Titanic prior to launch

Titanic being prepared for her launch, scheduled to take place on 31 May 1911.

This wonderful photograph shows the enormous scale of Titanic's steel hull as it sits on Slipway No. 3, within the enfolding structure of the great Arrol Gantry. 

The image also captures a poignant moment, as the old maritime technology of the traditional wooden schooner in the foreground, gradually gave way to the machine-age modernity of Titanic.