Decking was also carefully laid since it had to have a camber to ensure water fall-off to the scuppers, which drained it overboard. The camber was not pronounced, but again the work required a high degree of precision. The steel decking was laid and then holes were cut into it for engine and boiler casings, hatches, companionways and so on, and the surrounds of these strengthened by putting thicker or doubled-up deck plating in their vicinity. Caulking was applied to joints and
The steel was coated with a bitumen product to prevent water seepage through the decks, which would cause havoc if, for example, it got into the dynamo room. Finally, the wooden deck planking was cut and laid above all living spaces, though some areas were left clear until after engines and boilers had been shipped and installed to obviate damage. The resulting insulation, though necessary and very effective, created another water problem—that of condensation. To counter this, all exposed metal ceilings were coated with a preparation of granulated cork before being painted with at least three coats of paint.
The wood used for TitaniCs exposed decking was best-quality yellow pine, and the planking was attached using galvanized iron nuts and bolts.
The wood used for Titanic’s exposed decking was best-quality yellow pine, and the planking was attached using galvanized iron nuts and bolts. The ends of the bolts were countersunk and covered with matching wooden plugs to conceal them, and the gaps between the planks were filled first with a layer of cotton, then of oakum, then pitch. After that the decking was planed (using a recently invented electric machine) and varnished. Portions of the deck subject to especially hard wear were laid with pitch pine, and teak was used for all the planking where the decks met the sides of the hull, and for the surrounds of all waterways, hatches, scuttles,
Deckhouses, windlasses, cranes, ventilators and other deck fitments and machinery. Interior decking was also wood, though bathrooms, lavatories, pantries and galleys were floored in tile or brick.
Steelwork
By the time of her launch, Titanic’s steelwork was more or less complete, as was a good deal of her superstructure. Funnels, boilers, engines, propellers and upper superstructure would be fitted after the launch, in the fitting-out wharf, though for the purposes of this book, some of these elements are dealt with in this pre-launch section. While the work on
Titanic seems enormous, it’s worth remembering that in 1911 Harland & Wolff launched nine other ships. The total tonnage amounted to 118,209, and total horsepower to 97,000. It was the greatest output of any shipyard in any one year in history.
Harland & Wolff was doing well financially too. Profits were up to ?110,000, and the workforce had expanded from just under 11,400 in 1910 to almost 15,000 in 1911. At the same time, expansion and improvement of the shipyard itself was planned to take place over the next couple of years, at a cost of ?250,000. The optimism this represented was backed by a bulging order book. The periodical Syren & Shipping reported on the positive mood in June 1911: “There is, moreover, every reason to anticipate that the firm’s output of tonnage during the current year will beat all records. It need scarcely be remarked that an establishment with a production capacity such as is indicated. . . is. . . one of the best laid-out and most perfectly equipped yards in the world. . . No visitor going over the establishment can fail to be impressed with the well-ordered activity which prevails everywhere. . . the spirit of modernity or of a mature youthfulness suffuses everything.”
World History
