Ships That Changed The World

Gigantic sea-faring vessels were the pride and joy of late 19th century Europe. An Irish-German alliance of entrepreneurs saw the founding of ship-builders Harland and Wolff in Belfast, fueling the city's industry. Despite disasters such as the Titanic, ship designs became increasingly utilitarian as inter-European tensions increased, epitomized by the arrival of the Dreadnaught in 1906.

The arrival of menacing German U-Boats in international waters rewrote the rulebook on maritime conflict, and so Britain began rapidly converting its merchant vessels into battleships. Sea battles such as those at Cornell and Jutland saw the two empire's differing approaches put to the test - pitting Germany's sub-surface sneak attacks and strong defenses against Britain's brute force.

Harland and Wolff weathered a difficult post-war period of internal turmoil and global depression. But as the world crept towards a second global conflict, renewed demand revitalized the shipbuilder's fortunes. The British Navy required an imposing fleet, as Germany's Scharnhorst and Gneisenau patrolled the seas. But the advent of the aerial age consigned ships to a subservient role.