When the Cunard Line (White Star Line's opponent on the North Atlantic shipping route) introduced the 'Lusitania' and the 'Mauretania' in 1907, the White Star Line immediately felt the pinch as more and more people flocked to sail on the new Cunard Line leviathans.
So on a summer night in 1907, a dream to build the most fantastic ships ever conceived was started in London. J. Bruce Ismay, managing director of the White Star Line was meeting with Lord James Pirrie, a partner in the firm of Harland and Wolff Shipbuilding - the giant Belfast shipbuilder that built all the White Star Line vessels. These two men fought aside one-another in a brutal battle for control of the Atlantic passenger trade.
  |
The first ship, 'Oceanic' was so successful, she was referred to as the 'New Leviathan' and today as 'The Mother of Modern Liners'. Together with her sister ships 'Atlantic', 'Baltic', 'Republic', and 'Celtic', she formed the foundation for the relationship between the White Star Line and Harland and Wolff Shipbuilding.
As the company grew, Ismay invited an old friend, William Imrie to join his firm in 1870 and afterwards the White Star Line was managed by Ismay, Imrie and Company. Soon thereafter, the White Star Line became the benchmark for all other shipping lines.
In 1891, Thomas' eldest son, J. Bruce Ismay was admitted into the partnership, and one year later Thomas retired. Bruce Ismay and his younger brother James (who had also joined), were then in control when the decision was made to build all future vessels with comfort and luxury in mind, rather than speed.
 |
Control of the White Star Line passed from it's British stockholders in 1902 when it was purchased for £10,000,000 by International Mercantile Marine Company (IMM), a vast shipping combine created by John Pierpoint Morgan.
 |
Although the White Star Line purchase offer was at first opposed by the Ismays, the terms were accepted by a majority of the shareholders. The takeover influenced the retirement of three of the partners - William Imrie, James Ismay, and W.S. Graves - but Bruce Ismay and Harold Sanderson remained. They were soon joined by William J. Pirrie, managing director and chairman of Harland and Wolff Shipbuilding.
Bruce Ismay, at age 41, was named President and Managing Director of IMM in 1904 - with unlimited control.
That summer night in 1907, Ismay and Pirrie set in motion a dream of constructing two ships of unmatched size, luxury and speed (a third was added later) as a response to the growing rivalry from competition. They planned to build the luxury ship Titanic and the 'Olympic'. A third one, the 'Gigantic' (renamed 'Britannic'), to be built later. Cost of each ship £1,500,000.
Pirrie and Ismay wasted no time. Ismay began negotiations with the New York Harbor Board to install a pier long enough to accommodate the vessels. The construction yard at Harland and Wolff Shipbuilding had to be modified as well, converting three slips into two huge slips. The architects and draftsman at Harland and Wolff Shipbuilding worked vigorously to draw the concept plans for these gargantuan ships, meanwhile two 220-foot-high gantries, the largest in the world, were constructed over the slips.
On July 29 of 1908, Ismay, Pirrie, draughting department manager Thomas Andrews and Harold Sanderson (among others) met at Harland and Wolff Shipbuilding to examine the plans. These men carefully examined the drawings. The scene might have left lasting images of nodding heads, questions, answers, proposals of modifications, note taking and handshakes. The owners accepted what the builders had prepared for them. Two days later, the contract letter was signed and the construction was set in motion.
 |
 |
Alexander M. Carlisle, born in 1854, was the principal designer of the 'Olympic' and the Titanic. He joined Harland and Wolff Shipbuilding at the age of 17 as a premium apprentice, eventually becoming a managing director with the firm. He was an early advocate for the installation of "Welin quadrant" davits. After his retirement in 1909 he worked for the Welin Davit and Engineering Co. Ltd. of London. Following the Titanic disaster Carlisle testified at the British inquiry and in civil lawsuits. He died in 1926.
On December 16th, 1908 the first keel plate was laid for the giant 'Olympic'. Three months later, on March 31st, 1909, the first keel plate (keel number 401, official built number 131428) was laid for the Titanic. Meanwhile, IMM was having difficulty persuading the New York Harbor Board to allow the lengthening of the White Star Line piers. After some time of deliberation, the Board agreed to support the modification of the piers, seeing the benefit the great ships would bring and sent representatives to the War Department, which had ultimate control over the harbor. Eventually IMM was given permission to extend the piers.
The Titanic was built at the Harland and Wolff Shipbuilding in Belfast Northern Ireland in 1912. She was 882 feet long and she had a gross tonnage of 45,000 ton. She was owned by the White Star Line who were going to use her (and her identical sister 'Olympic') on the Atlantic shipping route between Southampton and New York. In keeping up with the White Star Line's tradition she was never christened. It had taken over two years from the laying down of the keel to the launch and almost another year would pass before she emerged from the fitting-out basin with the most luxurious fittings of any ship ever built.
 |
The Titanic only carried 16 lifeboats and 4 liferafts. Far too few for a ship that carried about 3,200 passengers and crew. The lifeboats and liferafts could only carry 1,200 of the passengers. The difference in price for the tickets was huge. For a First-Class ticket you had to pay £870, a Second-Class ticket £12 and for a Third-Class one as little as £3. The entire crew was about 860 men and women and 340 of them worked below the decks. Only a few dozen of the crew were actually engaged in seamenship directly. Only a few of them were officers. The captain was Edward John Smith who had the complete trust and confidence by the owners of the White Star Line. The Titanic's maiden voyage was to be the last one before his retirement.
 |
This website is dedicated to the eternal legacy of the RMS Titanic and to all of those who needlessly died one cold night in April, 1912...
Website Visitor: Communicate with the Webmaster
by using this
| |||||||||||||||||||
|
 to: keesree@euronet.nl
page as a Starting Point Hot Site.
 NedStat How do YOU rate my Website ? ? ?
| |||||||||||||||||||
