Image via YouTube
The Titanic sank in April 1912, which is a moment many of us know well from historical accounts and myriad articles. The University of Illinois' Bill Hammock takes us on a journey a few years prior to that fateful date, when the RMS Titanic was initially conceived and built.
The following video (h/t Digg) illustrates something we rarely consider: the epic engineering feat of crafting the world's most famous cruise ship.
Via YouTube's description: "Bill shares fascinating images and information gleaned from the 1909 to 1911 editions of the Journal The Engineer. It includes photos of the construction of the Titanic and its twin the Olympic, the launching of these Olympic-class ships, and accidents that occurred. The video includes engineering details of the ship's engines, steering mechanism, and propellers."
Here, for the engineering aficionado, is a point-by-point breakdown of the ship's infancy:
Using images from the journal Bill cleverly highlights important aspects and delivers expert analysis to explain how builders constructed this lavish liner starting in 1909.
For those interested in more specifics, you can delve into the wonderful Encyclopedia Titanica, which echoes some of the details found in the video.
The Encyclopedia states, "RMS Olympic and RMS Titanic were constructed side-by-side and less than one year would elapse between their respective maiden voyages. They were practically identical in both appearance and fittings."
Of course, it also offers numbers that reinforce the majesty of the ship such as its gross tonnage (46,328 tons), length (882 feet 9 inches) and number of coal-burning furnaces (159).
While astounding, it's hard to truly grasp the work that went into making such a beast of oceanic enterprise.
To that end we are grateful and beyond fascinated with this video that shows the amazing size of the various parts of the ships and how they were all put in place.
It's items like this that allow that harrowing journey aboard this remarkable ship to live on over a 100 years after its tragic end.
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