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麻豆社,5 mins

Harland and Wolff, Belfast: Dummy Ships Fool the Enemy

World War One At Home

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The Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast is best known for building RMS Titanic, which famously sank on her maiden voyage in 1912. During World War One the company constructed genuine warships - but subterfuge was also afoot. Harland and Wolff workers disguised ordinary cargo vessels as battleships. These were known as 'phantom' or 'dummy' ships. Ingeniously bulked up with wood and complete with false guns, their purpose was to confuse the German Navy. Local journalist Alf McCreary has studied this unusual aspect of the war. Location: Harland and Wolff Heavy Industries Ltd, BT3 9DU Image of HMS Ajax, a dummy ship built in Belfast

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