Titanic Heritage

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Titanic departing Belfast, April

Harland AND

wolff

THE WORLDS

GREATEST SHIPBUILDERS

HARLAND

&WOLFF

The namesTitanic and

Harland & Wolffsymbolise the

great era ofBelfast shipbuilding.

Behind that

remarkable successstory is a fascinatinghistory that takes us

back to the earliestdays of Belfast.

When RMS Titanic sailed away on her maiden voyage on April th,, she was hailed as the new wonder of the world. A remarkablefeat of engineering, she was the largest and most luxuriously

appointed ship ever seen and, despite her tragic sinking five dayslater, she remains a source of enduring pride in the City where she

was built Belfast.

This guide will take you back to the source of the legend, the historyof shipbuilding in Belfast, and in particular, the story of the firmwhich built Titanic, Harland and Wolff. You can learn about Titanic

itself, from the visionaries who conceived her, to the men whodesigned and built her, to her ill-fated maiden voyage. Finally, wewill take you around the many locations in Belfast associated withthe worlds most famous ship from the magnificent Belfast City Hallto the impressive cranes Samson and Goliath.

So come back in time with us and relive the enthralling Titanic storyin the City of her birth.


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Qeens Road , May 1911

Edward Harland Gustav Wolff Lord Pirrie

Queens Island

The Citys first major shipbuilding company was established in ,with the arrival of William Ritchie from Scotland. His first ship,the Hibernia, was launched in ; thus beginning a flourishingshipbuilding empire.

Attractively laid out with tree-lined walkways, Queens Islands firstclaim to fame was as a popular pleasure park, with a modest ftlong glass, iron and wood building inspired by Londons CrystalPalace being constructed there in . The island hosted a number offetes and became a popular attraction for the public. A zoo, aquarium

and aviary were added later before the building was destroyed byfire in . By then, the island was already becoming known foranother reason - the growth of a Belfast shipbuilding firm capable ofchallenging the pre-eminence of its major UK competitors.

That story begins in , with the arrival in Belfast of EdwardHarland, a young English engineer, to manage the Queens Islandshipbuilding yard. Ambitious, dynamic and a strict disciplinarian,Harlands talent in engineering design would be complemented bythe salesmanship of the man he took on as his personal assistant in, the German-born Gustav Wolff. A year later Harland boughthis employer out for , and started his own shipyard. In Wolff became his partner and, in , the new company officially

became known as Harland and Wolff.

White Star Line

Harland and Wolff built the first White Star vessel, the Oceanic,which was launched in . Striking in its size and speed, it wasconsidered remarkable too for its luxurious accommodation. Overthe next few decades, Harland and Wolff would build over shipsfor White Star, the most famous being Titanic.

By this time, Queens Island had been linked to eastBelfast, making access easier for the increasing numbersof workers at the firm. As the yard expanded it becamelike a small city, with thousands of men employed in themany different roles, from riveter to master craftsman, itnow took to build the great liners. Working conditions

were arduous and injuries were not uncommon butgenerations of workers, acknowledged widely for theirskill and dedication, took a fierce pride in their work.

William James Pirrie

Crucial to the success of Harland and Wolff was the manwho became a partner in , William James Pirrie.Charismatic and charming, Pirrie was a visionary whosegrowing influence on the firm was crucial to its expansion.Following the death of Edward Harland in , Pirrie,who had joined the firm as a -year-old gentlemansapprentice, was his natural successor as Chairman.

By this time, Harland and Wolff was recognised asthe worlds greatest shipbuilders, responsible for themagnificent flagships of the White Star Line, such asthe Teutonic and Majestic, delivered in and respectively. The growing emphasis on the scale ofthe liners being built around the world led to a hugeexpansion of the facilities at Harland and Wolff, includingthe construction of the gigantic Arrol gantry, ft longand ft wide. In work began on the ThompsonGraving Dock, the largest in the world. This would benecessary for the building of the most ambitious projectsyet undertaken by a shipbuilding firm - the Olympic,

Titanic and Britannic, the biggest ships yet built.

In 1909, when work began on the ship thatwould become the most famous in theworld, the RMS Titanic, Belfast was oneof the worlds greatest ports and a worldleader in many industries, includingshipbuilding.

HARLAND

&WOLFF


4/13Titanic Qarter Planned Development ompson Graving Dock

The tragic sinking of Titanic in hada profound effect on Belfast, but it was byno means the end of Harland and Wolffssuccess. William (now Viscount) Pirriecontinued his plans for the expansionof the firm until his death in . TheSecond World War, during which the yardsuffered terrible damage from bombingraids, saw a dramatic but short-lived rise

in production. But the growing popularityof aircraft travel triggered a sharp dropin demand for passenger ships, the last

built by Harland and Wolff being theRMS Canberra in . Today Harlandand Wolff are world leaders in ship repair,design and structural engineering.

e Future

During the period Titanic was builtHarland and Wolff typified the enterprise,innovation and ambition that madeBelfast a world leader in many industries.A century later, as modern Belfastsremarkable renaissance gathers pace, itis fitting that one of the most spectacularnew waterfront developments in Europeshould be sited on acres of the oldHarland and Wolff shipyard. The firstphase of the billion Titanic Quarterdevelopment, the Northern Ireland SciencePark, a world-class centre of excellencefor information technology, has alreadyopened. Over the next years, a new

urban quarter of bars, shops, restaurants,marinas, homes and offices will emerge. Atthe heart of the new development will bea magnificent multi-million pound Titanicvisitor attraction based around the formerHarland and Wolff Headquarters Buildingand Drawing Offices, one of the largestlisted buildings in Northern Ireland.

Titanic

TitanicBIRTH OF A LEGEND

With herunprecedented size

and luxury combinedwith the tragedy of

her sinking, no shipsince has gripped the

worlds imaginationlike RMS Titanic.

Her remarkable storybegins in Belfast.

TITANICSLIPWAY

OLYMPICSLIPWAY

H&WDRAWING

OFFICES

HAMILTO

NDOCK

ABERCORN

BASIN

ODYSSEYCOMPLEX


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Titanic

Their names reflected theirawesome size . . . .

Titanic and Olympicwould be over Oftlong with a ,gross tonnage

Rivet gang working on the Britannic

RMS Olympic, ompson Graving Dock

This was no simple task. Everything about Titanic wasgigantic, from the vast steam engines and propellers toits two -ton anchors, which needed teams of horsesto deliver. Hundreds of skilled craftsmen now made theircontribution building and decorating the cabins and rooms.Pirrie even employed leading artists to reproduce greatworks of art around the ship. After successful sea trials onApril nd, , thousands lined Belfast Lough to proudly

watch the new wonder of the world set off for Southampton,where she arrived on April th.

The Golden Age of Travel

It was time for the first passengers, representing a broadrange of society, to board. For the wealthy, the maidenvoyage to New York on board the worlds most talked aboutship offered a pleasant social outing, while many of thepoorer passengers had saved up the $. cost of a thirdclass ticket in the hope of finding a better life in America.

First class passengers discovered a grand lounge decorated in

the style of Versailles; a magnificent staircase beneath a hugeglass and wrought iron dome; a Parisian caf with Frenchwaiters and the novel sight of an onboard swimming pooland gymnasium. The first class staterooms or the parloursuites included two bedrooms, a private bath and their ownprivate promenade. Even the third class passengers enjoyedbetter rooms, largely on the lower decks, than they wouldhave found in other ships.

When RMS Titanic set out on her maiden voyage on April th, she was the largest and most lavishly appointed ship everseen, a truly remarkable feat of shipbuilding. Despite the deeplyfelt impact of her tragic sinking just five days later Titanic remains

the subject of enduring pride in Belfast - the City where the worldsmost famous ship was designed, built and launched.

Titanic was conceived in , following a discussion betweenJoseph Bruce Ismay, Chairman of the White Star Line and WilliamPirrie, Chairman of Harland and Wolff. The previous year WhiteStars great rivals on the lucrative North Atlantic route, Cunard,had launched the Lusitania and the Mauretania, whose size, speedand elegance heralded a new age in ocean liners.

How could White Star restore their pre-eminence? The solutionarrived at by the two men would transform the world of shippingforever.

On July st, the two companies agreed to the constructionof two new ships, Olympic and Titanic (the Britannic, originallynamed the Gigantic, would be ordered in ). Their namesreflected their awesome size Titanic and Olympic would beover ft long with a , gross tonnage. The largest moveableman-made objects on earth, their length comfortably exceeded theheight of the tallest buildings of the time.

If the charismatic Lord Pirrie was the driving force behind Titanic,the detail and vision of its design were in the hands of its chiefdesigner, working in the elegant Drawing Office No.. Theoriginal designer was Alexander Carlisle, Pirries brother-in-law,with Pirries nephew, Thomas Andrews, succeeding him in .It is believed that Pirrie, who had no children of his own, wasgrooming the talented Andrews, much loved by the Harland andWolff workforce, to be his successor.

Titanic was launched on May st, before a cheering crowdof ten thousand onlookers. Titanic was now towed to the newThompson Outfitting Wharf and Graving Dock where thevirtually empty vessel was transformed into the floating palace oflegend. It was now that the great boilers and engines, funnels andsuperstructure were added.


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Titanic

At .pm on the evening of April th an iceberg was spotted

Titanic and the Arrol Gantry

Titanics gym

Olympic and Titanic omas Andrews

20 Lifeboats, 2228 Passengers

White Star had made one fatefuldecision, dramatically reducing thenumber of lifeboats proposed byTitanics original designer, AlexanderCarlisle. While Titanics lifeboatsactually exceeded Board of Traderequirements, they, and the four

collapsible boats, provided space forbarely half the crew and passengersaboard. The company put great faithin the ships much vaunted series ofwatertight bulkhead.

Titanic departed Southampton on Aprilth, dropping anchor at Cherbourgin early evening. Here, ferried bythe White Star tenders Traffic andNomadic (which returned to Belfastin ), a further passengers

boarded. Ninety minutes later, Titanicdeparted for Queenstown (Cobh) onthe south coast of Ireland from where,at .pm on April th, she set out forNew York.

The ship had made over , mileswhen the first warning of icebergs, fivemiles to the south, were received onthe evening of April th. At . an

iceberg was spotted ahead but, thoughthe steering wheel was spun tight, itcould not be avoided. At .pmTitanic struck the iceberg scraping itshull below the waterline, bucklingit in several places and openingwater channels into six watertightcompartments. The ship was fatallydamaged.

Designer Thomas Andrews had toface the unthinkable, calculating that

Titanic was to sink within two hours.Soon after midnight the first wirelessmessages for help were transmitted. By.am the first confused and terrifiedpassengers were being guided to thelifeboats and minutes later the firstlifeboat was lowered into the freezingwaters. Though designed for people,there were only on board. Asdistress rockets lit the air, the loadingof the lifeboats became more hectic,with desperate efforts being made toget women and children aboard first.

At .am the band stopped playing; ithas been claimed that they now sang afinal hymn, Nearer My God to Thee.As the boat sank faster, people werewashed off the forward end of thedeck. The lights finally went out andthe second and third funnels brokeaway. At .am Titanic finally beganto sink beneath the waves.

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Throughout Belfastthere are manybuildings and

monuments withassociations to RMS

Titanic, not least in theshipyard where shewas designed, built

and launched.

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Former Harland and Wolff Drawing Office

Titanic Officers Quarters

Belfast was a City in mourning, not only forfamily and friends who had been lost, but alsofor the magnificent ship it had produced. WilliamPirrie had missed the voyage due to ill health. Itis said that his hair turned white after the tragedy,while Joseph Bruce Ismay, who was hounded byjournalists searching for reasons for the sinking,became a recluse. However, over the years, thetremendous pride felt in Belfast for Titanic has beenrenewed. Around the world the legend of Titanic,bolstered by books and films, including Roy WardBakers A Night to Remember starring KennethMore and James Camerons Titanic starringLeonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, has grownhugely over the decades. Today, there are hundredsof museums and attractions around the worlddedicated to Titanic but only in Belfast can you find

the true birthplace of the worlds most famous ship.

TITANIC TRAIL

Of the passengers and crew there were only survivors, picked up by the SS Carpathia,which had been en route to New York when itwas diverted.

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Pirrie was Chairman of Harland and Wolfffrom to his death in . The plinthwas formerly the headstone of Lord andLady Pirries grave in Belfast City Cemetery.

City Hall is an important venuefor the Titanic Made in Belfastfestival which is held every year.

Linen Hall LibraryDonegall Sq. North

The last public subscription library inIreland, the Linen Hall Library has been acentral part of Belfasts cultural life sinceit was founded in . It is renownedfor its Irish, local studies and Troublescollections. An excellent source for researchon Belfast, it holds books on Titanic.

YMCAWellington Place

Albert George Ervine, the youngestmember of the Titanic engine room staff,attended bible classes there. He sailedon Titanic to monitor its performance;Ervine helped keep Titanics lights blazinguntil just moments before she sank.

Robinsons SaloonGreat Victoria Street

Robinsons Saloon holds Titanic memora-bilia. Each unique item has its own story totell, adding greatly to the human side of thedisaster. The brass nameplate of Lifeboat No brings to mind those who were saved init. There are letters and postcards, writtenon board the ship and posted at her last portof call, Queenstown, now Cobh, in Co Cork.One very poignant item is Philomena.This doll was recovered from the wrecksite, in the weeks following the sinking.

Royal Belfast AcademicalInstitution (Inst.)College Square East

Designed by Sir John Soane in ,the elegant Royal Belfast AcademicalInstitution was attended by WilliamPirrie from the age of to , when heenrolled as an apprentice at Harland andWolff. His uncle, John Carlisle, was headof the English Department at the time.Carlisles son, Alexander, was the originaldesigner of Titanic. Thomas Andrews,who succeeded Carlisle as designer, wasalso educated here from the age of to, when he too enrolled as an apprenticeat Harland and Wolff. Next door, theMunicipal Technical Institute, now theBelfast Institute, opened in to providesuitably trained employees for Belfastsleading industrial and manufacturingcompanies, including Harland and Wolff.

Belfast Welcome CentreDonegall Place

A one-stop tourist informationcentre for Belfast find informationon Belfast accommodation, tours,events, ticket booking, souvenirs andgifts as well as an Internet Caf.

Robinson & CleaversDonegall Sq. North

Opened in as Robinson & CleaversRoyal Irish Linen Warehouse it wasBelfasts most popular, and grandest,department store at the time Titanic was

being built. Thomas Andrews and his wifeHelen shopped here as would many of thewealthier Harland and Wolff employees.

The memorial erected to Titanic after hersinking was erected in the middle of theroad outside the building in . It wasmoved to the grounds of City Hall in, as it had become a traffic hazard.

May St Presbyterian ChurchMay Street

Built as a vehicle for the fierce andvery popular preacher ReverendHenry Cooke in , it was, like manychurches in Belfast in , the location

of a memorial service for Titanic.

Belfast City HallDonegall Sq. North

Opened in the magnificent ClassicalRenaissance City Hall, designed by SirAlfred Brumwell Thomas, reflected thegreat ambition and optimism of Belfastat that time. In fact the Lord Mayorwhen City Hall was opened, Sir DanielDixon, credited William Pirrie, the manwho created Titanic, as having the big

ideas for City Hall. Pirrie, Lord Mayorin /, is said to have referred to it asthe stone Titanic. Its connections withTitanic are many. In its grounds, theTitanic Memorial, sculpted by ThomasBrock, pays tribute to men who losttheir lives on the ship. Another statue

by Brock depicts Sir Edward Harland,ships plan in hand, who was Lord Mayorin /. Thanks to Pirries influence,the Lord Mayors Suite is also known asthe Titanic Rooms as craftsmen whoworked on them went on to work on the

famous liner. Portraits of Lord and LadyPirrie hang in the Reception Room.

On May st, , on the th anniver-sary of his birth (and the th anniversaryof Titanics launch), a special plinth waserected to William Pirrie in the groundsof City Hall. Described as the greatestshipbuilder the world has ever known,

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Ulster Reform ClubRoyal Avenue

Lord Pirrie, Thomas Andrews and thehead of the White Star Line, JosephBruce Ismay, were among a numberof people connected to Harland andWolff who enjoyed the good food andfine wines of this elegant club, which

is still running over years afterits founding. (No access to public)

Castle JunctionCastle Place

Near the site of Sir Arthur ChichestersBelfast Castle, which burnt downin the early th century, it was thecentre of Belfasts tramway systemwhile Titanic was being built.

Rosemary St FirstPresbyterian ChurchRosemary StreetThomas Andrew, who attended thisdelightful church with his wife Helen,must have loved its boat-like interior and

beautiful woodwork. Dating from ,it is Belfasts oldest place of worship.

Central LibraryRoyal Avenue

Situated on Royal Avenue, Belfasts main

shopping thoroughfare, this is a goodplace to research local history, while itsextensive newspaper collections containseveral contemporary articles on Titanic.

St Annes CathedralDonegall Street

The Neo-Romanesque Cathedral, famousfor its beautiful stained glass windows,held a memorial service for those wholost their lives on Titanic soon after thesinking. The packed congregation includedmembers of Thomas Andrews family.

Albert Memorial ClockCustom House Square

Until a recent renovation corrected itslist, this was Belfasts answer to Pisasleaning tower. Built in Gothic style inhonour of Queen Victorias consort,Prince Albert, it was tall enough, at ft,to offer an excellent vantage point forat least one enterprising sightseer to get

a birds-eye view of Titanics launch.

Sinclair SeamensPresbyterian ChurchCorporation Square

Designed in the s by Belfastsmost influential architect, Sir CharlesLanyon, this remarkable church was

built to watch over the spiritual

interest of seamen frequenting theport of Belfast. Shipyard workers,dockers and sailors at the time ofTitanic would have felt at homein its ship-like interior, with itspulpit shaped as a ships prowflanked by navigation lights,ships binnacle font and the bell ofHMS Hood calling worshippersto service. Open to the public

every Wednesday afternoon.

Belfast HarbourCommissioners OfficeCorporation Square

The headquarters of the HarbourCommissioners, responsible for overseeingthe development and running of BelfastPort, has on show the magnificent captainstable and chairs which Gilbert Logandesigned for Titanic, but which were

delivered just too late (it is said they weresubsequently shipped to Southampton,just in time to see Titanic disappearon the horizon). Lord Pirrie, himself aHarbour Commissioner, would have beena frequent, and persuasive, presence inthe boardroom. Nearby, are two restoredgraving docks used by William Ritchie,Belfasts first major shipbuilder.

Lagan WeirDonegall ay

Situated at the confluence of theFarset (which now runs underground)and Lagan rivers, where Belfastsshipbuilding history began, the weirwas constructed in to control thetidal nature of the Lagan. In the Titanicera many craft would still dock at thequay here. Boat tours depart from here(see back of guide for information)

Queens BridgeMany Harland and Wolff workers would

have hastened over Queens Bridge in theearly morning, perhaps rushing to makea dawn start on Titanic or Olympic.

OdysseyQueens Quay

The award-winning Odyssey complexis one of Northern Irelands biggesttourist attractions. It hosts a world-classinteractive discovery centre W, astate-of-the-art bowling alley, a six-storeyImax screen, a cinema complex and arange of restaurants, cafes, bars andnightclubs. Adjacent is the ,-seaterOdyssey Arena, which stages large-scaleentertainments and concerts featuringthe worlds major music acts, aswell as ice hockey and other indoorsports. Overlooking the old Harlandand Wolff shipyard, it comprisesthe southern border of the billionTitanic Quarter development.

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Abercorn BasinQueens Road

Even as Harland and Wolff was in itsinfancy, it was clear the new shipyardwould need to expand and, by , twovital new developments were completed.The Abercorn Basin was created outof acres of open water which facedthe Harland and Wolff shipbuilding

berths, providing a service basin for thenew Hamilton Graving Dock. As wellas shipbuilding, the basin also servedNorthern Irelands coal trade, with shipsunloading their vital cargo through thenight. The famous engine works whereTitanics vast and hugely powerful engineswere built and tested was based here until. Abercorn Basin will be the locationfor the first phase of modern apartments, aswell as restaurants, shops and bars, in theforthcoming Titanic Quarter development.

Hamilton Graving DockQueens Road

Building started on the ft longHamilton Dock in , following somecontroversy over its location. Completedin , it was the first graving dock builton the County Down side of the RiverLagan, though its site had been bitterlyopposed by the Belfast ShipwrightsSociety. They cited the life-threatening

risk to shipyard workers, owing tocrossing the river, often in crowded boats,before and after daylight. Harland andWolff held firm, insisting trade would

be encouraged by building the dockadjacent to their works. The HarbourCommissioners eventually won over theshipwrights by agreeing to build whatwould become the Dufferin and SpencerDocks on the Co Antrim side of the Lagan.

The last remaining vessel with a link toTitanic, and the only White Star ship still

afloat, the Nomadic was fitted out in theHamilton Graving Dock and launchedin April , just weeks before Titanic.

Former Harland & WolffHeadquarters Buildingand Drawing OfficesQueens Road

The jewel in the crown of the TitanicQuarter development, this three-storeysandstone and brick building was thehub of the worlds greatest shipbuilders

and the birthplace of RMS Titanic. Thebuilding was not just the shipyardscentre of administration, looking aftera workforce, but also housed the officesof the senior figures in the shipyard,such as Lord Pirrie, Alexander Carlisleand Thomas Andrews. The autocraticPirrie, who kept a hawkish eye on theyard, often beginning his inspectionsat am, retained an apartment here.

The building was constructed in stagesbetween and and it is thoughtthe oldest sections include the two

beautiful Drawing Offices on the groundfloor (there are several other drawingrooms too, such as the AdmiraltyDrawing Office). It was in the cathedral-like atmosphere of Drawing OfficeNo. , surrounded by teams of expertdraughtsmen, that first Alexander Carlisleand then Thomas Andrews supervised theconcept, design and detailed constructiondrawings for Titanic and Olympic.

The atmospheric Grade B listedheadquarters has been used as alocation for several films, includingNeil Jordans Breakfast on Pluto,starring local actor Liam Neeson.

Olympic & Titanic SlipwaysQueens Road

It was the most spectacular sight everseen in the world of shipbuilding- workers clambering high over theArrol gantry, more than twice theheight of St Pauls Cathedral, to workon the two greatest ships yet knownto man, Olympic and Titanic. Beneaththe ships, which for a period stood side

by side, were the slipways speciallyconstructed to launch the ships into

the adjacent waterways in the VictoriaChannel. They were still in use until thes and have now been preserved.

Steam CranesQueens Road

Like a series of soldier ants, billowingsteam from their funnels, a networkof steam cranes, pulling objectsfar greater in size or weight thanthemselves, scuttled around QueensIslands dedicated rail network. They

were used at all stages of construction,including servicing the outfitting ofTitanic at the Thompson Graving Dock.

Alexandra Graving DockQueens Road

The expansion of Harland and Wolffin the last quarter of the th centuryincreased constant pressure to updatefacilities. As a result the companypetitioned the Harbour Commissionersfor additional fitting out facilities

in . A site at the north end ofQueens Island was chosen and in ,Princess Alexandra, after whom thenew dock was named, cut the first sod.The dock opened four years later.

However, even it would soon provetoo small for the huge scale of ship thatWilliam Pirrie envisaged for the future.

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HMS CarolineQueens Road

Today, Alexandra Dock is occupied byHMS Caroline, built in Birkenhead in .She was the lead ship of a class of six lightcruisers and is believed to be the onlysurvivor of the infamous Battle of Jutlandin . She came to Belfast in to serveas the headquarters of what is now theRoyal Navy Reserve, and was converted atHarland and Wolff for this purpose. Stillretaining many of her original features,

she is now on the National HistoricShips Register. At approximately half thelength of Titanic, HMS Caroline gives aclear illustration of why a new dock wasneeded for the Olympic-class liners.

Thompson Outfitting Wharf& Graving DockQueens Road

Without the Arrol gantry and theThompson Graving Dock, both the biggestin the world when they were constructed,

neither Titanic nor her sister ships, Olympicand Britannic could have been built orfitted. The Harbour Commissionersdecided to build the new graving dockin , with no little encouragementfrom their fellow commissioner, WilliamPirrie, Harland and Wolffs persuasiveChairman, who had a clear vision ofthe scale future ships would take.

Work began in on the ft long dock,whose walls were . ft thick and whichhad massive keel-blocks of cast ironto support the weight of the great linersit would hold. At the same time a largeoutfitting wharf was constructed nearbyand the surrounding water was dredgedto a depth of ft. Despite its size, thedock still had to be extended so its firstship, Olympic, could enter in April .It would be in the Thompson OutfittingWharf and Graving Dock that the shipsengines, boilers and superstructure would

be added and work completed on theirluxurious cabins and rooms. In October, Titanic had to be moved fromthe dock to the wharf to allow repairsto be completed on Olympic, whichhad been involved in a collision. Thedelay pushed back the date of Titanicsmaiden voyage nearly three weeks. Hadshe sailed on time, it is very doubtfulthe worlds most famous ship wouldhave encountered the fateful iceberg.

Thompson Pump HouseQueens Road

The original part of the building wasconstructed in the s to servethe Alexandra Graving Dock. It wasextended significantly to cater forthe massive new Thompson Graving

Dock, which opened in . Long andrectangular, designed in late Victorianeclectic style, the building featuredthe most advanced state-of-the-artengineering of its day. Its hugelypowerful pumping engines, houseddeep in the building, could drain afull dock of millions gallons ofwater in minutes. A series ofunderground tunnels leading fromnear the pumps, could take workers

beneath both docks. The Pump House,which still operates, is now, like the

Thompson Graving Dock, part ofthe Northern Ireland Science Park.

Harland & Wolff CranesSamson and GoliathQueens Island

The two great yellow-painted gantrycranes Samson and Goliath have

become icons of Belfast, dominatingnot just Queens Island but the entirecity skyline. Constructed to servicethe vast new graving dock at Harlandand Wolff, Goliath (the smaller at ft) began work in , the ft

Samson five years later. Each of theKrupp-Ardelt designed cranes canlift loads of up to tons. Harlandand Wolff were still one of the worldsgreat shipbuilders at the time and the

building of the two cranes, during adifficult period for shipbuilding inBelfast, was seen as a sign of faithin the future. Now much belovedBelfast landmarks, their own futurewas assured in when theywere scheduled for preservation.

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BOAT

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R O Y A L A V E

DONEGALLST

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COLLEGESQEAST

GROSVENOR ROAD

BEDFORDSTREET

WESTLINK

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ORMEAU AVENUE

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VICTORIASTREET

CASTLESTREET

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CASTLEPLACE

M3MOTO

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SHORTSTRAND

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MIDDLEPATH STREETQUEEN ELIZABETH BRIDGE

QUEEN'S BRIDGE

BARNETT DOCK

Queen's Island

GREAT

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MAY STREET

CHICHESTER ST

CUSTOM HOUSE SQ

Titanic Quarter

Northern IrelandScience Park

Central StationGreat Victoria St Train Station

Europa Bus Centre

TheOdyssey Complex

Clarendon Dock

Laganside Bus Centre

Abercorn Basin

RiverLagan

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Belfast Welcome CentreA one-stop tourist information centre for Belfast,you can find information here on the Citysmany links with RMS Titanic, including bus,

boat, walking and self-guided Titanic tours, aswell as information on the Titanic Made inBelfast festival and other festivals and exhibitionsrelated to Titanic. You will find a range of Titanicmemorabilia in the gift shop.

Belfast Welcome Centre Donegall PlaceBelfastBT ADTel: + () Web: www.gotobelfast.com

Ulster Folk and Transport MuseumThe Transport Museum, one of the finest in Europe,displays Irelands largest and most comprehensivetransport collection, which includes the historyof shipbuilding. It holds a permanent Titanicexhibition which includes items such as originalTitanic material, vintage photographs, newsreels,recordings and music related to the ship.

The Transport Museum also holds an image archive a significant local source of historical images fromthe s to the present day. The archive todaycontains over , still images representingthe way of life of the people of Northern Ireland,

aspects of the history of transport and the Harland& Wolff Collection, covering shipbuilding andengineering in the companys yard in Belfast.

Ulster Folk and Transport Museum:CultraHolywoodCo. DownBT EUTel: + () Web: www.uftm.org.uk

Belfast Welcome Centre

Robinson & Cleavers

May St Presbyterian Church

Belfast City Hall

Linen Hall Library

YMCA

Robinsons Saloon

Royal Belfast Academical Institution (Inst.)

Ulster Reform Club

Castle Junction

Rosemary St First Presbyterian Church

Central Library

St Annes Cathedral

Albert Memorial Clock

Sinclair Seamens Presbyterian Church

Belfast Harbour Commissioners Office

Lagan Weir

Queens Bridge

Odyssey

Abercorn Basin

Hamilton Graving Dock

Former Harland & Wolff Headquarters

and Drawing Offices

Olympic & Titanic Slipways

Steam Cranes

Alexandra Graving Dock

HMS Caroline

Thompson Outfitting Wharf & Graving Dock

Thompson Dock Pump House

Harland & Wolff Cranes Samson

and Goliath

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Titanic Trail Map

IT WILL TAKE IN EXCESS OF HOURS TO COMPLETE THE

WHOLE OF TITANIC TRAILON FOOT

Equal to Ten Minutes Walk

FURTHER

INFORMATION

20


13/13

www.gotobelfast.com

ToursThe Lagan Boat Company offer guided tours of theHarland and Wolff shipyards from the River.Take a guided Titanic Tour

Tel: + () Web: www.laganboatcompany.com

There are also bus tours of the City which take inQueens Island and the Titanic Quarter. For furtherinformation contact the Belfast Welcome Centre.

FestivalA Titanic Festival is held every year in the City. It

includes talks, films, exhibitions and tours to theCity every April. For further information contactthe Belfast Welcome Centre.

Titanic Interactive TrailAnother way to explore Belfasts Titanic Story isthrough the self guided Titanic Interactive Trail.This state of the art handheld digital device willtake you on an interactive multi-media tour of thekey Titanic sites and transport you back in time to

walk alongside the shipyard workers and gaze inawe as the vision of the Titanic rises up before yourvery eyes. The console is available to hire from theBelfast Welcome Centre.

Produced by

Tourism Development UnitDevelopment DepartmentBelfast City Council- Linenhall Street

BelfastBT BP

Tel: + ()

www.belfastcity.gov.uk

Acknowledgements

The Ulster Folk and Transport Museum.Titanic Quarter Ltd.

Una Reilly.NOAA, Institute for Exploration,University of Rhode IslandTRAIL MAP

Im

ageZoodesign0289020042

Titanic Heritage

Documents

Transcript of Titanic Heritage