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Four modern day engineers attempt to rebuild sections of the Titanic, using the tools and techniques of the early twentieth century.
2010
New series. The team reproduce a 30-foot section of the steel bow to scale, and erect it at the Belfast dock from where Titanic was launched, as a gift to the people of Belfast and a lasting tribute to the shipbuilders who made her. They find out about the working culture of 100 years ago, when men were paid per rivet, and not for their time, and the incredible dangers of shipbuilding before our age of health and safety.
The team casts the ship's 16-ton anchor, which in 1911 was the largest the world had seen, at the last steelworks in Britain in Sheffield. They then explore the West Midlands town of Netherton, where the original was made, before re-creating the publicity shot that celebrated its leaving the factory. The engineers also look at the coal industry that provided the energy necessary to build and power the Titanic.
The four engineers bring to life the ship's electrical gadgetry, including one of her massive ovens, and use it to host a first-class dinner, based on the Titanic's menus, for descendants of those who were aboard her maiden voyage. They reveal that although most Britons' homes in 1912 used gas lamps and coal-fuelled cooking and heating facilities, four huge electric generators pumped out more energy than most land-based power stations of the day to provide passengers with a luxurious environment.
The engineers focus on the interiors, fixtures and fittings of the Titanic, and rediscover the lost skills of British craftsmen and women by re-creating the centre section of the most expensive room on board the ship - the gentlemen's first-class smoking room. They also build the more humble third-class cabin, which still represented working-class luxury in its day, and unveil both replicas in an exhibition at Belfast's biggest museum, with surprising results.
Focusing on Titanic's safety features, and the heroic efforts of the engine room staff, who gave their lives in a bid to help evacuate the sinking vessel and summon help. Brendan Walker re-builds a Marconi wireless transmitter and Luke Perry re-creates a life jacket from the ship, while Dave Wilkes and Yewande Akinola make a flare similar to one that was launched on the fateful night. The team also explores the impact of the 1912 tragedy on the city of Southampton, which lost 549 of its citizens, who had been employed as crew. Last in the series.
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