Stephen McGann

And that's about 15 miles north of Belfast on the shores of Belfast Loch. So, you know, his childhood, he would have been watching big ships come and go up and down the loch in front of his house. So, you know, maybe that was part of the reason why he wanted to get involved in shipbuilding. Harland & Wolfe employed, at its height, over 40,000 people.

And that's about 15 miles north of Belfast on the shores of Belfast Loch. So, you know, his childhood, he would have been watching big ships come and go up and down the loch in front of his house. So, you know, maybe that was part of the reason why he wanted to get involved in shipbuilding. Harland & Wolfe employed, at its height, over 40,000 people.

And it was like an army of men going into work for 6.30 in the morning. You didn't need an alarm clock in this city because the tramp of boots on the cobbles would have woken you up. as those men streamed into Queen's Island to start their long day down in the shipyard. And, you know, it was fairly well paid, especially once you got yourself established.

And it was like an army of men going into work for 6.30 in the morning. You didn't need an alarm clock in this city because the tramp of boots on the cobbles would have woken you up. as those men streamed into Queen's Island to start their long day down in the shipyard. And, you know, it was fairly well paid, especially once you got yourself established.

So for my great-grandfather, for example, he was able to provide his children and his wife with a good standard of living. So, yeah, a very important place back in the day. And Harland and Wolfe, which is still on the go today, the biggest shipyard in the world.

So for my great-grandfather, for example, he was able to provide his children and his wife with a good standard of living. So, yeah, a very important place back in the day. And Harland and Wolfe, which is still on the go today, the biggest shipyard in the world.

My great-grandfather used to come home after his long shift in Harland and Wolfe and talk to his two sons about what he was working on.

My great-grandfather used to come home after his long shift in Harland and Wolfe and talk to his two sons about what he was working on.

He obviously had a great deal of pride in that and he instilled that in his two sons, telling them that this was something special that was going on a couple of miles away and that they should be very proud of their father for being part of the team that was building these massive ships.

He obviously had a great deal of pride in that and he instilled that in his two sons, telling them that this was something special that was going on a couple of miles away and that they should be very proud of their father for being part of the team that was building these massive ships.

Overseeing all of this was Thomas Andrews, who's very famous in the Titanic story. He's always portrayed as the hero in the movies about Titanic. And he was the head of the design department and very much a hands-on manager. So he spent long days and nights down at the shipyard overseeing what was going on.

Overseeing all of this was Thomas Andrews, who's very famous in the Titanic story. He's always portrayed as the hero in the movies about Titanic. And he was the head of the design department and very much a hands-on manager. So he spent long days and nights down at the shipyard overseeing what was going on.

There's a story about him taking his wife down there one time and saying, there go my boys, Nelly, and showing her again with this wonderful sense of pride how Titanic was coming along. So, you know, he's an integral part of the ship from start to finish, and that's why he was so important when things started to go wrong.

There's a story about him taking his wife down there one time and saying, there go my boys, Nelly, and showing her again with this wonderful sense of pride how Titanic was coming along. So, you know, he's an integral part of the ship from start to finish, and that's why he was so important when things started to go wrong.

It gets launched and it's just empty at that point. So it goes down to what's called the fitting out wharf where all the special stuff happens. You know, all the craftsmen get on board and it turns into a luxury liner. And that's where the engines and the boilers are put in and the funnels put on top.

It gets launched and it's just empty at that point. So it goes down to what's called the fitting out wharf where all the special stuff happens. You know, all the craftsmen get on board and it turns into a luxury liner. And that's where the engines and the boilers are put in and the funnels put on top.

And then the final stage is just a brief spell in a dry dock just to finish off the hull of the ship, to paint it, final bits of electrics and plumbing and that sort of thing.

And then the final stage is just a brief spell in a dry dock just to finish off the hull of the ship, to paint it, final bits of electrics and plumbing and that sort of thing.

My great-grandmother Jeannie died in January of 1912, and she'd had TB, so she died pretty suddenly. And it seems that everything happened pretty quickly, because within three months, there was Tommy signed up as the assistant deck engineer on Titanic. Really, his motivation was to give a change of scene to the family. He wanted a fresh start. And here was the opportunity.

My great-grandmother Jeannie died in January of 1912, and she'd had TB, so she died pretty suddenly. And it seems that everything happened pretty quickly, because within three months, there was Tommy signed up as the assistant deck engineer on Titanic. Really, his motivation was to give a change of scene to the family. He wanted a fresh start. And here was the opportunity.