The three proud sisters together, painted. From left to right: Olympic, Titanic and Britannic.
The Olympic Class liners were top of the line in the early 1900's. All three ships remain famous to this day, mainly because of the tragic sinking of one of them, the Titanic.
History[]
Due to the heavy concurrence of the Cunard Line's giant ships Mauretania & Lusitania, the White Star Line's director J. Bruce Ismay ordered to build their own giants to compete against them. The liners weren't supposed to set speed records like the Cunard sisters, but were supposed to be the foremost in size and luxury. Two enormous ships, Olympic and Titanic, were ordered at Harland and Wolff. Another one, rumored to be named the Gigantic, was ordered later.
It was theorized that after the sinking of the Titanic, the still to be launched Gigantic was quickly renamed to Britannic, because another liner named for it's size would scare away the traumatized public and would've been felt as another challenge of the mercy of the gods. The Olympic and Britannic were rebuilt with double hull and higher watertight bulkheads as well as fitted with lifeboats for all.
When World War 1 broke out, the Olympic and the newly finished Britannic were deployed by the army. The Britannic became a hospital ship and was given the title HMHS Britannic rather than the planned RMS Britannic whilst the Olympic remained a royal mail ship and was used as a troop ship. They were both repainted for their new function: Olympic in dazzle camouflage befitting her service as a troop transporter, Britannic as a hospital ship.
The Britannic didn't survive the war; On a mission to pick up the wounded soldiers in Greece in 1916, she was just a few miles off the shore when she struck a mine and sank.
The Olympic continued to serve as a troop ship. Most notably, she destroyed an enemy submarine by ramming it with her bow, causing it to sink. When the war ended she continued to serve the White Star Line until she was sold for scrap in 1935.
Ships[]
Timeline of their career (Year of launch - End of service)[]
- RMS Olympic (1910 - 1935)
- RMS Titanic (1911 - 1912)
- HMHS Britannic (1914 - 1916)
Books[]
- Chirnside, Mark. The Olympic-Class Ships