How the Titanic Came to Be
Lord Pirrie and Joseph Bruce Ismay. Courtesy of davidicke.com
Have you ever wondered how someone just comes up with a concept as huge as the Titanic? Well clearly Lord William Pirrie and Joseph Bruce Ismay did not- they came up with the idea of building the Titanic while simply eating dinner together!
In the late 1800's and early 1900's, before the Titanic was built, Cunard Ship Line was the most popular British ship line in Europe and America. White Star Ship Line was not nearly as popular or successful. Cunard's ships were not much more glamorous or bigger than White Star's ships; the only difference between the competing ship line's ships were their speeds. Cunard's ships were known for being the fastest ships anyone could travel on.
This greatly disturbed Joseph Bruce Ismay, second owner of White Star Ship Line (which his father, Thomas Henry Ismay, founded), and Lord William Pirrie, co-manager of Harland and Wolff shipbuilding company. Both companies were not having the greatest business, so in 1907, Bruce and Florence Ismay dined with Lord Pirrie (a close family friend) at his Downshire house in Belgravia, London. While eating, Ismay and Pirrie came up with a plan they could both benefit from- the Titanic and its two sister ships, the Olympic and Britannic. They planned to allow Harland & Wolff to completely build the Titanic, Olympic, and Britannic, and for White Star Line to buy the ships for a reasonable price. This way, both companies could not only make money off of the deal, but also get a plethora of publicity, which would certainly help their businesses. Both men knew what would really catch people's eyes- not speed, but size and beauty. They planned to build three of the biggest ocean liners in the world. They also planned to make them the most luxurious ships ever built.
With these requirements in mind, they soon hired Thomas Andrews to design the Titanic. He put many safety features into the Titanic, some of which were taken off by Joseph Bruce Ismay, and replaced with eye-capturing features of the Titanic. Some believe Joseph Bruce Ismay is to blame for the sinking of the Titanic, but others strongly disagree, claiming that he had high standards to carry out for the type of people who would be sailing aboard the Titanic.
Oddly enought, one of Titanic's sister ships, Britannic, never got nearly enough publicity as the Titanic and Olympic; and also odd, the Olympic never got as much publicity as the Titanic. The Titanic was surely more popular than her two sister ships. Maybe because of who would be traveling on the Titanic. Maybe because of her name. Maybe because of her captain. Maybe because of rumors. We will never know. Some people believe that this was somehow an omen of the Titanic's future. Do you agree?
In the late 1800's and early 1900's, before the Titanic was built, Cunard Ship Line was the most popular British ship line in Europe and America. White Star Ship Line was not nearly as popular or successful. Cunard's ships were not much more glamorous or bigger than White Star's ships; the only difference between the competing ship line's ships were their speeds. Cunard's ships were known for being the fastest ships anyone could travel on.
This greatly disturbed Joseph Bruce Ismay, second owner of White Star Ship Line (which his father, Thomas Henry Ismay, founded), and Lord William Pirrie, co-manager of Harland and Wolff shipbuilding company. Both companies were not having the greatest business, so in 1907, Bruce and Florence Ismay dined with Lord Pirrie (a close family friend) at his Downshire house in Belgravia, London. While eating, Ismay and Pirrie came up with a plan they could both benefit from- the Titanic and its two sister ships, the Olympic and Britannic. They planned to allow Harland & Wolff to completely build the Titanic, Olympic, and Britannic, and for White Star Line to buy the ships for a reasonable price. This way, both companies could not only make money off of the deal, but also get a plethora of publicity, which would certainly help their businesses. Both men knew what would really catch people's eyes- not speed, but size and beauty. They planned to build three of the biggest ocean liners in the world. They also planned to make them the most luxurious ships ever built.
With these requirements in mind, they soon hired Thomas Andrews to design the Titanic. He put many safety features into the Titanic, some of which were taken off by Joseph Bruce Ismay, and replaced with eye-capturing features of the Titanic. Some believe Joseph Bruce Ismay is to blame for the sinking of the Titanic, but others strongly disagree, claiming that he had high standards to carry out for the type of people who would be sailing aboard the Titanic.
Oddly enought, one of Titanic's sister ships, Britannic, never got nearly enough publicity as the Titanic and Olympic; and also odd, the Olympic never got as much publicity as the Titanic. The Titanic was surely more popular than her two sister ships. Maybe because of who would be traveling on the Titanic. Maybe because of her name. Maybe because of her captain. Maybe because of rumors. We will never know. Some people believe that this was somehow an omen of the Titanic's future. Do you agree?
