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All you need to know about the building of Titanic

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Plus the incredible amount it would have cost in today
Plus the incredible amount it would have cost in today's money

THE Titanic was considered the world's largest ship and was deemed unsinkable by the White Star Line's Vice President.

The famous shipwreck has become a hotspot for explorers which saw five people die after their submersible imploded in 2023.

The RMS Titanic was under construction in Belfast between 1910 and 1911 qeituirxihtprw
The RMS Titanic was under construction in Belfast between 1910 and 1911Credit: Corbis - Getty

Where was the Titanic built?

The Titanic was built at a shipyard in Belfast, Northern Ireland, with work beginning on the vessel in 1909.

It was one of three ships crafted by Harland and Wolff and White Star Line at the Thompson Dock - which is still open to visitors today.

Architect Alexander Carlisle designed the famous boat as the largest passenger liner the world had ever seen at the time it was built.

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However, now the wreckage of the Titanic, which spurred the 1998 film starring Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio, sits 12,400 feet beneath sea level in the North Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada.

How long did it take to build the Titanic?

The Titanic took almost three years to construct and cost around £1.5million.

This amount equates to around £170million today.

Over 14,000 men were employed during the peak of construction and the frame of the ship was fully formed in just over a year.

The Titanic, which has been deemed "practically unsinkable," was released from its dry dock in 1911.

It was then that work on the interior began.

The Titanic was declared seaworthy just eight days before its maiden voyage.

However, there were only 20 lifeboats installed which could fit around 1,100 people in total - despite the fact there were more than 2,200 souls onboard.

The ship's design separated first, second and third-class passengers from each other.

First-class cabins cost travellers around $3,500 (£2.8k) in today's money.

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A bunk bed in a third-class bain would set travellers back anywhere between $350-$900 - which equates to £280-£722.

Many third-class passengers were immigrants looking to move to the US.

Where did the Titanic set sail from?

The Titanic set sail from Southampton, England, on April 10, 1912.

The doomed ship was due to arrive in New York City, United States, on April 17, but, of course, it never made it.

The ship hit an iceberg just five days into its maiden voyage.

The Titanic sank a short time later on April 15, 1912.

More than 1,500 of the 2,224 people who were on board were killed.

Unsurprisingly, first-class passengers had the best chance of survival followed by second-class.

Third class recorded the highest amount of deaths with just 25 per cent of passengers surviving the ordeal, according to reports.

The remains of the wreck were located 73 years after the ship sank on September 1, 1985.

It was found separated into two main sections around 2,000ft from each other.

What happened to the missing Titanic submarine?

On June 19, 2023, it was reported that a submarine used to take tourists to see the wreckage of the Titanic had vanished.

The OceanGate submarine was carrying five passengers including billionaire Hamish Harding, to see the wreckage of the Titanic.

After international search efforts, on June 22, 2023, the Coast Guard revealed debris from the missing submarine was found near the shipwreck.

Rear Adm. John Mauger, the First Coast Guard District, said "The debris is consistent with catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber. Our most heartfelt condolences go out to the loved ones of the crew."

The new find led the submarine's creators OceanGate to confirm that the five members on board were dead.

Along with Harding, the other four people on board were OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood, and Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet.

Alice Fuller

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