the Titanic Historical Society and the town of Cherbourg.

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