TITANIC

BELFAST'S OWN

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STEPHEN CAMERON is Chairman of the Ulster Titanic Society and has researched the ship for over six years. He is a Station Commander with the N orthern Ireland Fire Brigade. He lives in Bangor, Co. Down, with his wife and two children.

This publication is dedicated to the memory of my late father james WB. Cameron

TITANIC
BELFAST'S OWN
STEPHEN CAMERON

WOLFHOUND PRESS

First published in 1998 by Wo lfh ound Press Ltd 68 Mountjoy Square Dublin I, Ireland Tel: (353- 1) 874 0354 Fax: (353 -1 ) 872 0207

1998 Stephen Cameron

All rights reserved. No part or thi s book may be reproduced or utili sed in any form or by any means digital. electronic or mechanical including photography, filming, video recordin g, photocopying, or by an y information storage and retrieval system or shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, reso ld or otherwise circu lated in any form of binding or cover other than that in wh ich it is publi shed without prior permission in writing from the publisher.

Wolfhound Press receives financial assi stance from The Arts Counci l/An Chomhairle Eala[on, Dublin, Ireland.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the Briti sh Library. ISBN 0-863 27-685-7 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

Cover Painting: ' Into the Night ' by E. D. Walker Cover Design: Sli ck Fish Design Typesetting: Wolfhound Press Printed in the Republic of Ireland by Co lour Books, Dublin

CONTENTS
Foreword by john MJ. Andrews Acknowledgements Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Introduction The Construction of SS 401 The Thompson Graving Dock A Gentle Shove The Launch of the Titanic Ghostly Images The Belfast Log The First Voyage of the Titanic Belfast Remembers The Belfast Titanic Memorial The Human Connection 7 8 9
11

31 37 43 47 55 69 75 83 89 131 137 143 146 149 155 157 158

Titanic Buildings
'I Saw the Titanic' The Reality of the Titanic Did You Know ... ?

SS Titanic Chronology
Notes to Chapters Bibliography Index

FOREWORD
For many people, the tragedy of the Titanic seems to hold a timeless fascination - the story of the then largest luxury liner ever made, launched in 1911 and commissioned in 1912, and of the tragic end which befell the ship and many people, so long ago. For some, the tragedy seemed like the end of an era and perhaps of a different way of life. At the time there was great wealth and luxury, but also considerable poverty and deprivation. Then, only two years after the Titanic sank with over 1,500 lives lost, came the horrors of the Great War and the loss of so many lives. On the fields of France and Belgium 1,500 lives could have been lost in an hour or so. To others, including myself, the memory of the Titanic brings another sadness. I think of my relative whose young and promising life was so suddenly cut short, together with the lives of so many other unfortunate people of all classes and creeds, rich and poor, young and old, passengers and crew. My great-uncle - together with all those others who, full of hope, were travelling across the Atlantic on the great ship never thought that the worst could happen on that fateful night. My connection with the Titanic concerns my great-uncle Thomas. He entered the shipyard of Harland and Wolff as a young boy and worked his way up to become Managing Director. It is recognised that he had a major role in the construction of the Titanic and other ships at that time, going back to the end of the last century. Some of these were built for the White Star Line. Thomas Andrews had crossed the Atlantic several times on the maiden voyages of these other ships. Among the most famous of these were the Oceanic and the Olympic. This was the reason he was on the maiden voyage of the Titanic; he also led the guarantee group from Harland and Wolff The last port of call was Queenstown, County Cork, and the ship's final destination was New York. I recall my father telling the story of how his Uncle Tommy brought him to the launch of the Titanic in May 1911. My father, then aged eight, was allowed to help knock away one of the wooden wedges holding the ship on the slipway. He always remembered that day when he had a part in launching 'the big ship that Uncle Tommy had made'. I was delighted and privileged to be asked to write this introduction. I have known Stephen Cameron for years. When he first approached me about this book, I thought there would be little new information available about the Titanic; but he has spent over five years researching the period when the famous vessel was constructed in Belfast, followed by the final disaster, and his meticulous research has uncovered a vast amount of new information. Stephen has shown great understanding and appreciation of the local people and their stories connected with the Titanic, its birthplace, and its final tragic ending. I wish him and this publication every success. John MJ. Andrews