Construction of the RMS Titanic began on March 31, 1909 at the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast, Northern Ireland. She was one of three large transatlantic liners commissioned at the time by the White Star Line, that were intended to be the biggest and most luxurious ships ever built. On May 31, 1911, her hull was launched, and the outfitting completed on March 31, 1912. Carrying the RMS (Royal Mail Ship) title, the ship began its maiden voyage on April 10, 1912 at Southampton, England, bound for New York under the command of Captain Edward J. Smith.