How did the tradition of christening a ship with champagne begin?

The history of breaking a bottle of wine over a ship’s bow dates back to the about the late 17th century (initially wine then champagne). The British Navy originally baptized their ships with a “standing cup” of precious metal, which was afterwards thrown overboard. Unfortunately with the increased production of ships during for the  British Empire the cost became extensive, hence the use of Champagne instead. The ‘Titanic’ was launched by the White Star Line on Wednesday, May 31, 1911 in front of many dignitaries and over 100,000 spectators watching the event. Lord Pirrie (chairman of Harland and Wolff, owners of The Titanic) simply gave the calm order to the launch foreman. There was no formal naming ceremony, no bottle of champagne broken across her bow and the Titanic was never christened. So became her fate.