Born of Steel : The Ships of Harland & Wolff

By Robert John Welch (1859-1936), official photographer for Harland & Wolff

Harland & Wolff was formed in 1861 by Edward James Harland (1831–95) and Hamburg-born Gustav Wilhelm Wolff (1834–1913, come to the UK at age 14). In 1858 Harland, then general manager, bought the small shipyard on Queen’s Island from his employer Robert Hickson.

After buying Hickson’s shipyard, Harland made his assistant Wolff a partner in the company. Wolff was the nephew of Gustav Schwabe, Hamburg, who was heavily invested in the Bibby Line, and the first three ships that the newly incorporated shipyard built were for that line. Harland made a success of the business through several innovations, notably replacing the wooden upper decks with iron ones which increased the strength of the ships; and giving the hulls a flatter bottom and squarer cross section, which increased their capacity. Walter Henry Wilson became a partner of the company in 1874.

When Harland died in 1895, William James Pirrie became the chairman of the company until his death in 1924. Thomas Andrews also became the general manager and head of the draughting department in 1907. It was in this period that the company built Olympic and the two other ships in her class, Titanic and Britannic, between 1909 and 1914, commissioning Sir William Arrol & Co. to construct a massive twin slipway and gantry structure for the project.

In 1912, due primarily to increasing political instability in Ireland, the company acquired another shipyard at Govan in Glasgow, Scotland. It bought the former London & Glasgow Engineering & Iron Shipbuilding Co’s Middleton and Govan New shipyards in Govan and Mackie & Thomson’s Govan Old Yard, which had been owned by William Beardmore and Company. The three neighbouring yards were amalgamated and redeveloped to provide a total of seven building berths, a fitting-out basin and extensive workshops. Harland & Wolff specialised in building tankers and cargo ships at Govan.The nearby shipyard of A. & J. Inglis was also purchased by Harland & Wolff in 1919, along with a stake in the company’s primary steel supplier, David Colville & Sons. Harland & Wolff also established shipyards at Bootle in Liverpool, North Woolwich in London and Southampton.However, these shipyards were all eventually closed from the early 1960s when the company opted to consolidate its operations in Belfast.

Ships built by H&W between 1900 and 1909

  • SS Minnehaha, passenger ship for Atlantic Transport Co, launched 31 March 1900, completed 7 July 1900, torpedoed and sunk 7 September 1917.
  • SS Devonian, passenger ship for F Leyland & Co, launched 2 April 1900, completed 6 September 1900.[268]
  • SS Runic, passenger ship for White Star Line, launched 3 April 1900, completed 22 December 1900, renamed New Sevilla 1930, torpedoed and sunk 1940
  • SS Galician, passenger ship for Union Steamship Co, launched 20 September 1900, completed 6 December 1900.
  • SS Commonwealth, passenger ship for Richard Mills & Co, launched 31 May 1900, completed 22 September 1900, maiden voyage 4 October 1900, renamed Canopic 1904
  • SS Suevic, passenger ship for White Star Line, launched 8 December 1900, completed 9 March 1901, maiden voyage 23 March 1901, renamed Skytteren 1928, scuttled 1942.
  • RMS Celtic, passenger ship for White Star Line, launched 4 April 1901, completed 11 July 1901, maiden voyage 26 July 1901, wrecked 10 December 1928.
  • SS Ryndam, passenger ship for Holland America Line, launched 18 May 1901, completed 3 October 1901, renamed USS Rijndam 1918, scrapped 1929.
  • RMS Walmer Castle, passenger ship for Union-Castle Line, launched on 6 July 1901, completed 20 February 1902, scrapped 1932.[269]
  • SS Athenic, passenger ship for White Star Line, launched 17 August 1901, completed 23 January 1902, maiden voyage 13 February 1902, renamed Pelagos 1928, scrapped 1962.
  • SS Noordam, passenger ship for Holland America Line, launched 28 September 1901, completed 29 March 1902, maiden voyage 1 May 1902, renamed Kungsholm, scrapped 1927.
  • SS Warwickshire, passenger ship for Bibby Steamship Co, launched 28 November 1901, completed 6 March 1902.[270]
  • SS Minnetonka, passenger ship for Atlantic Transport Co, launched 12 December 1901, completed 17 May 1902, maiden voyage 1902, torpedoed and sunk January 1918.[271]
  • SS Corinthic, passenger ship for White Star Line, launched 10 April 1902, completed 14 July 1902, maiden voyage 20 November 1902, scrapped 1932.
  • SS Ionic, passenger ship for White Star Line, launched 22 May 1902, completed 15 December 1902, maiden voyage 16 January 1903, scrapped 1936.
  • SS Iowa, passenger ship for George Warren & Co, launched 15 August 1902, completed 11 November 1902, renamed Bohemia 1912, USS Artemis 1919 and Empire Bittern 1941, sunk 1944.
  • RMS Cedric, passenger ship for White Star Line, launched 21 August 1902, completed 31 January 1903, maiden voyage 11 February 1903, scrapped 1932.
  • SS Orita, passenger ship for PSNC, launched 15 November 1902, completed 26 March 1903.[272]
  • SS Arabic, passenger ship for White Star Line, launched 18 December 1902, completed 21 June 1903, maiden voyage 26 June 1903, torpedoed and sunk 19 August 1915.
  • SS Columbus, passenger ship for Richard Mills & Co, launched 26 February 1903, completed 12 September 1903, maiden voyage October 1903, renamed RMS Republic 1903, rammed and sunk January 1909.
  • SS Marmora, passenger ship for P&O, launched 9 April 1903, completed 19 November 1903.[273]
  • SS Macedonia, passenger ship for P&O, launched 9 July 1903, completed 28 January 1904.[274]
  • RMS Baltic, passenger ship for White Star Line, launched 21 November 1903, completed 23 June 1904, maiden voyage 29 June 1904, scrapped 1933.
  • SS President Lincoln, passenger ship for Hamburg America Line, launched 8 October 1903, completed 14 May 1907, renamed USS President Lincoln 1917, torpedoed and sunk 31 May 1918.[275]
  • HMS Enchantress, yacht for British Admiralty, launched 7 November 1903, completed 11 June 1904.
  • RMS Kenilworth Castle, passenger ship for Union Castle, launched 15 December 1903, completed 19 May 1904, scrapped 1936.[276]
  • SS Servian, passenger ship for Hamburg America Line, launched 19 December 1903, completed 3 September 1907 as President Grant, renamed USS President Grant (SP-3014) 1917, USAT Republic 1921 and USS Republic 1941, scrapped 1952.[277]
  • SS Worcestershire, passenger ship for Bibby Steamship Co, launched 3 March 1904, completed 17 September 1904.[278]
  • SS Amerika, passenger ship for Hamburg America Line, launched 20 April 1905, completed 21 September 1905, renamed USS America 1917, USAT America 1919, SS America 1920 and USAT Edmund B Alexander 1940, scrapped 1957.
  • SS Dunluce Castle, passenger ship for Union Castle, launched 31 March 1904, completed 15 September 1904, sold for scrapping in 1939, instead to British Admiralty for use as accommodation ship.
  • TSS Slievemore, ferry for London & North Western Railway, launched 17 May 1904, completed 17 October 1904, scrapped 1932.
  • SS Pardo, cargo ship for Royal Mail Line, launched 30 June 1904, completed 1 October 1904.[279]
  • SS Potaro, cargo ship for Royal Mail Line, launched 10 September 1904, completed 8 December 1904.[280]
  • SS Mamari, passenger ship for Shaw, Savill & Albion Line, launched 24 September 1904, completed 3 December 1904, maiden voyage 15 December 1904.[281]
  • RMS Aragon, passenger ship for Royal Mail Line, launched 23 February 1905, completed 22 June 1905, maiden voyage 14 July 1905, renamed HMT Aragon, sunk by torpedo 1917.
  • SS Bologna, passenger ship for Hamburg America Line, launched 9 March 1905, completed 25 May 1905.[282]
  • SS Maharonda, cargo ship for T&J Brocklebank, launched 17 June 1905, completed 3 August 1905.[283]
  • TSS Slieve Bawn, ferry for London & North Western Railway, launched 6 July 1905, completed 10 October 1905, scrapped 1935.
  • SS Herefordshire, passenger ship for Bibby Steamship Co, launched 31 August 1905, completed 29 November 1905.[284]
  • SS Nieuw Amsterdam, passenger ship for Holland America Line, launched 28 September 1905, completed 22 February 1906, maiden voyage 7 April 1906, scrapped February 1932.
  • SS Malakand, cargo ship for T&J Brocklebank, launched 11 November 1905, completed 14 December 1905.[285]
  • SS Manipur, cargo ship for T&J Brocklebank, launched 14 December 1905, completed 13 January 1906, renamed HMS Sandhurst, scrapped 1947.[286]
  • RMS Amazon, passenger ship for Royal Mail Line, launched 24 February 1906, completed 5 June 1906.
  • SS Ortega, cargo ship for PSNC, launched 22 March 1906, completed 28 June 1906.[287]
  • SS Matheran, cargo ship for T&J Brocklebank, launched 12 April 1906, completed 12 May 1906.[288]
  • SS Oronsa, cargo ship for PSNC, launched 24 May 1905, completed 16 August 1906.[289]
  • SS Heroic, ferry for Belfast Steamship Co, launched 13 January 1906, completed 23 April 1906.[290]
  • SS Graphic, ferry for Belfast Steamship Co, launched 27 February 1906, completed 19 May 1906.[291]
  • SS Salamanca, cargo ship for Hamburg America Line, launched 5 July 1906, completed 15 September 1906.[292]
  • SS Rohilla, cargo ship for British-India Steam Navigation Co, launched 6 September 1906, completed 17 November 1906, wrecked 30 October 1914.
  • RMS Adriatic, passenger ship for White Star Line, launched on 20 September 1906, completed 25 April 1907, maiden voyage 8 May 1907, scrapped 1935.
  • SS Aburi, cargo ship for Elder Dempster, launched 18 October 1906, completed 2 January 1907.[293]
  • SS Sierra Leone, cargo ship for Elder Dempster, launched 15 November 1906, completed 8 January 1907.[294]
  • SS Fulani, cargo ship for Elder Dempster, launched 31 January 1907, completed 1 June 1907.[295]
  • SS Avon, passenger ship for Royal Mail Line, launched 2 March 1907, completed 15 June 1907.[296]
  • SS Prashu, cargo ship for Elder Dempster, launched 29 March 1907, completed 29 June 1907.[297]
  • SS Iroquois, oil tanker for Anglo American Oil Co, launched 27 June 1907, completed 19 October 1907, scrapped 1947.[298]
  • SS Asturias, passenger ship for Royal Mail Line, launched 26 September 1907, completed 8 January 1908.[299]
  • Navahoe, schooner oil barge for Anglo American Oil Co, launched 10 October 1907, completed 18 January 1908, scuttled 1936.[300]
  • SS Median, cargo ship for F Leyland & Co, launched 5 December 1907, completed 25 January 1908.[301]
  • SS Pericles, passenger ship for Aberdeen Line, launched 21 December 1907, completed 4 June 1908, maiden voyage 8 July 1908, wrecked 31 March 1910.
  • SS Memphian, cargo ship for F Leyland & Co, launched 23 January 1908, completed 20 February 1908.[302]
  • SS Rotterdam, passenger ship for Holland America Line launched 3 March 1908, completed 3 June 1908, scrapped 1940.[303]
  • SS Mercian, cargo ship for Furness Leyland Line, launched 16 April 1908, completed 16 May 1908.[304]
  • SS Lapland, passenger ship for Red Star Line, launched 27 June 1908, completed 27 March 1909, maiden voyage 10 April 1909, scrapped 1934.
  • SS Léopoldville, passenger ship for Compagnie Belge Maritime du Congo, launched 13 August 1908, completed 10 November 1908, renamed SS Absini.[305]
  • SS Laurentic, passenger ship for White Star Line, launched 10 September 1908, completed 15 April 1909, maiden voyage 29 April 1909, sunk by mines 25 January 1917.
  • SS Minnewaska, passenger ship for Atlantic Transport Co, launched 12 November 1908, completed 24 April 1909, maiden voyage 1909, mined 29 November 1916.[306]
  • SS Megantic, passenger ship for White Star Line, launched 10 December 1908, completed 3 June 1909, maiden voyage 17 June 1909, scrapped 1933.
  • SS Karoola, passenger ship for McIlwraith, McEacharn & Co, launched 9 March 1909, completed 8 July 1909.[307]
  • SS Mallina, cargo ship for Australasian Steam Navigation Co, launched 25 March 1909, completed 29 April 1909, renamed HMAS Mallina 1914, Mallina 1915 Seiko Maru 1929 and Siberia Maru 1935, bombed and sunk 24 September 1944.
  • SS Berbice, cargo ship for Royal Mail Line, launched 6 May 1909, completed 8 July 1909.[308]
  • SS Leicestershire, passenger ship for Bibby Steamship Co, launched 3 June 1909, completed 11 September 1909, maiden voyage 23 September 1909, renamed British Exhibitor and Zamzam, sunk by German raider in April 1941.[309]
  • SS Meltonian, cargo ship for Furness Leyland Line, launched 8 July 1909, completed 17 August 1909.[310]
  • SS Balantia, cargo ship for Royal Mail Line, launched 28 October 1909, completed 18 December 1909