Page 59 - All About History - Issue 09-14

The unsinkable ship

t 12.15pm on 31 May, 1911, the largest ship that
had ever been constructed was launched
into the water for the first time, causing a
not-inconsiderable wake in the River Lagan
Ain Northern Ireland as all 52,000 tons of
it entered the water. Over 20 tons of soap and
candle wax were spread on the shipway to help
lubricate the great beast’s entry into its natural
habitat where, like a seal labouring on the land
before gliding in the water, all of a sudden the great
monster changed from an inert piece of metal into
something imbued with grace and power.
Members of the press and tens of thousands
of spectators were in attendance, with tickets
actually being sold for the event. This was not just
a national event, but something with international
appeal; the unveiling of the largest ship ever to take
to the water, the industrial marvel of its day.
The launch might have occurred without a
champagne bottle smashing onto the bow of the
ship, but this was a rare moment lacking in pomp.
The chairman of White Star Line, the prominent
British shipping company behind this new venture,
J. Bruce Ismany, was in attendance as well as other
important businessmen. This was an exciting time
for the company as the Titanic – the name derived
from Greek mythology meaning gigantic – was
actually only one of three of their new Olympic-
class ships that were designed to bring a new
meaning to size and luxury when it came to sea
travel. The other two ships – Olympic and Britannic
– would, along with the Titanic, usher in a new age.
On the same day the Titanic was launched, the
Olympic successfully finished its sea trials. A new
age of sea travel had truly begun.
The Titanic was the flagship and the ship
everyone clamoured to get a ticket to travel on;
Titanic was the name on everyone’s lips. This last
point would be realised, more so than the company
could ever have wished, but for markedly different
reasons, when the ship sunk in the cold and murky
waters of the Atlantic Ocean and claimed with her
the lives of over 1,500 souls.
The Titanic and her sister ships had been built
by White Star Line to compete with the ship
builders Cunard, which had built the fastest ships
ever constructed. In the early-20th century, before
air travel had entered its golden age and become
available to others than only the super-rich, travel
by the oceans was the main form of transport
from country to country, and indeed, continent to
continent. White Star Line decided to compete on
not just speed but also on luxury and extravagance.
Their new ships were forged in Queen’s Island in
the industrial docklands of Belfast and no expense
was spared – the estimated cost of the Titanic was
$7.5 million (£4.6 million), an absolute fortune for
the time.
The Titanic was constructed at the same time
as the Olympic, with both ships taking around 26
months to make. It would be generous to even
label the safety precautions as adequate, although
to be fair to the makers of the ship, they were fairly
standard for the time and injuries were probably
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