Picture a 40,000 ton boat — 8,000 adult elephants — sliding down this ramp into the harbor in 1919. Looks pretty sturdy, right? 

Launch of the Amcross at Merchant Shipping Co. in Chester, PA, November 1919.

Companies produced luxury ocean liners like the Titanic in the early 20th century. The only way to get across the Atlantic was by ship. Luxury ships brought passengers from Europe to America in style.

Construction of the Titanic, taken in early 1912 by Robert John Welch.

Ships required thousands of laborers to build and took years to finish. It was dangerous work, and many workers sustained injuries. There were 346 during the construction of the Titanic between 1909-1912. When WWI broke out, shipbuilding intensified. Companies on all sides pivoted to building military ships as fast as they could to help the war effort

It is possible that your ancestors on either side of the Atlantic worked in shipyards! My great-grandfather, William Stockdale McCabe, worked for the Merchant Shipbuilding Corporation in Pennsylvania in 1917.

My great-grandfather’s WWI draft card revealing that he worked for Merchants Shipbuilding Corporation in Pennsylvania.

He must have seem huge ships sliding into the water. He probably put in tough days climbing around ships dozens of stories high. William McCabe didn’t help with the Titanic, but worked at Merchants Shipbuilding Corp. while they were building dozens of ships for WWI. 

Were your ancestors up there with him?

The only known footage of the Titanic, shot before it departed Europe for New York.

Tip: Your ancestors might have been among the thousands of shipbuilders during the early 1900s. You can find out in census records — they will list your ancestor’s occupation. If your direct ancestor was not involved, check if their siblings were. Draft cards can be goldmines for specifics about your ancestor’s employer. You can find these records on Ancestry, MyHeritage, or FamilySearch!


Jack Palmer has done genealogy research since he was ten years old and loves writing about it for family, friends, and anybody else who might enjoy research stories and advice. He graduated from Duke University in May 2023, majoring in History and Psychology, and is the author of Helen & Frank: A Biography, a biography about his great-grandparents.

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