Harland & Wolff

Harland & Wolff is a British shipbuilding and fabrication company with its main office in London. It has important work sites in Belfast, Arnish, Appledore, and Methil. The company is known for building and fixing ships, as well as working on projects far out at sea.

Harland & Wolff helps five main areas: Defence, Energy, Cruise and Ferry services, Renewables, and Commercial projects. It provides many services such as technical help, building and fixing ships, keeping ships running, changing old ships into new ones, and taking ships out of service.

In January 2025, after facing financial difficulties for the second time in five years, the company was purchased by Navantia. Despite these changes, Harland & Wolff continues to be an important part of shipbuilding and ocean construction around the world.

Overview

Harland & Wolff is well known for building many famous ocean liners in the early 1900s, including the Olympic-class trio – RMS Olympic, RMS Titanic, and HMHS Britannic. Some other important ships they built are the Royal Navy's HMS Belfast and P&O's Canberra.

In 2022, the company received a big contract to help make three new support ships for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. Their history book, Shipbuilders to the World, came out in 1986.

History

Harland & Wolff was formed in 1861 by Edward Harland and Gustav Wilhelm Wolff. They bought a small shipyard in Belfast and began building ships. They made many improvements to ship design, like using iron instead of wood, which made their ships stronger.

In the early 1900s, the company built famous ships including Olympic, Titanic, and Britannic. During the First and Second World Wars, Harland & Wolff built many warships and repaired others. In the 1960s, they built very large ships, including a huge oil tanker called Myrina.

In recent years, Harland & Wolff has shifted focus from building ships to repairing them and working on projects like wind farms and oil platforms. The company’s famous cranes, Samson and Goliath, still stand in Belfast today.

Archives

Many important papers from Harland & Wolff are kept safe in special places for people to learn from. You can find about 2,000 files and lots of old documents from 1861 to 1987 at the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland. There is also a big collection at the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum, with photographs and drawings of ships they built. Some of these old ship drawings are also in a book written in 1998. The Archives of the University of Glasgow (GUAS) keep records about another part of the company too.

List of ships built

Main article: List of ships built by Harland & Wolff

Harland & Wolff has built many famous ships over the years. One of its most well-known vessels is the RMS Titanic, which was completed in 1912. The company has also constructed other important ships, including aircraft carriers, cruisers, and modern cruise liners. Their work continues to shape the maritime industry today.