The Idea

Its the early 1900s. Queen Victoria had just died, and the British Empire was under new rule.

A limosine pulls up outside the house of Lord Pirrie and his beloved wife. Inside the car is J. Bruce Ismay and his wife. The get out of the car and walk up to the door of the manor and enter. It is said that, while in the house, Ismay and Pirrie thought up a spectacular idea.

At this time, there was a transatlantic rivalry between shipping lines Cunard and White Star. They had been fighting for many years. And now, Cunard was about to launch the Lusitania - a ship that would push the boundaries of modern shipping. It was two be launched a few weeks later, with a sister ship, the Mauretania, also nearing completion. They were to be the biggest ships ever built, almost five-times the size of Brunel's Great Eastern. They were also to be the most luxurious.

Something had to be done.

Pirrie and Ismay suddenly came up with an idea. A titanic idea.

They desided to build three humongous ships - two constructed side by side, with a third to follow. They would be TEN TIMES the size of the Lusitania, and TEN TIMES as luxurious. Luxury and comfort would be higherly thought of rather than speed, although the ships would be fast enough to travel from Southhampton in six days.

Pirrie raised a toast to the welfare of the ships. And later that evening, Ismay drew up rough drawings of three ships, with their names underneath.

The Gigantic.

The Olympic.

And the Titanic.