The Titanic had a lot to be admired and remembered for. The ship meant for the filthy rich came to life in 1912 and had amazing facts you would marvel at. The luxurious ship was constructed from millions of parts and was built to be something pretty special.
Its anchor for starters was considered the world’s largest. Up to date, the anchor still exists. This shows how well the construction was done. But how is it possible?
A question commonly asked is, how did they construct the long living Titanic’s anchor? Well, here’s the answer.
- Proper developer selection
The owners of the ship made the right procurement decisions. They hired a competent developer that worked thoroughly to see the anchor come to life.
The procurement process started in 1910, just 2 years before the anchor was complete. Netherton was settled on as the provider town of materials for the making of this anchor. Then, this place was popular the world over for its great anchor construction powers.
The town hosted Noah Hingley and their son, who was tasked with the responsibility of delivering the Titanic’s anchor. Over 600m of chains were procured. The chains were so energy-intensive that extra laborers were required to move them.
Apparently, 2900+ people were brought on board to help with the construction. This was enough labor to build a strong and durable anchor that survived the test of time. With sufficient builders, the construction process was ready to begin.
- The development process
Another thing the developers got right was the measurements used to develop the anchor. Weight, length, and height balancing were of great significance in this development process.
The anchor had different parts made of different measurements. The shaft was six meters long and was made of heated steel. The metal weighed about 5 tons.
The anchor also had pointed flukes that weighed about 10 tons. The flukes’ role was to dig into the seabed. This would give stability to the ship during stormy times.
In total, the anchor weighed more than 15 tons. This included a shaft that was more than 445mm thick. The weights, heights, and lengths ensured the anchor was well balanced to perform its work perfectly. But this wouldn’t have been a success if the team lacked the right work ethic.
- Right mentality
If you remember Noah’s arch in Bible’s time, you know that the Titanic too would need the right mentality to complete the project. But how would this be possible?
There are more than 3000 employees who worked on the Titanic’s anchor. Managing such a number requires perfect management skills and the ability to hire like-minded staff.
The hiring process must have been perfect. The anchor was constructed day and night meaning you had to totally commit to being part of the development teams.
It is believed young ones in Netherton were trained to build anchors from as young as when they became teenagers. By age 15, they already had two to three years of experience under their belt. They would go on to learn and practice until retirement.
The little town had committed its members to the making of anchors and that made them famous the world over. It is for that reason that they were the go-to option whenever an organization or individual needed a ship anchor.
The town was capacity-laden. The expertise too existed as apprentices succeeded their old men with the same zeal that they acquired. For the owners of the Titanic, this was the perfect place to make such a huge project a success.
Apparently, even boys and women were heavily involved in the development process. Sadly, the latter received peanuts in compensation compared to their male counterparts. Regardless, they stayed committed and built the anchor to the end.
The working conditions were also unbearable. That situation affected their health and life in general. According to reports, the builders of the titanic suffered lung illnesses, and others even lost their lives.
The steel melting process also exposed the laborers to hot metal. The unlucky ones quickly met their premature deaths. But that did not stop the others from continuing with the anchor’s construction process.
Movement of the Titanic’s Anchor to the ship
The anchor took several months before completion. After that, the next responsibility was to move the anchor to the ship for installation. Moving more than 15 tons was not a walk in the park considering the location of the Titanic in Ireland and the anchor in England.
However, this would be made successful by the use of shire horses. It is believed these animals had the power to move about two tons. Therefore, less than three dozen of these horses were brought together.
The 20 animals were made to move the anchor to the Dudley railway station. This meant traveling close to 3.5km. All the other activities along the transfer route were halted to make this possible.
The anchor was too heavy to allow distractions along the way. However, the supervisors couldn’t stop the fact that these horses had to move along rugged terrain and other geographically challenging areas just to get this huge mass to its destination.
The transfer happened on a Sunday. This was on the 30th of April 1911 and the markets had been closed. Normally, Saturdays and Mondays were market days; therefore, Sunday was the perfect day to move the heavy load.
It was a major relief to deliver the anchor. The world’s biggest anchor had just been completed and now ready to be fixed to the Titanic ship for its work to begin. It was a historical moment and the laborers must have felt relieved.
Bottom Line
It took years of labor to complete the construction of the Titanic’s anchor. Some casualties were registered but the work had to go on regardless. It cost a lot to build the anchor but laborers received just a few dollars per week in payment. Finally, the work was done, and perfectly so. A historic anchor had been completed.