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On July 29, 1908, Ismay, Pirrie, Thomas Andrews, and Harold Sanderson, and others met at Harland and Wolff to examine the plans. These men carefully examined the drawings. The scene might have left lasting images of nodding heads, questions, answers, proposals of modifications, note taking, and handshakes. The owners accepted what the builders had prepared for them. Two day later, the contract letter was signed and the construction was set in motion.
Building the Titanic was one of the greatest projects in history. After plans and preparations, on December 16, 1908, the first keel plate was laid for the giant liner, Olympic. The first of the three to be built, Olympic would be the longest.
On March 31, 1909, the first keel plate was laid for Titanic. Titanic and Olympic were almost twins, but Titanic had some luxeries that Olympic didn't.
On October 20, 1910, the Olympic was launched and towed to her fitting out basin for completion.
On May 31, 1911, Titanic slid into the water also. The whole process took only 62 seconds. It required 23 tons of tallow, tain oil, and soft soap to grease the ways. The launching was viewed by thousands and tickets were sold to benefit a local children's hospital.
The completion of the Titanic's interior took 10 months to complete, with the help of several million man hours.
On April 2, 1912, the Titanic was complete. The maiden voyage was only a litte more than a week away. At the time of her maiden voyage, the Titanic was the largest man-made object afloat, and the most luxurious.
During the construction, the Belfast shipyards had to be re-designed to accommadate the immense projects and White Star's pier in New York had to be lengthened to enable the ships to dock.
During the two years it took to complete Titanic's hull, the press was primed with publicity about the ship's magnificence, making Titanic virtually a legend before her launch.And as the date of the maiden voyage approached, the completed Olympic suffered a collision and required extensive repairs. This delayed Titanic's maiden voyage from March 20 to April 10.
Constructions Photos