The 'R.M.S Titanic'

The 'R.M.S. (Royal Mail Steamer) Titanic' was built by Harland & Wolff Shipbuilding Company in Belfast, and was launched on 31st May 1911 for the White Star Line.

Being the largest ship afloat on entering service, she sailed from Southampton on her maiden voyage to Cherbourg with approximately 2,240 people on board, of whom 885 were crew members. The construction and fitting out of this notable passenger liner cost somewhere in the region of £1.5 million, which would have been equivalent to £180 million in 2023!

The 'R.M.S. Titanic' was the second in a new class of liners, larger than anything that had come before, which was designed as the last word in comfort and luxury. As well as carrying some of the wealthiest people in the world, she accommodated hundreds of emigrants from the British Isles, Europe, and Ireland, who were seeking a new life in the United States and Canada.

Following port calls at Southampton, Cherbourg, and Queenstown (Cobh), the 'Titanic'  headed into the Atlantic, bound for New York. On the night of 14th April 1912, the vessel encountered an iceberg, which resulted in the largest tragic maritime disaster at that time. Somewhere in the region of 1,500 people  perished in the freezing conditions of the North Atlantic out of the 2,250 people that were aboard prior to the collision. Thomas Andrews Jnr., the chief naval architect at the Belfast shipyard, was among those who died in the disaster.

The sinking of the 'Titanic' drew major public attention, spurred on significant changes in maritime safety regulations, and inspired a lasting legacy in popular culture. Examples of these were the large number of films produced on the story of the 'Titanic' and the construction of the Titanic Visitor Centre in Belfast.

My mural on the East Pier in Wicklow Town was initially inspired by a curious 9-year old boy who, during the summer of 2010, asked me if I ever considered painting the famous 'Titanic' on the pier wall. At that time, I explained to him that all the existing murals portrayed ships that had visited our port. However, as 2012, the centenary year of the tragic disaster approached, I decided to fulfil the young boy's wish. I put the finishing touches to his mural on the 15th April 2012, which was the centenary day.

Several months later, the slightly older young boy approached me again, thanking me for considering his request from several years earlier. I explained to him that I had done a bit of research on the liner's voyage from Belfast to Southampton. This indicated to me that the 'Titanic' would have had to pass Wicklow on her way southbound!

She departed Belfast around 2000 hrs on 2nd April 1912, after a hectic day of successful sea trials in Belfast Lough. Working on the figure of 140 nautical miles between Wicklow Port and there, and the vessel's average speed of 20 knots, I reckoned that she would have taken seven or eight hours to pass a beam of the Wicklow coastline! As it was possibly around 0400 hrs on the morning of 3rd April, daylight sightings of this magnificent liner would, sadly, not have been possible. The young fellow was fascinated with my conclusions, and the mural of the 'Titanic', inspired by him, has become a firm favourite with many of the younger generation who walk along the pier.

On a parting note, the 'Titanic' would have anchored off Cobh at 1130 hrs on 11th April 1912, and weighed anchor for the last time at 1330 hrs. Father Browne, a Jesuit trainee and a keen camera enthusiast, had sailed from Southampton to Cobh, and as a result, he captured many great images from his short voyage!