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For more than 150 years, it has played a key part in the maritime, economic and cultural story of these islands.
As of 5.15pm yesterday, however, Harland & Wolff ceased to exist as a company.
Once the greatest shipyard in the world — producing some of the most famous ships in British history — the Belfast institution had seen its workforce dwindle from 35,000 to just 125 employees.
They have now received redundancy notices and, this morning, the firm of accountants appointed as administrators, BDO, will file for insolvency.
Though the company had been in steady decline for the past half a century — and had not made a ship for more than 15 years — it had been attempting to reposition itself as a force in the offshore energy sector.
However, having spent nine months seeking a buyer, its Norwegian owners, Dolphin Drilling (part of the Fred Olsen empire), have given up.
The two giant ‘H & W’ yellow dockyard cranes — known as ‘Samson’ and ‘Goliath’ — may be to Belfast what the Eiffel Tower is to Paris.
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