Revd Chris Bennett, C of I Chaplain to The Titanic Quarter, led a service yesterday in Belfast marking the 100th anniversary of the launch of the ill-fated liner.
The ship entered Belfast Lough on 31 May 1911 from Harland & Wolff, then the largest shipyard in the world.
During the service, a flare was set off at 1213 BST, the exact time of the launch a century on.
The event, described as a celebration, took place on the very slipway from which Titanic left the shipyard.
The congregation heard music from two choirs who were involved in the life of the shipyards, as well as observing a moment of silence in remembrance of the 1,517 people who lost their lives on the ship’s disastrous maiden voyage.
The passenger liner sank after hitting an iceberg en route from Southampton to New York in April 1912.
Speaking before the service, Chris said he was keen to ensure that celebration was the dominant mood at the event.
Once the flare was released at 1213 BST, he led 62 seconds of cheers, to mark the 62 seconds it took for Titanic to slide from its dry dock and into the Irish sea
.
Mr Bennett said: “For the last 100 years Titanic has often not been mentioned. It’s been our shame, our secret.
“We’ve almost had a hundred-year moment of silence, so really we’re trying to rediscover the pride today.”
After the sinking of the Titanic the civic service of mourning was held in Belfast Cathedral. A daughter of the Milne Barbour family which was one of the principal benefactors of the cathedral, was married to Thomas Andrews, the chief designer of the liner who was lost in the disaster which befell the maiden voyage. There is a “Pillar of Shipbuilding” in the Cathedral.