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Shan F. Bullock.

Bullock, Shan F. Thomas Andrews, Shipbuilder. 1st printing. Dublin: Maunsel Press. October, 1912. hardcover. isbn: none. scarcity: very scarce.

Thomas Andrews truly earned the title Shipbuilder. During the construction of Titanic, he held two equally important titles at the famous Harland & Wolff shipbuilding firm in Belfast, Ireland. Not only was he the shipyard’s chief designer, responsible for the planning of every detail of the great liner, he was also the yard’s managing director, with the added responsibility of overseeing the entire building process through to the ship’s successful completion.

This brief biography of Andrews was originally released shortly following the disaster. It is not really a biography in the true sense of the word, for though it does contain the basic details about Andrews’ life, the author’s primary goal was to memorialize a man who was cut down in his prime. Thomas Andrews died with his ship that terrible night in April of 1912.

In this latter aspect, the book is a powerful testimonial to a young man, born with all the advantages Edwardian society had to offer, yet who never the less earned the admiration and respect of everyone around him through his unremitting hard work and constant vigilance to be the very best he could be. He was the kind of man who could relate to everyone at their own level, be it the drawing room crowd of upper society to the rough and tumble working class men sweating away in the shipyards. As a paean to a great man, this book succeeds admirably.

Purely from the biographical standpoint though, this book is something of a disappointment. Only the most basic details of his life are related. They include his birthplace, where he went to school, his five year apprenticeship at Harland & Wolff, his marriage, the birth of his little girl, and so on. There is also a short section on some of the White Star liners he had a prominent hand in building. These segments are all too brief though, and too few and far between. There is so much more about the life and achievements of this man I would like to have learned.

The final two chapters relate Andrews’ part in Titanic’s maiden voyage. The first of these chapters focuses on the journey up to the time of the collision and there are some nice insights into his efforts ascertained through letters he sent home to his wife. The last chapter covers his part during the sinking itself, and this material, of necessity, is much more anecdotal. Still by sorting though passenger testimony a pretty good picture of Andrews emerges showing him heroically doing everything in his power to aid as many people as he possibly could.

It is truly interesting to speculate what mark Andrews would have made on Ulster society had he lived to fulfill the powerful role in business and society for which he was being groomed.

Cover photo courtesy of Tarn Stephanos.


Bullock, Shan F. A Titanic Hero. Thomas Andrews, Shipbuilder. 1st American printing. Baltimore: Norman, Remington & Co. 1913. hardcover. isbn: none. scarcity: very scarce.

Bullock, Shan F. Thomas Andrews, Shipbuilder. SIGNED, limited edition. Greenock: privately printed by James McElvie. 1962. hardcover. limited reprint by Tommy Riddell, signed by him. isbn: none. scarcity: very scarce.


Bullock, Shan F. A Titanic Hero. Thomas Andrews, Shipbuilder. modern reprint. Riverside, CT: 7 C’s Press. 1973. hardcover. isbn: 0911962050. scarcity: hard to find.

A modern edition done for the Titanic Historical Society which reprints the quick biography of Andrews originally released shortly after the disaster.

Bullock, Shan F. Thomas Andrews, Shipbuilder. modern reprint. Lon: Queen Mary Toy/Hobby Shop. 1973. hardcover. isbn: . scarcity: scarce.


Bullock, Shan F. A Titanic Hero. Thomas Andrews, Shipbuilder. modern reprint. Mattituck, NY: Amereon House Ltd. September, 1996. hardcover. isbn: 0848809289. scarcity: hard to find.


Bullock, Shan F. Thomas Andrews, Shipbuilder. modern reprint. Belfast: Blackstaff Press. December, 1999. hardcover. isbn: 0856406554. scarcity: fairly common.

The latest edition of this book with a new foreword by Titanic historian Michael McCaughan.