Building the Titanic
The Titanic was built in Belfast, Ireland at the Harland & Wolff shipyard. Construction on the Titanic began in 1909 and went on for three years until 1912. It took the physical labor of more than 4,000 people to build. It took one year to build the keel, the bottom beam of the ship, and the frame of the hull, the front (the bow) and the back (the stern) of the ship. It also took six months to add the siding, or hull plates. The Titanic required more than three million (270 tons) 3 inch long and 1 inch thick rivets to nail the massive hull plates together. Once the hull and the keel were complete, the Titanic was slid out onto the River Lagan. The Titanic was pushed off its dock by covering its runners in soap and tallow and then pulling it off by tugboats in one minute and two seconds.
After the Titanic was transferred to the water, the workers began on fitting out, adding decks, propellers, windows, electrical installation, carpet, wallpaper, and furnishing. The fitting out of the Titanic lasted for ten months. In fact, more than 200 miles of electrical cable and 2,000 windows and portholes were installed.
Contrary to what most people might think, the designers and managers of the Titanic did include many safety features on the Titanic. One of the features was the double bottom of the ship, which means that there were two very thick layers of steel used to construct the hull of the ship. There were also 15 airtight doors installed inside the Titanic. Another safety feature of the Titanic were 15 bulkheads 16 safety compartments located inside the bottom of the ship. The purpose of the safety compartments was to slow down water intake if the Titanic was hit and began to fill up with water. The height of the bulkheads (the walls between the safety compartments) alternated at different levels so that the water could not speed up- no matter where the Titanic might hit.
After the Titanic was transferred to the water, the workers began on fitting out, adding decks, propellers, windows, electrical installation, carpet, wallpaper, and furnishing. The fitting out of the Titanic lasted for ten months. In fact, more than 200 miles of electrical cable and 2,000 windows and portholes were installed.
Contrary to what most people might think, the designers and managers of the Titanic did include many safety features on the Titanic. One of the features was the double bottom of the ship, which means that there were two very thick layers of steel used to construct the hull of the ship. There were also 15 airtight doors installed inside the Titanic. Another safety feature of the Titanic were 15 bulkheads 16 safety compartments located inside the bottom of the ship. The purpose of the safety compartments was to slow down water intake if the Titanic was hit and began to fill up with water. The height of the bulkheads (the walls between the safety compartments) alternated at different levels so that the water could not speed up- no matter where the Titanic might hit.
A diagram showing the safety compartments installed in the Titanic.
Although the Harland & Wolff shipyard normally held 9 ships, it only had room for the Olympic and Titanic alone because the were so large. After the two ships were complete, construction began on the third sister ship, Britannic. Britannic was completed 2 years later but tragically sunk in a little more than one hour, a sad memory of the loss of the Titanic. Sadly, only one of the three ships built to travel transatlantic r White Star Line survived its full life time.
