Construction of RMS Titanic, funded by the American J.P Morgan and his International Mercantile Marine Co., began on 31 March 1909, at the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast, UK. Titanic's hull was launched at 12:13 on 31 May 1911, and her outfitting was completed by 31 March the following year. The designers were Lord Pirrie, a director of both Harland and Wolff and White Star, naval architect Thomas Andrews, Harland and Wolff's construction manager and head of their design department, and the Right Honorable Alexander Charlisle, the shipyard's chief draughtsman and general manager.