Near Collision with New York

This photograph shows Titanic in near collision with the liner New York in Southampton on 10 April 1912.

Titanic had left her dock and tugs had positioned her to face downstream. As she picked up speed, the turbulence from Titanic’s propellers was so strong that it snapped the mooring lines of New York and her stern was drawn towards Titanic.

Only a few feet separated the two ships before an engine surge from Titanic and fast action by the tugs brought New York under control.

It was a close call, but only delayed Titanic by about an hour before she began her maiden voyage.

Jack Prideaux, 3rd Class Titanic Steward

Jack Prideaux, who was born in Southampton, was one of the stewards on board Titanic. There were over 300 stewards working on the ship, looking after the needs of passengers.

Prideaux was assigned to care for those in Third Class. The 23 year old died when Titanic sank, his body was never found.

A Night to Remember

Dramatic poster advertising the influential 1958 film ‘A Night to Remember’.

The film was an adaptation of Walter Lord’s book of the same name, published in 1955. Lord had interviewed sixty-three Titanic survivors when carrying out his research.

Both book and film were highly successful and led to renewed interest in the story of Titanic.

Original sketch for a pair of walnut bedends

This design drawing for a pair of walnut bedends was made by Arthur Henry Durand.

He designed many of the woodwork details on board both Olympic and Titanic and was part of a large team of architects and designers who worked on the ships.

These bedends were made for a First Class Bedroom Suite.

Memorial to Titanic Cellists

This example of folk art is a tribute to the three cellists on board Titanic: John Wesley Woodward, Percy Cornelius Taylor and Roger Marie Bricoux.

There was a total of eight musicians on board, providing music for passengers.

They were reported to have played ‘Nearer, My God, to Thee’ as Titanic sank. All died in the disaster.

Harland and Wolff Tram Token

Tokens like this were used by Harland & Wolff to give free travel on trams to some of their staff.

The token has the Harland & Wolff initials on one side and the initials for Belfast Corporation Transport on the other.

In 1905, Belfast Corporation took over the tram system, changing it from horse-drawn to electric power. The extensive tram system was used by many workers to travel to and from the shipyards.

Anchor Line Poster

In 1912 it was unusual for Ulster emigrants to North America to leave from Queenstown. There were regular sailings from closer ports of Belfast and Londonderry with companies such as Anchor Line and Allan Line.

RMS Cymric poster

A number of Titanic’s passengers had been booked to sail on another White Star Line ship, Cymric. However, there was a coal strike in 1912. Miners in Britain were striking to get a national minimum wage.

White Star Line agent’s calendar

The company issued these desk calendars with twelve inserted cards, each featuring a different illustration of the company ships. This card depicts Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast where all the White Star Line ships were built. Each year agents were sent new batches of refills.

McCalla and Company ticket wallet

W. McCalla and Company, at 41 Victoria Street, Belfast was a general ticket agency. As well as issuing tickets for all the major transatlantic companies calling at Irish ports, McCalla also dealt with large numbers of people wishing to emigrate to Canada.