Titanic Gazette Souvenir Shop

Titanic Gazette Souvenir Shop

Titanic Gazette Souvenir Shop

Monday, January 7, 2008

The White Star Line

The White Star Line began when two people named John Pikington and Henry Trelfall Wilson became partners. Together they formed the White Star Line 1825. White Star Line's first ship was the Iowa. The second ship was the Windsor Castle. After Pikington and Trelfall died, Thomas H. Henry became the new owner of the White Star Line. He built 100 ships before he lost his career because he didn't have any money to pay for the White Star Line.

J.P. Morgan became the new owner of the White Star Line and was in competition with Cunard. Cunard was known for building the biggest, fastest and most luxurious ships. Cunard built the Lusitania and Maurentania, but the White Star Line built a better ship called the Majestic.

At a dinner party, Joseph Bruce Ismay, {son of Morgan's best friend} chairman of the White Star Line and Lord Pierrie, the President of Harland and Wolff, which was a ship building company, created the idea for building three of the fastest, biggest and most luxurious ships in the world. They would be called the Olympic, Titanic and the Gigantic (later renamed the Britannic}, to beat Cunard.

First they began to built the Olympic in the year 1909. Then they began to build the Titanic in 1911. The Gigantic (who was later renamed the Britannic) was being started in 1915. Just before the sailing of the R.M.S. Titanic, Lord Pierrie died of
pnemonia and the Harland and Wolff went to his nephew, Thomas Andrews whom was sailing on the Titanic. Thomas Andrews died in the sinking and 'Brute' Ismay escaped
in a lifeboat and since he was called a coward, he resigned after the Britannic was lauched.

Harland and Wolff soon went out of business. The Britannic sank and the White Star Line was bought by Cunard in 1932. Today, the only White Star Line ship left is the Adriatic.

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