The name Titanic derives from the Titans of Greek mythology.

Built in Belfast, Ireland, in the

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, RMS Titanic was the second of the three Olympic-
class ocean liners—the first was RMS Olympic and the third was HMHS Britannic.[7] Britannic
was originally to be called Gigantic and was to be over 1,000 feet (300 m) long.[8] They were by
far the largest vessels of the British shipping company White Star Line's fleet, which comprised
29 steamers and tenders in 1912.[9] The three ships had their genesis in a discussion in mid-
1907 between the White Star Line's chairman, J. Bruce Ismay, and the American financier J. P.
Morgan, who controlled the White Star Line's parent corporation, the International Mercantile
Marine Co. (IMM).

The White Star Line faced an increasing challenge from its main rivals Cunard, which had
recently launched Lusitania and Mauretania—the fastest passenger ships then in service—and
the German lines Hamburg America and Norddeutscher Lloyd. Ismay preferred to compete on
size rather than speed and proposed to commission a new class of liners that would be larger
than anything that had gone before as well as being the last word in comfort and luxury.[10] The
company sought an upgrade in their fleet primarily in response to the Cunard giants but also to
replace their oldest pair of passenger ships still in service, being RMS Teutonic of 1889 and RMS
Majestic of 1890. Teutonic was replaced by Olympic while Majestic was replaced by Titanic.
Majestic would be brought back into her old spot on White Star Line's New York service after
Titanic's loss.[11]

The ships were constructed by the Belfast shipbuilders Harland and Wolff, who had a long-
established relationship with the White Star Line dating back to 1867.[12] Harland and Wolff were
given a great deal of latitude in designing ships for the White Star Line; the usual approach was
for the latter to sketch out a general concept which the former would take away and turn into a
ship design. Cost considerations were relatively low on the agenda and Harland and Wolff was
authorised to spend what it needed on the ships, plus a five percent profit margin.[12] In the case
of the Olympic-class ships, a cost of £3 million (approximately £310 million in 2019) for the first
two ships was agreed plus "extras to contract" and the usual five percent fee.[13]