Titanic Quarter - Plaque to Commemorate RMS Titanic Keel Laying Centenary
"John M Andrews, great nephew of Titanic’s Thomas Andrews and president of Belfast Titanic Society, unveiled a memorial plaque on a replica keel plate which has been erected on the exact spot on the Titanic slipway where construction began in 1909.
One hundred years to the day since work began on the world’s most famous ship (March 31st), the historic event was attended by the Lord Mayor of Belfast, Councillor Tom Hartley, and a range of Titanic enthusiasts, including two members of the South African Titanic Society who had travelled from Cape Town especially for the event.
Speaking at the event, the Lord Mayor said:
“Belfast is justifiably proud of the Titanic and the skills and expertise of the men who built and designed her. No other city in the world can lay claim to her name in the way that we can.
Keel laying was the first step taken in the building process of the Titanic. Preparations to lay the first keel plate for the Titanic began on March 22nd, 1909, when wooden keel blocks were laid out on the slipway in Queen’s Yard at Harland & Wolff.
The keel was 850ft long and the keel blocks were used to support the weight of the growing structure of steel, which was launched as the Titanic two years later. The first keel plate was laid on March 31st, 1909, close to where the centre of the ship was to be, with the rest of the structure growing from this point. The single plate was 26ft, 6in long, 52in wide and 1.5in thick. It weighed over three tons.
Unveiling the plaque, John M Andrews, President of Belfast Titanic Society, added:
“Every time I walk out on to the slipway at Titanic Quarter I get a real sense of the history of the area, so to be here 100 years to the day when work began on that great ship is remarkable. Thousands of men helped shape the Titanic right here in Belfast and this is part of our ongoing work to tell their story.”"
SOURCE - (
visit link)