In decline

Once one of Northern Ireland's flagship companies, Harland and Wolff has slipped into decline over the past two decades.

Once one of Northern Ireland's flagship companies, Harland and Wolff has slipped into decline over the past two decades.

Established in 1861, the H&W yard on Queen's Island in east Belfast has produced more than 1,700 ships - including the Titanic - and during the war years, built an average of a ship per week.

By the 1950s, it employed around 35,000. Its two massive yellow cranes, Samson and Goliath, are probably Belfast's best-known landmark. Shipbuilding remains the core industry, but the firm has lately been constructing oil rigs and other vessels used in off-shore exploration.