Sinking of the RMS Titanic time of her entry into service on 2 April 1912, Royal Mail Ship (RMS) "Titanic" was the second of three sister ships, and was the largest ship in the world. She and her sister, , were almost one and a half times the gross register tonnage of Cunard's and , the previous record holders, and were nearly longer. "Titanic" could carry 3,547 people in speed and comfort, and was built on a hitherto unprecedented scale. Her reciprocating engines were the largest that had ever been built, standing high and with cylinders in diameter requiring the burning of of coal per
RMS Titanic century. The sinking brought tremendous grief and was a blow to the city's pride. But its shipyard was also a place many Catholics regarded as hostile. In the latter half of the century, during a 30-year sectarian conflict "Titanic" was a reminder of the lack of civil rights that in part contributed towards the Troubles. While the fate of Titanic remained a well-known story within local households throughout the 20th century, commercial investment around RMS "Titanic" legacy was modest because of these issues. After the Troubles and Good Friday Agreement, the number of overseas tourists visiting Northern Ireland dramatically increased