Titanic Blueprint

"R.M.S. Titanic" Harland & Wolff design dept schematic scale blueprint of "Titanic's" plumbing & water systems.

Approx 9ft x 20ins.

This drawing was the personal property of W.D. Wilson esq., leading draughtsman at Harland & Wolff 1911 and was taken aboard "Titanic.

He told his daughters he was originally posted to "Titanic" for her sea trials and maiden voyage, but was transferred to  Rotterdam to correct urgent repairs. Although there is as of yet no corroborating evidence on the ship's list that he travelled as a passenger. It is known that there are omissions, namely controller William Jeffery and possibly "Titanic's" most notable passenger Father [sic] Browne.

W.D. wilson had a glorious career as a naval architect. He was leading designer in his early 20's, rose to senior assistant manager (design dept) at 30. At the age of 33 he became shipyard manager at Southampton. He then left Harland & Wolff to join Royal Mail Lines in 1927 as the senior naval architect.

It is generally considered that his crowning achievements were designing "R.M.S. andes" (as well as 173,000 gross tons of Royal Mail Line ships) and in 1922 re-designing the Boston naval dockyard to accommodate "R.M.S. Majestic" (formally "Bismarck") as at this time there was no dry dock in the USA large enough to accommodate her.