A very good, in-depth look at the building of the second "Olympic Class" liner, the Titanic. However, the show is so overly obsessed with the Titanic that it takes a while for the filmmakers to include the "Olympic" in the story. It appears that they are intimating that the reason the shipbuilders, Harland & Wolff, went to the trouble of clearing land and erecting the building gantries on Queen's Island was to build the Titanic all by itself. It focuses so closely on the Titanic, that it totally fails to mention that the Olympic was the first of the two ships laid down, or that the completed Olympic was floating in the River Lagan when Titanic's hull was launched; Olympic then went directly into service. The program makers also stress the dangers of launching the Titanic's hull (although not mentioning that such dangers were also experienced earlier in launching the Olympic). Further, the Olympic was in operation for 10 months (often under Capt. E.J. Smith's command) before the Titanic made her first sailing. This fact is omitted.
Still, to see the actual sites of the giant gantries and the Thompson Graving Dock; the design room of Harland & Wolff and the actual plans for the ships; the streets and homes of the workers; and the hotel containing the rescued pieces of the elegant interior of the Olympic - these are wonderful treats for we somewhat obsessed fans of these ships and this era.
I have two problems. One: the program states that the Thompson Graving (Dry) Dock was completed just in time to berth the Titanic. Untrue. The Dock was extended in time to hold the Olympic (while Titanic was still building on the slipway.) Two: the statement at the end of the show that states that the gantries used to build the Olympic and Titanic were never again used to build such large ships. This is untrue. The third sister-ship, the ultimately larger Britannic, had already been laid down when the Titanic sank. Work was stopped until the conclusion of two inquiries into the loss of the Titanic. Work then resumed. The Britannic was redesigned, but it was built on the same slipway where the Olympic was built. It was the only slipway large enough to build such ships. The program never mentions the Britannic, as I believe that it should considering that the filmmakers are focusing on one specific, and famous, Harland & Wolff shipyard of the early 20th Century. It is true that White Star Line never again built a super-liner after the loss of the Britannic, but the gantries continued in use until the 1960s.
Still, to see the actual sites of the giant gantries and the Thompson Graving Dock; the design room of Harland & Wolff and the actual plans for the ships; the streets and homes of the workers; and the hotel containing the rescued pieces of the elegant interior of the Olympic - these are wonderful treats for we somewhat obsessed fans of these ships and this era.
I have two problems. One: the program states that the Thompson Graving (Dry) Dock was completed just in time to berth the Titanic. Untrue. The Dock was extended in time to hold the Olympic (while Titanic was still building on the slipway.) Two: the statement at the end of the show that states that the gantries used to build the Olympic and Titanic were never again used to build such large ships. This is untrue. The third sister-ship, the ultimately larger Britannic, had already been laid down when the Titanic sank. Work was stopped until the conclusion of two inquiries into the loss of the Titanic. Work then resumed. The Britannic was redesigned, but it was built on the same slipway where the Olympic was built. It was the only slipway large enough to build such ships. The program never mentions the Britannic, as I believe that it should considering that the filmmakers are focusing on one specific, and famous, Harland & Wolff shipyard of the early 20th Century. It is true that White Star Line never again built a super-liner after the loss of the Britannic, but the gantries continued in use until the 1960s.
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