Building the Titanic

2012 | History & Politics

Conceived in 1907, the "Titanic" was two years in design and 37 months in construction at the great Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast, Northern Ireland. She was the biggest ship the world had ever seen, and thought by many to be indestructible. But she sank just five days into her maiden voyage, en route to New York in 1912. Some 1,500 people died. This book takes the story of the ship right back to the beginning, to the decision to build it in the first place. From there we go into the shipyard, where 4,000 tradesmen - joiners, fitters, electricians, plumbers, welders and many more - turned those plans and blueprints into a towering hulk of an ocean liner, rivet by rivet and plate by plate. Once the outer shell was complete, the luxurious passenger accommodation was fitted out, the dining rooms, the squash court, gymnasium, libraries, smoking rooms and even Turkish baths. The men that built her knew every bolt and shaft, every dove-tail joint, every new-fangled piece of kit, every vibration of the engine. For them, the Titanic would always be the world's greatest ship. This is an extraordinary story of modern engineering and also of human endeavour.

Illustrated throughout with blueprints, cross-sections and haunting photographs of the Titanic in construction, "Building the Titanic" adds a fascinating dimension to the history of the world's most famous ship.

Rod Green (Author)