Belfast - The Birthplace of the Titanic

History of the Titanic...cement the ship in its Irish heritage, its final stop
In 1907 the shipping firm White Star Linewas at Cobh (formerly Queenstown, Co. Cork)
commissioned Harland and Wolff, the Belfastwhere it picked up its final passengers.
Shipbuilding Company, to construct three superbWe are all aware of the story afterwards -
steam liners that would hit new heights in termsshortly before midnight on the night of April 14th,
of passenger safety, comfort and style.the ship struck an iceberg in the freezing North
Lord James Pirrie, as a partner in Harland andAtlantic. In less than 3 hours she tragically sank to
Wolff, was one of the main designers along withthe ocean floor, with the loss of over 1,500 lives.
White Star Line's managing director J.Bruce Ismay.While you're in Belfast why not enjoy the unique
The first two to be commissioned were theexperience of a Titanic tour?
Olympic and the Titanic, and the name of theThe Future of the Titanic Quarter...
latter was to accentuate its impressive size andIn recent years there has been a whole
the luxury facilities and features in wouldregeneration of the Titanic Quarter, and it's
incorporate.predicted that the area will be officially launched
The construction of the Titanic began in Belfast infor the 100th anniversary of the maiden voyage
March 1909. Due to the large-scale project, theof the liner. Known as the Titanic Signature
shipyards of Harland and Wolff had to beProject, it's being developed by the Northern
re-designed to facilitate the project, and the pierIreland Tourist Board.
of the White Star Company in New York had toThe proposed Titanic memorial attraction is going
be increased in size to accommodate the ship'sto be located at the Titanic Slipways, where the
arrival in port!ship was built, near to the headquarters and
It took over two years in Belfast for the hull toarchitect drawing rooms of Harland and Wolff.
be finished. A huge media interest made the shipFeatures will include an interactive museum and
a household name before it even touched water.exhibition relating to the construction and history
The ship cost approximately 7.5 million dollars toof the ill-fated liner. It's planned that visitors to the
complete, and it was over 880 feet in length andexhibition will be transported back in time and will
weighed nearly 50,000 tonnes!be able to view ''the making of the ship'' as well
At the time it was the largest passengeras take a trip underwater to see the shipwreck
steamship in the world. The ship set sail fromas part of a cinematic interactive experience!
Southampton, England on the 10th of April 1912. ItIf all this goes according to plan it will be a true
was its maiden voyage, and even further totestimony to Belfast's Titanic Heritage.