Michael Brooks
The Titanic was built in Belfast, which was once the shipyard of the world. The city was majority Protestant and industrialisation was a badge of pride, differentiating itself from the agrarian, Catholic, and rural south. Harland and Wolff, the East Belfast shipyard where the ship was manufactured, was notorious for not hiring Catholics. The workforce was entirely Protestant and anti-Catholic. There are accounts from workers who built the ship stating that Catholics deliberately did a shoddy job, some even going as far as sabotage. However, there is no evidence that the Catholic/Protestant breach played a role in the sinking of the Titanic.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Religious tensions among the crew that built the Titanic | Protestant workers scrawled "NO POPE" on the hulls of ships under construction |
| Religious affiliations of passengers and their likelihood of survival | First-class passengers, who were almost exclusively Protestant, were the most likely group to survive. Third-class passengers, who were mostly Catholic, were the most likely to perish. |
| Religious affiliations of the crew that built the Titanic | The workforce was predominantly Protestant and anti-Catholic. Catholics who were hired experienced discrimination and were subject to hostile working conditions. |
| Religious subtext in the Titanic story | The story of the Titanic can be interpreted as a reflection of the Protestant/Catholic divide of the time. |
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What You'll Learn
- Catholics were discriminated against during the construction of the Titanic
- Catholic workers were excluded from the workforce
- Catholic priests were on board the Titanic to offer prayer and hope
- Catholics were deliberately excluded from the shipyards
- Catholics were subject to discrimination and hostile work environments
Catholics were discriminated against during the construction of the Titanic
The construction of the Titanic was influenced by the religious tensions between Protestants and Catholics in Northern Ireland at the time. The ship was built in East Belfast, a majority Protestant city, and the workforce that built the ship was almost entirely Protestant. Harland and Wolff, the shipyard company that manufactured the Titanic, was known for not hiring Catholics, and the atmosphere towards Catholics was described as "poisonous". Any Catholics who were hired faced blatant discrimination and even violence, with reports of hammers being dropped on them from above.
The anti-Catholic sentiment was also reflected in the treatment of the Catholic workers. It is rumoured that the ship's hull number, 3909-04, was chosen to convey an anti-Catholic message. When written out and viewed in a mirror, the number can be interpreted as spelling "NO POPE". While some workers found this amusing, most Catholic workers were offended and requested that the number be changed, but their pleas were ignored. Protestant workers also scrawled "NO POPE" on the hulls of ships under construction, and there is an urban legend that each rivet hammered into the Titanic had "Fk the Pope" stamped onto it.
The religious divide extended beyond the workforce and influenced the fate of the passengers and crew on board the Titanic. First-class passengers, who were predominantly Protestant and from elite backgrounds, were the most likely group to survive the shipwreck. In contrast, third-class passengers, who were often seeking a new life and were predominantly Catholic, were among those most likely to perish.
The religious tensions of the time, therefore, shaped not only the construction of the Titanic but also the tragic outcome of its maiden voyage. The anti-Catholic sentiment experienced by Catholic workers and the discrimination they faced during the building of the ship provide a glimpse into the broader social and religious landscape of early 20th-century Northern Ireland.
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Catholic workers were excluded from the workforce
The Titanic was designed, built, and launched in Belfast, which was once the "shipyard of the world". The ship was constructed at Harland and Wolff, a shipyard in East Belfast, which was notorious for not hiring Catholics. In the 1900s, the workforce was entirely Protestant and anti-Catholic. Protestant workers would scrawl "NO POPE" on the hulls of ships under construction, and it is rumoured that each rivet hammered into the Titanic was accompanied by an epithet against the Pope.
Catholics who were hired experienced blatant discrimination. They were subject to violent attacks, such as having hammers dropped on them from above. The atmosphere against Catholics was described as "poisonous". Catholic workers were often excluded from the workforce because of their religion. Jobs in heavy industry were reserved for the Protestant working class to ensure their loyalty. Due to discrimination in industrial jobs, Catholic workers had to rely on academic skills for employment.
The anti-Catholic sentiment at Harland and Wolff was reflective of the broader political and religious tensions in Ireland at the time. Belfast was a majority-Protestant city, and its industrialisation set it apart from the agrarian, Catholic, and rural south. East Belfast, where the shipyards were located, was staunchly unionist. The Titanic was also built for an English line, which further offended Catholic workers.
There are accounts from workers who built the Titanic stating that Catholic workers deliberately did a poor job or even sabotaged the ship. However, the extent to which the Protestant/Catholic divide influenced the construction and fate of the Titanic is a matter of debate. Some argue that the ship's construction was a collaborative effort involving subcontractors from all parts of the British Isles, and that the myth that the Titanic was built solely by Protestants is a gross insult to the Catholic workers who contributed.
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Catholic priests were on board the Titanic to offer prayer and hope
The Titanic was built in Belfast, where there was a significant divide between Protestants and Catholics. The ship was constructed by a workforce that was entirely Protestant and anti-Catholic. The company that built the ship, the White Star Line, was known for its anti-Catholic stance and refused to hire Catholics.
Despite this, there were Catholic passengers on board the Titanic. Among them were three Catholic priests: Father Thomas Roussel Byles, Father Juozas Montvila, and Father Josef Benedikt Peruschitz. They were there to offer prayer and hope to those on board.
Father Thomas Roussel Byles was a 42-year-old Catholic priest who was a passenger on the Titanic. He was born in Leeds, England, and converted to Catholicism while studying theology at Oxford University. On the morning of the ship's sinking, he celebrated Mass for Catholics in the third-class section. As the ship was sinking, he helped many third-class passengers up to the boat deck and refused a place on a lifeboat himself. Instead, he recited the Rosary and other prayers, heard confessions, and gave absolution to those who remained on the ship. He was reported to have been praying amid the trapped passengers in the ship's final moments.
Father Juozas Montvila was a 27-year-old priest from Lithuania who was fleeing religious persecution in Ukraine. Father Josef Benedikt Peruschitz was a 41-year-old German priest. Unfortunately, all three priests perished in the sinking, along with the five Protestant clergymen who were also on board.
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Catholics were deliberately excluded from the shipyards
The Harland and Wolff shipyard in East Belfast, where the Titanic was built, was notorious for not hiring Catholics. In the 1900s, the workforce was entirely Protestant and anti-Catholic. According to naval historian David Allen Butler, it was not uncommon for workers to paint "NO POPE" in large letters on the sides of ships under construction. There are also stories that each rivet hammered into the Titanic was accompanied by a curse against the Pope.
Any Catholics who were hired faced blatant discrimination. They were subject to dangerous acts of violence, such as having hammers dropped on them from above, and the atmosphere in the shipyard was described as "poisonous". The anti-Catholic sentiment was so strong that some have even speculated that Catholic workers deliberately sabotaged the Titanic, performing a shoddy job or only partially banging in rivets.
The exclusion of Catholics from the Harland and Wolff shipyard can be understood within the broader context of religious tensions in Northern Ireland at the time. The majority-Protestant city of Belfast differentiated itself from the agrarian, Catholic, and rural south. Jobs in heavy industry, such as shipbuilding, were often reserved for the Protestant working class to ensure their loyalty to the British Empire. Catholic workers, facing discrimination in industrial jobs, had to rely on academic skills to find employment.
The religious divide was also reflected in the fate of the Titanic's passengers. First-class passengers, who were mostly British and American, and almost exclusively Protestant, were the most likely group to survive. In contrast, third-class passengers, who were often leaving their homes in search of opportunities, were predominantly Catholic and were the most likely to perish.
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Catholics were subject to discrimination and hostile work environments
The Titanic's hull number, when reflected in a mirror, also appeared to spell "NO POPE", which was seen as a joke by most Protestant workers but deeply offended Catholic workers. Some Catholics requested that the hull number be changed, but they were refused. This incident, along with the ship's construction for an English line, is believed to have motivated some Catholic workers to engage in deliberate sabotage or shoddy workmanship.
The exclusion of Catholics from the workforce at Harland and Wolff was part of a broader pattern of discrimination in heavy industry jobs, which ensured the loyalty of the Protestant working class. Catholics faced similar discrimination in other sectors, and as a result, they had to rely more on academic skills to gain employment. The industrial achievements of East Belfast's Protestant business class and workers were a source of pride for the majority-Protestant city, setting it apart from the agrarian, Catholic, and rural south.
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Frequently asked questions
It is unclear whether Catholics helped build the Titanic. Harland and Wolff, the East Belfast shipyard where the ship was manufactured, was notorious for not hiring Catholics. In the 1900s, the workforce was entirely Protestant and virulently anti-Catholic. However, some sources mention that there were some Catholics employed at the shipyard, and there are accounts from workers who said they knew colleagues who did not take the "NO POPE" rumour seriously.
Yes, there were Catholic passengers on the Titanic. Three priests are known to have sailed on the Titanic: Father Thomas Roussel Byles, Father Juozas Montvila of Lithuania, and Father Josef Peruschitz of Bavaria.
Yes, the Catholic/Protestant divide influenced the building of the Titanic. The ship was constructed in East Belfast, which was staunchly unionist and majority Protestant. The industrialism of Belfast set it apart from the agrarian, Catholic, and rural south. Jobs in heavy industry, such as shipbuilding, were reserved for the Protestant working class to ensure their loyalty. Catholic workers were often excluded from these industries due to discrimination.
