Thomas Andrews, Chief Designer of the RMS Titanic

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Thomas Andrews, the chief designer of the RMS Titanic, was born on February 7, 1873 in Comber, County Down, to well-known Irish politician Thomas Andrews and Eliza Pirrie.

Thomas Andrews, the chief designer of the RMS Titanic, was born on February 7, 1873 in Comber, County Down, to well-known Irish politician Thomas Andrews and Eliza Pirrie.

At the age of 16, Andrews began an apprenticeship at shipbuilding company Harland & Wolff where his uncle, William James Pirrie, 1st Viscount Pirrie, was a co-owner. In 1901, Andrews became manager of the construction works after completing a 12-year training course. He also became a member of the Institution of Naval Architects that same year. In 1907, Andrews was appointed the company’s managing director. Andrews enjoyed great authority and respect among corporate workers.

In late 1907, the top management of the White Star Line company decided to build three giant liners at the Harland & Wolff shipyard. The three sister ships were to have the following identical dimensions:

Length: 269 meters

Beam: 28 meters

Displacement: 52,000 metric tons.

Construction of the first two sister ships, the RMS Olympic and the RMS Titanic, was launched in 1908 and 1909, respectively.

The Titanic was designed under Andrews’ supervision from beginning to end. Its layout was based on that of the Olympic.

The ship had a double bottom for additional safety. Its hull was divided into 16 water-tight compartments. Thomas Andrews believed that the liner would be able to sail on even if four out of its 16 compartments were filled with water.

Thomas Andrews was involved in the April 2, 1912 trial run of the Titanic, during which all onboard equipment was tested. He traveled 600 nautical miles from Belfast to Southampton, from where the liner subsequently set sail on its maiden voyage to New York City. During the voyage, Andrews headed the Harland & Wolff Guarantee Group comprising nine top-class specialists.

The group was instructed to monitor the operation of all ship systems, to describe all mishaps and to eliminate them.

Andrews returned to his stateroom after lunch in the evening of April 14, not long before the ill-fated Titanic struck the iceberg. While there, Andrews worked on his notes concerning the liner’s technical state.

Andrews was so absorbed in his work that he almost failed to notice the impact.

Captain Edward Smith soon summoned Andrews in order to assess the scale of the disaster. After inspecting the liner, Andrews decided that the Titanic was doomed, and that it was impossible to save it. He concluded that the ship would sink in the next two hours.

As the final hours dragged on, Andrews tried to convince the passengers to wear their life preservers and to enter the lifeboats. At 2:10 a.m., Steward John "Jack" Stewart, who was making his way to the Boat Deck, noticed Andrews in the first class smoking room. Thomas Andrews was looking pensively at a painting, “Plymouth Harbour.” His life preserver was lying on a nearby table. Andrew never had an opportunity to use it.

The body of Thomas Andrews was never found.

Thomas Andrews was married to Helen Reilly Barbour. Their daughter, Elizabeth Law Barber Andrews (ELBA), was born in 1910.

His elder brother, John Miller Andrews (1871-1956) became the Prime Minister of Northern Ireland.

In 1915, a memorial hall dedicated to Thomas Andrews was opened in Comber, his birthplace.

In 1920, a monument to the Titanic’s crew members and Thomas Andrews’ Guarantee Group was unveiled in Belfast. The monument was built using donations from Harland & Wolff and from of the Andrews family.

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