TITANIC THOMPSON Graving DOCK Belfast
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 3 ต.ค. 2024
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I've been living in Belfast for around 40 years and I didn't know you could actually do this! -Walk around on the bottom of the Thompson Graving dock where the RMS Titanic was built all those years ago in 1912 the same year my old mum long gone, was born! So here I am to give you the inside view of this massive dock which was the biggest in the world at that time!
The Thompson Graving Dock is located on the west-side of Queens Island in Belfast, within sight of the Harland and Wolff shipyard. The dock was constructed by the Belfast Harbour Commissioners and opened in 1911. It was designed to accommodate the new mammoth White Star liners Olympic and Titanic.
The dock is 850 feet (259 metres) in length, exactly the length of the Olympic-class liners between perpendiculars; their waterline length. The sides of the dock are flush for half their height, while above the sides are stepped outwards. The landward end of the dock is curved, while the harbour-end is flat, with a large, movable caisson gate. The width of the dock floor measures 100 feet (30.48 metres), while at the caisson gate the width is 96 feet (29.26 metres), giving a margin of just 1 foot 9 inches (0.53 metres) either side of the dock gate for the transit of the Olympic and Titanic; the margin was even smaller for the 94 feet (28.7 metre) wide Britannic.
The graving dock was a dry dock; the dock would be flooded to allow a ship to enter the dock. The caisson gate to the dock would be closed and the dock pumped dry. The ship had to be positioned exactly, so that she would come to rest on the keel blocks. With the dock dry, shipyard workers from Harland and Wolff could descend on the ship to work on her, fitting the ship out and working on her hull, propellers and rudder; parts of the ship that would normally be underwater.
The Thompson Graving dock-
What is a graving dock and what is it used for? The word ‘graving’ is an obsolete nautical term for the scraping, cleaning, painting, or tarring of an underwater body. Combined with the word ‘dock’ a graving dock refers to an enclosed basin into which a ship is taken for underwater cleaning or repair.
Older graving docks were fitted with watertight entrance gates when closed permitted the dock to be pumped dry. However these gates, hinged on either side, restricted the size of vessels entering and the gates were also difficult to seal and to repair. Later designs of graving docks incorporated the use of a caisson or pontoon (sometimes called a camel by shipbuilders) that fitted closely into the entrance. The caisson is flooded and sunk in place and the water pumped out. Reversing the process the dock is flooded, the caisson pumped dry, floated and is warped away from the entrance to permit passage of vessels.
A graving dock is sometimes called a graving dry dock or just dry dock. It is, however, not a dock. A dock is an artificial basin provided with suitable installations for loading and unloading, close to the sea, where vessels can lie afloat. The dock area may communicate freely with the stream or harbour, or the entrance to it may be closed by a lock or gates.
Hi Tom.... wish there was a time machine to take us back to see the 3 Olympic class sisters under construction. It must been a site to see.I was born too late ☹️lol. Thanks Tom for this older video
I have often thought this. I would like to revisit all sorts of time periods and events but sadly it's not going to happen. And thank you too, for all your support Mike.
Great Tom, I can imagine standing in the titanic dry dock must give you more of a sense of its sheer size, thanks , mate.
Tom, all the best for your future projects. Looking forward to them.
Many thanks for all your encouragements Andrew. They are much appreciated.
Oh my goodness! That really gives you the actual size for sure!!!! That is so much more than I ever expected. It's beyond Huge! You are so right, there is so much we miss right in our own home towns. I lived right outside of Washington DC, and there are so many places I have never been to see there. It really is a beautiful city, but I guess when you have worked, shopped, and lived there, it becomes normal to you.
I am so thrilled to see where the actual Titanic was "born" it's amazing. I also appreciate all of the wonderful information you posted too. Just Wonderful! Thank you so much. I loved it.
Sheila6325 It really is a beautiful city, but I guess when you have worked, shopped, and lived there, it becomes normal to you.
Very true. I think we all can become complacent about what we have. Thanks sheila!
I know it well!I used to camp at Monroe Bay, and my best friend lived there. Of course I went there almost every day. It is indeed a gorgeous place to live, and very friendly too. They have all moved around since then, all but me, I live in Southern Maryland still, and love it. I loved your story, and they are never too long for me. Bless you, and your family, Sheila
Mr.Tom, I like your videos very much. I'm a marine engineer from Poland living in Canada. In 2019 I visited Belfast and went to see the great mural of Gen Sosabowski on Foxglove str Thank You for publicizing this mural of this great leader and the creator of Ist parachute Division unjustly removed from command. Thank You also for the Newtownards polish pilots memorial. I like to watch all your great productions. Keep up the great job and stay well and covid free.
Hi Henriek, Many many thanks for getting in touch with me, all the way from Canada. The General Sosabowski mural is one of the finest murals in Belfast. I'm glad you got to see it. The Polish pilots based here made a huge comtribution to the WW2 war effort. My understanding is that Polish pilots flew and fought so well that English RAF commanders were jealous of their ability. It seems that the Polish pilots were held back from the use or the Spitfire for this reason. I am not worried by this virus Henriek. My friends and I, up and down the country, know of no one who has died directly from it. We know a few old people who have died with it. There is something very wrong about shutting the world down because of it. I know plenty of friends and relatives who have died of cancer, heart complaints, strokes and indeed suicide but our leaders don't seem bothered. Something is badly wrong about this. Best wishes from Belfast Northern Ireland.
Great video.Very informative.Thaks.
Hi Tom, thank you again. Will definitely look at your entire Titanic video collection. Looking forward to it. I am in New York City. Looking forward to meeting at some future date in either Belfast, London or New York. All the best. Andrew St. John
Wow! You seem to do quite a bit of traveling around! I love to know where folks are.
Many of those videos are just Titanic related because I was filming nearby but there are a few that you might be interested in.
@@TomMcClean Thank you Tom. Will look at your videos. For ideas on your future videos, consider doing Then & Now videos of the various sites around Belfast i.e. Harland & Wolf offices, the various pubs the shipyard workers visited in 1911-12, homes of Thomas Andrew, Lord Pierre and other leading individuals involved in Titanic. Looking forward to your results.
Many thanks Andrew. My problem is always time! lol I have always too many fish to fry!
I've seen several videos of the dock and the thing that always strikes me is that it doesn't look long enough to have housed Titanic!
Hi SWF. I hear what you are saying but maybe you should come down to the dock and stand in it yourself and see if you think different. Best wishes from the Belfast Castlereagh hills.
Great video. My only suggestion would be to add photos of the Titanic and Olympic in the dry dock to show before and now images. It would definitely add a new dimension to the historical perspective of your videos
Many thanks Andrew for your encouraging words. Yes I agree, I should have done that when I made the video. Best wishes from the Belfast Castlereagh hills.
Just keep up the great work of keeping the memory of the Titanic and all the individuals involved in her design and construction alive. To that end, I would encourage you to show all the places in Belfast, significant and insignificant, that had any involvement in the Titanic. People interested in your videos are interested in any minutiae about the Titanic that somehow conveys that this event really happened. Looking forward to your next series of videos.
Again many thanks Andrew for these kind words.
If you go to my channel menu and scroll along to find the 'Titanic Related', videos, you might find a few there that might be of interest.
Best wishes from the Belfast Castlereagh hills.
I visited there September 2016, but did not go down in the dock. Bad knee. Didn't want to try all those stairs. But it was awesome none the less. Historic. The ship's keel rested on those blocks as the water was drained out and the sides were propped up by poles allowing the workers total access. Then the dock was filled back up, the casson gate lifted and out she floated with the help of some tugs.
Yes the dock area is amazing. Standing right at the bottom looking up where the Titanic and so many others have been made. This is what draws me and fascinates me. So many tourists come here and just go to the Titanic Exhibition centre. All the original rope attaching bollards are still in place but many folk just dismiss/ignore them.
The Nomadic Tender is also good because it is the last real link to the Titanic. It gives a good idea of the opulence of the bigger ship.
An added welcome addition is the recently restored HMS Caroline last surviving warship from the battle of Jutland 1916.
I was very very impredded with my look around. You can do your own tour with the help of earphones which are triggered at significant points on board. The Caroline is also wheelchair/bad knee friendly. It has a lift to all decks.
Thanks for dropping in. I have videos of all of these on TH-cam. I'm a bit of an obsessive about all things Belfast/N Ireland. lol
Tom.Thank You for being such a great ambassador for Belfast. We love to watch your presentations, especially the ones regarding H&W and the Polish military presence in Belfast during WW 2. Please check the story about Polish pilots killed in an accident and buried in Belfast. One name is J. Pudelko.Greetings from Canada.
Hey Henriek. And many thanks to you too for your kind and encouraging words over the months. I will do that check Henriek. I haven't come across the J. Pudelko grave yet. i don't think my friend Peter McCabe has either. I will keep looking. Best wishes from the Belfast Castlereagh hills.
@TomMcClean Greetings Tom.Thanks for Your time
My polish friend told me the polish pilots are buried on Falls Rd Cemetery. Could you please check this. I would greatly appreciate Your help
Stay safe and enjoy life. Heniek
Hi I know the cemetery. It is way up the Falls road. It is Milltown cemetery. It is just a question of when I can get there and then there is a wee job of finding the exact grave. It is on my to do list. Best wishes from the Belfast Castlereagh hills.
I used to work ther tom in the seventies it was good job and allways had a laugh on 2 of the biggest tankers in the at that time hms lampes London and the costel corppes cresty yundy paul s aust
Hi Paul. Great stuff.
The whole area down there has changed out of all recognition. It has become a place for tourists. I have talked to a few guys who worked there in the 70s/80s. I love the old stories they have.
Here's Johns Story. You might like it. John could talk so the interview is in four parts. Hope you find them interesting. John and his wife are both gone now so I'm so glad I made these videos. Best wishes from the Belfast Castlereagh hills.
84 yr old Belfast Shipyard Man John Early Life 1
th-cam.com/video/eeExEavqh0c/w-d-xo.html
84 yr old Belfast Shipyard Man John Yard Work 2
th-cam.com/video/yaze3ITZeow/w-d-xo.html
84 yr old Belfast Shipyard Man John Singing & Marriage 3
th-cam.com/video/u8rRwiIvEkM/w-d-xo.html
84 yr Old Belfast Yard Man John Long Distance Swimmer 4
th-cam.com/video/v7wrBkiCcAc/w-d-xo.html
At any stage did you think about the Caisson gate thingy splitting open catastrophically ?
HAHAHA!
I was there last Wednesday, but it was closed. Of course Wednesday is the only day they close🤦♀️
Hi West. A lot of places now routinely close on a Monday! I didn't know about this Wednesday closure. That's a real pain. Best wishes from the Belfast Castlereagh hills.
Does anyone know why it is called "thompson" dry dock? I know that Frederick Thompson was company secretary at Harlands..anyconnection?
Now there's a great question John. I don't know but I'll find out. There might be a connection there.
So when filled with water how does the ship get out , looks brick to brick each end ???
I see what you mean NH. I reckon the entrance end has been deliberately sealed up to allow visitors to walk safely about on the dock floor. Best wishes from the Belfast Castlereagh hills.
The dock gate pushes out when the water level in the dock is higher than the tide behind it. When the dock is empty, the weight of the water behind it, forces it tight against the seals it pushes against. The dock gate in the East Yard of Harland and Wolff (Two big cranes) is moved out by two tug boats as it floats out of position, when the dock is flooded.
Lower,Middle,Upper Braniel Road's why then it's not the Braniel view point?
My choice of description/naming Bobby. I admit you make a fair point. There was never any intent on me trying to downplay/ignore Braniel Estate. I have a number of good friends who live there. The only reason I have always refered to the viewpoint as the Gilnahirk viewpoint is that the Middle Braniel road comes directly from Gilnahirk village. Braniel Estate isn't a village or small town. Beat wishes from the Belfast Castlereagh hills.
Don’t we all…
Yes indeed Andrew.
You mean the unsinkable Titanic?
Well as the Belfast yardman said, 'It was alright when it left us'. lol Best wishes from the Belfast Castlereagh hills of Northern Ireland.
@@TomMcClean I hope some day I gotta chance to visit Belfast and the beautiful land of North Ireland!
Hi again. A lot of folks world wide now want to come and see this wee place. In the 70s 80s and 90s, no one wanted to come here.
Titanic made in china😬😬
Yes Julien I think they may have even built a replica of the Titanic. The Chinese are very good at copying everything the West has ever invented and mass producing it at a fraction of the price we can do it. And so their star rises as ours declines rapidly. Best wishes from Belfast Northern Ireland.
@@TomMcClean
The Titanic in China is for a Park, a Dummy.
Thanks Zero. I wasn't sure what their plans were. Best wishes from the Belfast Castlereagh hills of Northern Ireland.
@@TomMcClean
Thanks.
Greetings from Germany. :-)
Excellent Zero! I love hearing where posters are from.