Single flare marks time ill-fated liner rolled down slipway

A SINGLE flare was fired above the Belfast docklands to signify the exact moment — 12.13pm — 100 years ago when the ill-fated liner rolled down the slipway and touched the water for the first time.

All boats in the area around the Harland and Wolff shipyards, where the pride of the White Star fleet was built, then sounded their horns.

In 1911, thousands of cheering well-wishers gathered at the same place to celebrate the historic moment.