Harland And Wolff The Builders of The Titanic

Recreation of the Harland & Wolff Drawing Office

The British shipbuilding company Harland and Wolff were responsible for building most of the ships for the White Star Line.  One of the well-known ships they built was the RMS Titanic.  The headquarters of the company is in London.  One of their other sites is in Belfast where the Titanic was built. 

The Founding of the Company

Harland and Wolff was founded in 1861 by Edward Harland and Gustav Wolff.  Edward served as the manager of the yard.  Gustav oversaw the drawing office.  One of the innovations the company had was replacing the wooden upper decks on their ships with iron ones which increased the strength of the ships.  In 1869, a business agreement was made between Harland and Wolff and the White Star Line. 

The Building of The Titanic

The Titanic at the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast

On July 31, 1908, Lord William Pirrie, the chairman of Harland and Wolff, and J. Bruce Ismay, chairman of the White Star Line, signed letters of agreement to begin building what was known as the Olympic class ships.  These were to be three ships built to be the largest and most luxurious ships of the time. 

On March 31, 1909, construction began on the Titanic in Belfast with the laying of its keel.  It would take almost 3,000 shipbuilders working 50-60 hours a week to complete the ship.   

Thomas Andrews was the chief designer of the RMS Titanic.  He was the managing director and head of the drafting department for Harland and Wolff.  (Just a side note, Thomas Andrews uncle was Lord William Pirrie).  Mr. Andrews was responsible for including several safety features such as a double hull, watertight compartments and planned for extra lifeboats. 

The Completion of the Ship & The Cost

The ship was officially completed and handed over to the White Star Line on April 2, 1912, after the sea trials.

The Titanic set sail on its maiden voyage on April 10, 1912.  The total construction costs of Titanic were $7.5 million USD in 1912.  When converted to today’s currency, it would cost between $190-$200 million USD in today’s currency. 

Is Harland and Wolff Still Building Ships

In January 2025, Harland and Wolf was purchased by the Spanish state-owned shipbuilder Navantia UK.  The company had spent the last twenty years focusing on ship repair.  It will begin building ships again.