BELFAST AND THE TITANIC
Between 1907 and 1912 everyone living in Belfast would have been involved in, or known someone who was involved in, the building of the Titanic. The typical 6,000 strong workforce of the Harland & Wolff shipyard was more than doubled in size to 14,000 to keep pace. Harland & Wolff became the single biggest employer in Belfast during this time and most of the workers lived in a tight cluster of narrow streets surrounding the shipyard. They worked nine-hour days, six-day weeks.
Anyone who wasn’t directly involved in her construction could not have failed to notice the progress of her towering construction in the city’s shipyards. They were kept up to date with regular newspaper stories detailing her construction, including the arrival of the world’s largest anchor. They were invited to come and see the completed Titanic before she travelled to Southampton for her maiden voyage. Shipyard workers on the one day off a week that they got would take their friends and families to admire their handiwork. No one living in Belfast at the time could have avoided knowing about and being caught up in the birth of the Titanic.
