Building an Icon
The birthplace of Titanic was Belfast, Northern Ireland, and construction started when her keel was laid down on March 31, 1909. The din of progress at the Harland & Wolff Shipyard could be seen and heard from all over the city. The spectacular engineering marvel was more than a ship–she was the pride of the city.
The keel is the backbone of the ship, the very bottom from which her ribs, plating, and hull take shape. Nestled within the Arrol Gantry, an approximate 6,000-ton, 840-feet-tall steel framework, Harland & Wolff workers began laying out Titanic’s keel upon the hundreds of keel blocks on slipway No. 3 next to her sister, Olympic, in No. 2, whose keel was laid a few months prior. The mechanical sound of the shipyard’s hydraulic riveting equipment binding 500,000 rivets into place rattled throughout the shipyard, and all knew the base of Titanic was now held tightly together. From here, the double bottom of Titanic would form, and in just over a year, Titanic would be fully framed.
The beginnings of Titanic. The Ship, in her first stage of construction, is in Slipway No. 3 within the Arrol Gantry at Harland & Wolff Shipyard, Belfast. Built off her keel were her ribs and metal framework, and she is plated. “TITANIC” was actually etched into the negative by the photographer. Public domain
By the early 1900s, Belfast was a global industrial leader and hub for several industries. Situated on Belfast Lough, the River Lagan and Belfast’s waterways made the city ideal for export and development. Linen, ropemaking, distilling, tobacco, electric fan production, and shipbuilding were industries in which Belfast was a world leader. Coal-powered steamships were critical to the transatlantic travel industry, which faced demand like never before. As a center of the trades that touched critical coal-powered travel, Belfast was a very busy place.
The United States and Europe were experiencing the Second Industrial Revolution in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, resulting in significant numbers of global immigration. But Belfast was seen as a thriving metropolis. That is not to say that working conditions were not harsh and dangerous for its laborers. Policies and laws were beginning to respond to the needs of the people who worked long hours and endured hazards to ensure industrial expansion. The dedication of so many led to some of Belfast’s illustrious achievements, including the completed construction of Titanic on March 31, 1912.
Several of these Belfast industries are commemorated through recovered Titanic artifacts. This rope fragment, for instance, was recovered in 1994 from within its pulley block and is currently on display at TITANIC: The Artifact Exhibition in Las Vegas. The rope has been carefully conserved, though the individual fibers are brittle. These parts of an electrical circular fan were recovered in 2000 from the debris field and showcase the intricate ventilation system on board. All electricity generated on the Ship was coal-powered, achieved by burning massive amounts of coal in the boilers. Through Titanic, we can glimpse into Belfast’s mighty industrial past.