In December 1908, the keel of the new White Star Liner Olympic was laid in slip number 2 in Harland and Wolff's Belfast shipyard, followed a few months later by the Titanic's. The scale of these new behemoths was staggering, so much so that the berths that used to accommodate 3 ships were converted to 2. To ensure the workers had access to all areas of the new ships, a huge 220 foot gantry was constructed, the largest in the world.
Meanwhile, Lord Pirrie and his design team, headed by 39-year-old Thomas Andrews, made the finishing touches to the liners design. The new ships were colossal, 882 ½ feet long and 92 feet wide and stood 175 feet from the keel to the top of her raked funnels. Originally only 3 funnels were envisioned, but Pirrie felt that four would give the impression of greater power and safety. The stern most funnel was actually a dummy, used for ventilation of the kitchens. With a gross tonnage of 45,000 tons, the new ships were powered by a combination of two steam reciprocating engines generating 30,000 hp for the outer propellers, and a 16,000-hp engine turning the center propeller. In 1912, steam turbine technology was in its early stages, but these new engines would propel the giant ships at a cruising speed of 21 knots. Included in the design was 15 watertight bulkheads extending laterally from the ship's double bottom to well above the waterline allowing the ship to survive with any two compartments breached. At the time, the major concern, safety-wise, was collision with another ship. As a matter of fact, in 1906, the White Star's own liner, the Republic, was lost in a collision (but that, as they say, "Is another story"). This bulkhead arrangement, while exceeding the British Board of Trade regulations (as many of Titanic's safety features), contained a fatal flaw: they did not extend high enough, indeed, the middle bulkheads only extended 15 feet above the waterline. The consequences of this will be tragically made clear later. At the time, though, the respected British journal Shipbuilder declared the new liners "practically unsinkable." All in all, the ships had nine decks and could accommodate 3,300 passengers and crew in unrivaled splendor. The opulent First Class areas included dining saloon, reception rooms, reading and writing rooms and cafes. To work off the rich food, the Titanic and her sisters had a gymnasium, squash court, Turkish and Electric baths and a salt water swimming pool. There was also a barber shop, laundry, photographic darkroom, library, telephone system, and two elevators. The most prestigious suites on the Titanic were on B deck. These suites included a private promenade, and went for over $4,300 (one way) in 1912 dollars. In 1997 dollars these suites would cost you $80,000! Even accommodations for Third Class passengers, known as "steerage" for when cattle were transported on the lower decks, included electric lights and running water and were better than many First Class cabins on the early days of transatlantic ocean travel. And with the price of Third Class tickets as low as $30, the relocation of immigrants swelled to epic proportions, lured by the dream of a new future in America; and what better way to travel to the New World than on the "Ship of Dreams?"
