Photo by Ronnie R

This Sunday is the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the RMS Titanic. While the ship didn’t sink anywhere close to U.S. shores, one of the few stateside memorials to its victims is here in Washington.

The Women’s Titanic Memorial is a simple and understated granite statue located at the end of the Southwest Waterfront’s wharf at Fourth and P streets SW. Originally dedicated in 1930 at a site where the Kennedy Center now stands, the memorial was moved to its present location in 1966. And while it’s name seems to hint that it seeks to remember the women who died in the ship’s sinking, it was actually commissioned by a group of women who wanted to commemorate the men who sacrificed themselves so that women and children could survive.

It’s not the only Titanic memorial in D.C. As Ghosts of D.C. recounted earlier this week, a fountain on the Ellipse was erected in 1913 to memorialize Archibald Butt and Francis Millet; Butt was a military aide to presidents Roosevelt and Taft who crossed the Atlantic for the Titanic maiden voyage.

At 7 p.m. on Sunday Saturday, Waterfront Park will be lit with 1,517 lights—the number of people who died in the sinking—while historic images of the ship and her passengers are displayed near the memorial. In commemoration of the Titanic’s centennial, the National Geographic Museum has a wonderful exhibit worth visiting: “Titanic: 100 Year Obsession.” It will remain in D.C. until July 8.