Titanic's First Victims

Although many are aware that the sinking of the Titanic caused the loss of 1,500 lives of men, women and children. It’s also perhaps suitable to give a nod to Titanic’s victims that were killed before the sinking. the construction of the RMS Titanic and RMS Olympic took three years to build. Over 15,000 men worked on the two vessels. However, the shipyard was not a friendly place to work. There was a recorded 28 serious injuries sustained 218 minor injuries and five official deaths.

Samuel Joseph Scott: Titanic’s First Victim

Samuel Scott, was employed by Harland and Wolff as a ‘catch boy’. Catch boys are essentially part of a riveting squad. Their job is to help with the riveting process. Titanic alone used 3 million rivets. the process of riveting involves the rivet being heated up then passed to a catch boy, who will then pass it on to a riveter to drill into the ship. Scott was only 15 when he worked on the construction of Titanic. part of his job would have required climbing up the 228 ft arrol gantries. In 1910 Scott was helping with the insertion of the rivets when he fell, after being hit by some falling timber. Scott suffered a skull fracture and died after being crushed by the timber. Scott was the Titanic’s first victim. Scott’s grave can be found in the Belfast City Cemetery.

John Kelly:

John Kelly, more commonly known as Johnny, worked at Harland and Wolff and was employed alongside 15,000 other men to work on the construction of the Olympic Class liners. Kelly was 19 when he died. Kelly, much like Scott had fell from the gantry, which was holding ship 401 (Titanic). his official death certificate, held by the Ulster Museum states that Johnny "accidentally fell from ship 401 while at work at Queens Island June 23rd 1910, shock following injuries." Kelly was only 19 when he died. Making him one of Titanic’s youngest victims, who died during the construction.

William Clarke:

Titanic’s next victim was not claimed until November of 1910. Clarke was employed by Harland and Wolff as a driller, although never confirmed, it’s more than likely Clarke would have crossed paths with catch boy Samuel Scott. As drillers were also a part of the riveting squad. Clarke had slipped and fallen from an elevated platform on the yard. Clarke did not die immediately. Two days after the incident Clarke died from pneumonia. Clarke was only 27 when he died.

James Dobbin and the launching of the Titanic:

Titanic was launched on May 31st, 1911. It took 23 tons of soap to lubricate the slipways that Titanic would be launched from. Titanic took less than 60 seconds to be transferred from her arrol gantry into the River Lagan. James Dobbin, aged 43, had been helping put the finishing touches on the vessel before she was launched. However, Dobbin was struck by a loose piece of timber and was crushed to death just as the ship was launched Dobbin was 43 when he died.

Titanic pictured just seconds after she was launched onto the River Lagan

It took less than 60 seconds for the Titanic to launch.

Robert James Murphy:

Murphy worked on the Titanic as a riveter, on June 13th, 1911, he had been working on the upper deck of the Titanic when he fell 50 feet to his death. He suffered from skull fracture and died. Murphy was the last of Titanic’s victims that took place in the Harland and Wolff Shipyard.

As always I’ll leave a few external links about Titanic’s construction victims, please feel free to ask any questions or get in touch for a talk.

Have titanic week, Millie.

Encyclopaedia Titanica on Titanic’s construction victims: https://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/deaths-of-shipyard-workers.html

Encyclopaedia Titanica on Samuel J Scott: https://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/the-titanics-first-victim.html

National Museums of Northern Ireland: https://www.nmni.com/collections/history/1900-1923-home-rule-to-partition/titanic-and-her-sister-ships/belumw2013625