Titanic dry dock

"Let the Truth be known, no ship is unsinkable. The bigger the ship, the easier it is to sink her. I learned long ago that if you design how a ship'll sink, you can keep her afloat. I proposed all the watertight compartments and the double hull to slow these ships from sinking. In that way, you get everyone off. There's time for help to arrive, and the ship's less likely to break apart and kill someone while she's going down."

Thomas Andrews, Managing Director of Harland and Wolff Shipyards

"Control your Irish passions, Thomas. Your uncle here tells me you proposed 64 lifeboats and he had to pull your arm to get you down to 32. Now, I will remind you just as I reminded him these are my ships. And, according to our contract, I have final say on the design. I'll not have so many little boats, as you call them, cluttering up my decks and putting fear into my passengers."

J. Bruce Ismay, Director of the White Star Line

"The press is calling these ships unsinkable and Ismay's leadin' the chorus. It's just not true."

Thomas Andrews, Managing Director of Harland and Wolff Shipyards