Titanic was "a symbol of ambition, a symbol of confidence."
20th century Belfast was an industrial powerhouse; the "Silicon Valley" of shipbuilding. Titanic was "a symbol of ambition, a symbol of confidence."
Its sinking took "many decades... to come to terms with..." and Tim Husbands (chief executive of Titanic Belfast) describes a feeling of "association of grief, that sense of loss, that sense of embarrassment"
106 years on and Belfast have embraced the legend of Titanic, building a new sense of pride in their heritage.
The Titanic Quarter boasts the largest Titanic theme attraction with Maritime landmarks around every corner, encapsulating the legacy of Titanic forever. It has also become a bustling waterfront with apartments, entertainment districts, film studios and other social spaces.
The name derives from Greek mythology meaning "Gigantic"
It was in 1907 that Bruce Ismay of the White Star line conceived the idea of Titanic, and its two sister ships Olympic & Britannic.
In 1908 Harland & Wolf presented White Star line with drawings which were approved days later. Construction began soon after.
Drawings & blueprints were put together in the H&W offices.
H&W had to demolish 3 existing slipways to build the two new ones for Titanic & Olympic.
22 Tons of soap, tallow & train Oil were used to lubricate the slipway to slide Titanic's Haul into the River Largan
Once the haul was complete the next steps were to finalise the outfitting of the ship. This was completed at the Thompson Dry Dock.
The dock could drain over 98 million litres of water an hour
It was designed specially to accommodate the Olympic fleet.
Remained in use until 2002 when it opened as a visitor attraction.
62 Seconds it took for Titanic to slide down the slipway
Titanic was too big to dock in Cherbourg & Cobh and Passengers relied on tender boats to ferry them offshore to where Titanic had dropped anchor.
The SS Nomadic & SS Traffic were commissioned by White Star Line to serve with the Olympic fleet.
The SS Traffic was torpedoed in 1941 while held by the Germans
SS Nomadic is the last surviving White Star Line vessel in existence today.
SS Nomadic was used as a minesweeper, coastal patrol vessel, a floating restaurant.
Titanic's sister ship Britannic also came to a short and tragic end less than a year entering service during WWI
White Star Line Merged with Cunard to form Cunard White Star Limited
Cunard White Star Limited defunct in 1949 when Cunard acquired the remaining 38% owned by White Star Line. All under the new entity Cunard Line.
Today 75% of Harland & Wolf's business is in offshore renewable energy.
The Titanic Quarter attracts over 1 million visitors annually.
The Titanic Quarter sees a daily 18,000 people work, live, study and play.
-2c the estimated ocean temperature on the night of the sinking
3.74KM Titanic rests below the Ocean surface
1500 people lost their lives, while many of the 700+ survivors were left traumatised. While many never spoke of the ordeal again, others describe the sounds of the screams from those in the water or the crashing and smashing of anything loose inside the ship as it submerged below the waterline.
109 women, 1352 men and 53 children lost their lives in the tragedy. 696 of them were crew.
On the anniversary many gather for a candlelight procession to commemorate those lost. The photos here are from the 2018 commemorations.
The tragedy highlights some fundamental issues in Health and Safety Most notably;
The US passed the Radio act 1912 meaning the continuous monitoring of distress frequencies.
Establishment of the International Ice Patrol.
The creating of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) laws in 1914.
There were contradicting statements made by survivors regarding how the ship sank. Some recall that the ship breaking in two whiles others claimed it went down whole.
It wasn't until the discovery of the wreck in 1985 that it could be said definitively. These expeditions also quashed the original accident report claiming the iceberg create a 300ft gash in the haul, instead smaller punctures below the waterline.
There have also been many theory and conspiracies about the sinking.
Titanic's story became a pop culture phenomenon with books, movies, TV shows and even a musical have been created. Most notable is James Cameron's 1997 blockbuster "Titanic" which attributed to so much international attention.
While there are various museums and exhibitions across the world showcasing memorabilia, such as the RMS Titanic Ltd. (the Authorised entity to salvage the wreck site) who have an exhibition in Las Vagus.
An Australian businessman announced in 2012 he would build a replica known as Titanic II and work currently ongoing.