Posted by Mark Darrah on September 15, 1998 at 22:19:56 in rmpxy02.ce.mediaone.net:
In Reply to: A few words about Titanic and Olympic and Research posted by Bruce Beveridge on September 15, 1998 at 20:11:08:
Here's a few more words:
While Ken may have photos from many varied sources, we ALL have access to ALL of Harland & Wolff's original photos. The Ulster Folk & Transport museum has all of the original plates, and they sell prints taken directly from them for a very reasonable price.
If you click on the link below, you can go to their site. Be aware that the list on their web page does not come close to what's actually available. I wrote them asking for a complete list, including Olympic and Britannic and got a HUGE list of photos. Of course most are of Olympic, but there are some descriptions that are very intriguing.
They also include thumbnails of a select few so you can get a better idea of what there is. Prices are in pounds, but as of today, the price in US is $9.64 for an 8X10, or $22.64 for a 16X20.
I had no idea how much was available! One of the most humerous is a photo of two third class dining room chairs just sitting in front of a white curtain! Some other highlights include:
Olympic -
"View aft from port boat deck towards poop deck, near completion of outfitting"
"Ventilating and heating fans at after end of boat deck during outfitting" (there are two of these, and I assume these are the photos taken between the third and fourth funnels)
"View aft from second funnel along port boat deck"
"2 1/2 Ton electric crane on starboard side of poop deck, near completion of outfitting"
About 15 shots of the HMS Hawk collision damage.
"Starboard bridge wing from wheel house"
"Starboard bridge wing from outside wheelhouse"
"Aft view to starboard poop deck while swinging,..."
"Deck level view from anchor on forecastle deck, aft to bridge"
"View aft to bridge from anchor chain cables on forecastle deck"
"number 3 funnel ready for shipping on board during outfitting"
"Starboard boat deck looking forward during outfitting"
Many more...
There are NO photos listed that were actually taken ON BOARD Titanic!
Britannic has three photos of the center anchor being lowered into the well, but there are no thumbnails to see what they look like.
While typing this, I have come to a conclusion, or a bit of advice.
It is very unlikely that there will be any more photographic evidence concerning Titanic. Don't expect H & W to suddenly find a hidden cache of old plates to save the day.
Start building now and quit obsessing over every rivet. Yes, accuracy is a nobel pursuit, but just like aircraft designers, there comes a time when the design has to be "frozen" and the work has to begin. If aircraft designers tried to incorporate every new advance into their latest plane, they would never be able to start it, because technology is always inching forward.
The same holds true for us. If we keep waiting and planning for the day when one more tidbit of info becomes available, we will NEVER get anything accomplished! I am as guilty as anyone. We can argue over support columns and cowl vents for the next ten years, but we will NEVER know all there is to know. Striving for that is a futile endeavour. For the love of God, it's only a model!
Sorry, I got a little over-dramatic. I am still fascinated with all the little do-dads as much as the rest of you.