Titanic Connections
Introduction
This is about the town's connections to the legendary RMS Titanic. The following timeline below shows the completion of the building of the ship, to its maiden voyage and the sinking of the ship. Also below is the stories of the two key people who were involved in the Titanic, Sir Edward James Harland, the renowned Belfast Shipbuilder and owner of the Harland and Wolff Shipyard, and James Paul Moody, the Sixth Officer of the Titanic and the only junior officer of the ship to die in the Titanic.
Titanic Timeline
Year Date Time Key Event
1908 29th July Design for Titanic Approved
1909 31st March Keel laid at Harland and Wolff's Shipyard in Belfast
1911 31st May 20.00pm Titanic is launched
1912 31st March Fitting out completed
2nd April 06.00am Titanic begins sea trials
20.00pm Leaves Belfast for Southampton
3rd April Arrives in Southampton
5th April Good Friday: Titanic dressed in flags
10th April 12.00pm Sets sail on maiden voyage
18.30pm Arrives at Cherbourg
20.00pm Leaves Cherbourg
11th April 11.30am Arrives at Queenstown
13.30pm Leaves Queenstown
14th April 23.40pm Titanic strikes iceberg
15th April 00.40am First lifeboat is launched
02.05am Last lifeboat is launched
02.17am Last radio message sent
02.20am Titanic sinks
04.10am Carpathia reaches first lifeboat
08.50am Carpathia leaves site for New York
18th April 21.00pm Carpathia arrives in New York with survivors
19th April-3rd July US Senate Inquiry, 328 bodies recovered from the sea and British Board of Trade Inquiry
1985 1st September Wreck of the Titanic found
Sir Edward James Harland
Sir Edward Harland was buried in 1895 in Belfast. He set up the world famous Harland and Wolff shipbuilding yards in the North of Ireland. His connection with Scarborough is less well known. Yet if you walk along to Marks and Spencers you will see a heritage plaque dedicated to his memory. It reads "Sir Edward Harland 1831-1895 Shipbuilder was born on a house on this site". The plaque was unveiled by Air Marshal Reginald Harland - Edward Harland's great nephew in 2001. Other plaques feature other famous Scarborians such as Sir George Cayley (On Paradise House), Wilfred Owen (the World War One who lived at The Clifton Hotel) and HB Carter the artist on York Place.
Dr William Harland - father of Sir Edward Harland
- An important influence on Sir Edward Harland was his father who was a renowned amateur mechanic himself. A short biography of his father clearly shows how he inherited many of his personal qualities and interests in mechanical engineering.
- Bakers history of Scarborough describes him in the following way: "as a boy he showed considerable mechanical talent. At that time he built a small kiln near his father's house, where he used to burn a barrow load of lime at a time for his father's garden. He never seemed to care to play at ordinary games with his school fellows, but preferred to spend his spare time in a small workshop making many models of water mills etc.".
- Dr Harland went on to study medicine but always retained his interest in mechanics. He took out a patent for a steam carriage in 1827. Baker described this in the following way "the most important part of the invention is now in use in many of the traction engines of today". He made this with the Sir George Cayley - who built the world's first glider which flew over Brompton.
- Dr Harland had a great lust for life. One of his prevailing maxims was "What you have the will to do, do with all your might! He also said "This is a glorious world! I should like to be here 100 years, and then there might be some chance of doing some good. But I don't think I shall get over this winter!" (he died in 1866).
- It is not surprising that Harland developed an interest in engineering given his father's encouragement. He had workshops at his disposal and his father's friends included two engineering geniuses in Robert Stephenson and Sir George Cayley. He also seems to have inherited his father's determination and resolve.
Sir Edward James Harland's early years
- Sir Edward Harland's mother, too, was a wonderful influence to a budding engineer. She was always 'making things' and her children were employed as artisans in her projects.
- At the tender age of twelve he went to Edinburgh Academy where he studied for two years.
- Strangely enough, Edwards father encouraged him to become a lawyer. But the young man held firm in his desire to become an engineer. He joined Robert Stephenson as an apprentice in Newcastle making trains. It was hard work with a 6am start with the day ending at 8:15pm(4pm on a Saturday).
- Throughout this time he visited his home town of Scarborough. He was fascinated with the shipbuilders - Scarborough was an important shipbuilding centre then with the bustling yards of Robert, James and William Tindall.
- When he finished his apprenticeship he was taken on by Stephenson's as a Journeyman at 20 shillings a week. Stephenson's was by this time not where things were happening in engineering. But he was there when they built the High level bridge over the Tyne.
- He was particularly involved with the building of caissons for Keyham Dockyard. "He was employed to assist in setting out the curves, it being considered that a familiarity with ship shape forms, which he had acquired during his frequent visits to the shipyards of his native place (Scarborough), would be useful" ['Engineering' 1896].
- He left Stephenson's in 1851 and spent a glorious two months at the Great Exhibition in London. Then he joined J and G Thomson - the engine builders in Glasgow. Taken on as an assistant to the draughtsman he took over that post when the Head Draughtsman left.
- Here he worked on the drawings more carefully than previously had been the case. This allowed parts to be made exactly first time when previously models of ships had been in wood. This speeded up the whole process.
- In 1853 Edward Harland took over as manager of the Shipyards of Thomas Toward on the Tyne. The owner was ill and spent a whole winter away allowing the young engineer to take charge of the whole yard.
- In 1854 he made his final move to Belfast. He joined Robert Hickson and Co. Harland's natural inclination was towards perfection - nothing but the best would do. He helped sort out this yard which was in financial difficulties due to previous management - who indulged the workforce with high wages and accepted poor standards. He gradually gathered a better workforce and suitable foremen. He fought the unions who put up a tough struggle - he felt "he had mounted a restive horse, and was determined to ride him back to the stables".
Shipbuilding in Belfast
- By 1858 Harland wished to set out on his own. Hickson could not consider carrying pon without Harland and so sold his holding in the yard to Harland for £5000.
- The company quickly expanded. His first customer was J Bibby and Son. He had helped Mr. James Bibby purchase a steamer whilst he worked in Glasgow. This earlier service was remembered and an order of three screw steamers was placed - the 270ft "Venetian", "Syrian" and "Sicilian" were built.
- When further orders came in from Bibby's he boldly put forward his own design. He was a big believer in longer vessels. He suggested a length of 310 feet rather than the earlier 270 foot. Doom merchants were critical of his design saying "she may get out of the Mersey but she will never get back again". It was said that the vessels would roll over or even break in two in the harsh weather of the North Atlantic. The orders kept rolling in from Bibby's and the Harland steamers became known as "Bibby's Coffins".
- Harland's love of longer ships soon became quite the fashion. Orders flooded in to extend vessels. The 'Hecla', the 'Atlas' and the 'Marathon' all had 63 feet inserted amidships.
- Harland's design was now proven. Of the 20 ships he built for Bibby's he proudly stated that "there was not one sign of weakness". He was a bold and successful designer with a reputation for good standards. He had started to make the decks out of steel rather than wood increasing the overall strength. The result was "a box girder of immensely increased strength".
- Harland never claimed his ships were likely to be dryer. But they were certainly not unsafe so long as excess water washed away rather than finding its way below decks.
- He also made ships with flatter bottoms. This squarer design became known as "the Belfast Bottom". This increased capacity and yet did not reduce speed or affect the engine power needed.
- On January 1 1862 Harland formed a partnership with Gustav Wolff and so the world famous shipbuilders "Harland and Wolff" came into being. Harland wanted a partner to look after the shipyard whenever he was away.
The White Star Line and the trans Atlantic Passenger Liners
James Paul Moody
- James Paul Moody (21 August 1887 – 15 April 1912) was the 6th Officer of the RMS Titanic and the only junior officer of the ship to die in the disaster. Born in England, he received a prestigious education and served the White Star Line aboard the luxurious RMS Oceanic.
- When Titanic struck the iceberg, he was on watch on the bridge alongside 1st Officer William Murdoch when it was hit. He helped thereafter loading the lifeboats. Despite repeated invitations of his colleagues, he refused to board a boat and died in the sinking.
- Along with the other junior officers, Moody received a telegram early in 1912 ordering him to report to White Star's Liverpool offices on 26 March. From there he travelled to board Titanic at the Harland and Wolff yard in Belfast. Titanic then sailed for Southampton to take on passengers. Moody's service as 6th Officer earned him about $37 a month, although he was allowed his own cabin as compensation for his small salary.
- On Titanic 's sailing day, 10 April, Moody assisted, among other things, in aiding 5th Officer Harold Lowe in lowering two of the starboard lifeboats to satisfy the Board of Trade that Titanic met safety standards. He was also in charge of closing the last gangway, and most likely saved the lives of six crewmen who arrived too late to board by turning them away. Once the ship had put to sea, Moody stood the 4–5 PM watch and both 8–12 watches, which meant that he was on watch with First Officer William Murdoch and Fourth Officer Joseph Boxhall when the Titanic struck an iceberg at 11:40 PM on 14 April. After spotting the iceberg, lookout Frederick Fleet rang the warning bell three times and phoned the bridge. It was Moody who answered the call, asking, "What do you see?" Fleet replied, "Iceberg, right ahead!"
- In the ensuing evacuation, Moody helped in the loading of Lifeboats No. 12, 14, and 16. While loading No. 14, 5th Officer Lowe remarked that an officer should man the lifeboat. While the lower-ranked Moody would traditionally have been given this task, he deferred to Lowe. It was a decision that would seal his fate. Moody went to the starboard side and gave Murdoch a hand until the water had come on the deck. Moody was last seen by the ship's lamp trimmer, Samuel Hemming, on top of the officers' quarters trying to launch Collapsible A, an emergency lifeboat, just a few minutes before the final sinking. Lightoller also said; "Mr. Moody must have been standing quite close to me at the same time. He was on top of the quarters clearing away the collapsible boat on the starboard side, whilst Mr. Murdoch was working at the falls. If that is so, we were all practically in the water together."
- Moody was 24 at the time of his death. His body was never recovered. He was the only junior officer on the Titanic to die in the sinking.
- A monument in Woodland Cemetery, Scarborough, commemorates Moody's sacrifice on the Titanic with the Biblical quote, "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13)