 Belfast, 6 March 1912:Titanic (right) moved out ofThompson Graving Dock to allowOlympic (left) to replace a damaged propeller blade | |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Builders | Harland and Wolff,Belfast |
| Operators | White Star Line;Cunard-White Star Line[1] |
| Preceded by | Athenic class |
| Built | 1908–1914 |
| In service | 1911–1935 |
| Planned | 3 |
| Completed | 3 |
| Lost | 2 |
| Retired | 1 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Ocean liner |
| Tonnage | 45,000 GRT - 48,000 GRT |
| Displacement | 52,310 tons |
| Length | 882 ft 9 in (269.1 m)overall |
| Beam | 92 ft 6 in (28.19 m)[1] (Olympic &Titanic), 94 ft (28.7 m) (Britannic) |
| Height | 205 ft (62 m) from keel to top of masts |
| Draught | 34 ft 7 in (10.54 m)[1] |
| Depth | 64 ft 9 in (20 m) from keel to side of C-deck |
| Decks | 9 |
| Installed power | 24 double-ended and 5 single-ended 15 barScotch marine boilers, tested to 30 bar. Two 4-cylinderreciprocating engines for the two outboard wing propellers. One low-pressure turbine for center propeller. Together 50,000 HP nominal, 59,000 max.[2][3][4] |
| Propulsion | Two bronze 3-blade wingpropellers. One bronze 4-blade centre propeller forOlympic &Britannic. One bronze 3-blade centre propeller forTitanic |
| Speed | 21 kn (39 km/h; 24 mph); 23 kn (43 km/h; 26 mph) max |
| Capacity | 3,327 passengers, officers, and crew[1] |
| Crew | 892 crew members |
TheOlympic-class ocean liners were a trio ofBritishocean liners built by theHarland & Wolff shipyard for theWhite Star Line during the early 20th century, namedRMS Olympic (1911),RMS Titanic (1912) andHMHS Britannic (1915). All three were designated to be the largest as well as most luxurious liners of the era, devised to provide White Star an advantage as regards to size and luxury in the transatlantic passenger trade.
WhilstOlympic, the primary vessel, was in service for 24 years before being retired for scrap in 1935, her sisters would not witness similar success:Titanic struck aniceberg andsank on her maiden voyage andBritannic was lost whilst serving as ahospital ship during theFirst World War after hitting anaval mine offKea in theAegean Sea, less than a year after entering service and never operating as a passenger-liner.
Although two of the vessels did not achieve successful enough legacies, they are amongst the most famous ocean liners ever built; BothOlympic andTitanic enjoyed the distinction of being the largest ships in the world.Olympic was the largest British-built ship in the world for over 20 years until the commissioning ofQueen Mary in 1936.Titanic's story has been adapted into manybooks, films, and television programs andBritannic was the inspiration of afilm of the same name in 2000.
_(14761168614).jpg)
TheOlympic class had its origins in the intense competition between theUnited Kingdom andGermany in the construction of the liners. TheNorddeutscher Lloyd andHamburg America Line, the two largest German companies, were indeed involved in the race for speed and size in the late 19th century. The first in service for the Norddeutscher Lloyd wasKaiser Wilhelm der Grosse, which won theBlue Riband in 1897[5] before being beaten by HAPAG'sDeutschland in 1900.[6]
Then followed the three sister ships toKaiser Wilhelm der Grosse:Kronprinz Wilhelm,Kaiser Wilhelm II andKronprinzessin Cecilie all of whom were part of a "Kaiser class". In response to this, the BritishCunard Line ordered two vessels whose speed earned them the nickname "greyhounds of the seas"':Lusitania andMauretania.[7]Mauretania held theBlue Riband for more than twenty years, from 1909 to 1929.[8][9]
The White Star Line knew that theirBig Four, a quartet of ships built for size and luxury,[10] were no match for the Cunard's new liners in terms of speed. In July 1907, during a discussion at the latter'sBelgraviaresidence regarding the nearing maiden voyage of Cunard'sLusitania two months ahead,J. Bruce Ismay, chairman of the White Star andWilliam J. Pirrie, director of theHarland & Wolff made note of her speed. Ismay expressed concern at the record-breaking transatlantic crossing of theLusitania with Pirrie; Despite White Star's reputation for elegance and luxury, Cunard's notability for punctuality and speed posed a threat to both of their respective firms to a great extent. Pirrie formulated the concept of a large three-stack liner constructed in order to compensate for the recent ascension ofLusitania, with an emphasis upon prestige as well as her design. Moreover, this would advance to a new class of the three largest and luxurious liners being constructed as opposed to Cunard'sMauretania andLusitania duo, with an additional liner laid upon to forward themselves ahead of Cunard.
These were the preliminary foundations for the famous trio of liners built between 1908 until 1914. After initial groundwork drawn up byAlexander Carlisle, a veteran architect of Harland & Wolff, andThomas Andrews, another who was Pirrie's nephew, an additional smoke stack was extended to the blueprints, a feature designated to enhance the vessels' appearance, therefore rendering the original proposition a four-stacker liner. The contract was agreed upon in a drafted agreement between White Star and Harland & Wolff a year afterwards in July 1908, facilitated as well as signatured by both Pirrie and Ismay in approval.[11] The three vessels were designed by Andrews and Carlisle, the latter being initially the primary architect for the liners until his retirement in 1910, leaving construction under the sole supervision of Andrews, withRoderick Chisholm's assistance.[8]
Construction ofOlympic started in December 1908 andTitanic in March 1909. The two ships were built side by side.[12] Before building ofOlympic began, three entire slipways were razed to the ground in order to give way for the cradles whereupon both sisters would be laid. As a result of such density, large surroundings were in demand; 6,000t. gantries towering over 200 ft. accompanied with mobile cranes overhead were built to accommodate their keels. The construction ofBritannic began in 1911 after the commissioning ofOlympic andTitanic's launch. Following the sinking ofTitanic, the two remaining vessels underwent many changes in their safety provisions.[13]
All three of theOlympic-class ships held nine decks, seven of which were for passengers. From top to bottom, the decks were:
Propulsion was achieved through three propellers: two outboard or wing propellers had three blades, while the central propeller had four on the Olympic and Britannic. The Titanic was fitted with a three bladed central propeller to test efficiency against the four bladed central propeller of its older sister, Olympic. The two lateral propellers were powered byreciprocating steam triple expansion, while the central shaft was driven by a steam turbine.[23] All power on board was derived from a total of 29 coal-fired steam boilers in six compartments. However,Olympic's boilers were converted to firing by oil at the end of the First World War,[24] which reduced the number of engine crew required from 350 to 60.[25]
TheOlympic-class ships were 269.13 metres (883.0 ft) long,displacing 52,310 long tons (53,150 t) normally (theirdraft at this displacement being 34 ft 7 in or 10.5 m), and their tonnage was around 45–46,000GRT.[26]Olympic became the largest ship in the world when it was completed in May, 1911 before losing the title to its sisterTitanic when she was completed in April, 1912. After the loss ofTitanic, the third shipBritannic claimed the title of largest British-built ship, until her own sinking in November 1916. After thisOlympic held the title for 20 years until the commissioning ofRMS Queen Mary in 1936.[27]
All three vessels had four funnels, with the fourth being a dummy which was used for ventilation and aesthetic purposes. Smoke from the galleys and Smoking Room fireplaces and fumes from the engine rooms was exhausted through a chimney up the forward portion of this funnel. While it was a decoration to establish a symmetry in the ships' profile, it acted as a huge ventilation shaft, replacing a large amount ofventilation cowls on deck, as on Cunard'sLusitania andMauretania.[28]
The triad implemented modern developments in safety measures within their designs, intended to mitigate the risk of flooding and all but eliminate the likelihood of foundering. Each ship featured an inner skin, a second layer of 1.25 in (31.8 mm) thick steel above thekeel, which established a watertight box along the bottom of the hull known as a "double bottom." 15 transverse steel bulkheads advancing 45 ft (13.7 m) towards E Deck (D Deck in the event of the two forward most bulkheads) divided the hulls of each ship into 16watertight compartments, each equipped with electric pumping to remove floodwater. The compartments would be sealed by automatic doors from the bridge in a theoretical collision, thus isolating the water from other holds; Should the bridge switch fail, stokers and engineers were enabled to seal off the doors manually via a lever underneath. Therefore, these designations ensuredOlympic andTitanic remaining afloat with four compartments breached.[29] TheOlympic-class liners also eliminated longitudinal bulkheads, such as those onLusitania andMauretania, which separated the coal bunkers along either side of the hull from the engine rooms and boiler rooms in the centre. Such an arrangement was believed to increase the risk of a shipcapsizing by trapping water lengthwise along the ship and increasing her list.[30]
Thesinking ofTitanic led to Harland & Wolff as well as White Star determining upon refitting the liners following a revision, thereby requiring major safety enhancements forOlympic during late 1912 along with major design reforms withinBritannic, having had her keel laid down months beforehand.[31] Six forward compartments amongst the sixteen bulkheads ofTitanic were breached, above the keel albeit below the waterline, bypassing the double-bottom entirely. The low height of the bulkheads also failed the ship, granting leeway for unpreventable flooding after water within the breached compartments reached E Deck. The refit onOlympic raised the middle five bulkheads to B Deck, the others to D Deck and also oversaw an extension of the double-bottom along the hull up to G Deck. These improvements were designed inBritannic, along with two additional bulkheads.[30] These reforms translated into bothOlympic andBritannic surviving the scenario leading to their middle sister to founder. The three ships were fitted with brass three-chime triple-chambered steam whistles amongst all four stacks. Only the whistles on the first and second of these functioned however, given that those on the third and fourth were decorations fitted for aesthetic reasons holding neither valves nor bellows.
Each ship could accommodate a maximum of 64 lifeboats.[32] However, only 20 boats were installed onOlympic andTitanic during construction to avoid cluttering the deck and provide more space for passengers. Shipbuilders of the era envisaged the ocean liner itself as the ultimate lifeboat and therefore imagined that a lifeboat's purpose was that of a ferry between a foundering liner and a rescue ship. Despite the low number of lifeboats, bothOlympic andTitanic exceeded Board of Trade regulations of the time.[33] Following the sinking ofTitanic, more lifeboats were added toOlympic.Britannic, meanwhile, was equipped with eight huge gantrydavits, six along the Boat Deck and two on thePoop Deck at the stern. Each contained six lifeboats and were individually powered by electric motors with their own night time illumination. In the event that the ship should develop a list and make the lowering of lifeboats impossible along one side, the davits could be manoeuvred to pick up lifeboats from the other side of the deck.[34]
The three vessels had a total of 8 levels of passenger accommodation, with slight variations between the ships. However, no class was neglected. Thefirst class passengers enjoyed luxurious cabins, many of which were equipped with private bathrooms, a novelty at the time. The two most luxurious suites included a private promenade deck, sitting room, two walk-in wardrobes, two bedrooms, a private bath, and lavatory.[a] Each class had its own large dining saloon, while first class also featured a lavishGrand Staircase[35] descending in seven levels through the ship,(a second smaller grand staircase which only transcended down three decks.) aGeorgian-style smoking room, a Veranda Cafe decorated with palm trees,[36] a swimming pool, Turkish bath,[37] gymnasium,[38] and several other places for meals and entertainment. TheOlympic-class liners were the first British ships to contain separate restaurants independent of the dining saloons. These were in imitation of the precedent set on the GermanHamburg-America linerAmerika (1905), which had included a restaurant serving Frenchhaute cuisine run by the famous hotelierCésar Ritz.[39]Olympic andTitanic hadÀ la Carte restaurant aft on B-Deck managed by the London restaurateurLuigi Gatti and his staff, all of whom died in the sinking ofTitanic.
The second class also included a smoking room, a library, a spacious dining room, and an elevator.Britannic's second class also featured a gymnasium.[40]
Finally, the third-class passengers enjoyed reasonable accommodation compared to other ships. Instead of large dormitories offered by most ships of the time, the third-class passengers of theOlympic class lived in cabins containing two to ten bunks. The class also had a smoking room, a common area, and a dining room.Britannic was planned to provide the third-class passengers with more comfort than its twosister ships.[41]
| Name | Builder | Ordered | Laid down | Launched | Commissioned[2] | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olympic | Harland & Wolff,Belfast | 1907 | 16 December 1908 | 20 October 1910 | 14 June 1911 | Scrapped 1935–1937 |
| Titanic | 17 September 1908 | 31 March 1909 | 31 May 1911 | 10 April 1912 | Sunk following iceberg strike, 15 April 1912 | |
| Britannic | 1911 | 30 November 1911 | 26 February 1914 | 23 December 1915 | Sunk followingmine strike offKea, 21 November 1916 |
1:^ For ships in passenger service, "commissioned" is taken to mean the date of departure on maiden passenger voyage
First of theOlympic-class liners,Olympic was launched on 20 October 1910[42] and commissioned on 14 June 1911.[43] She made her maiden voyage on 14 June 1911, under the command of CaptainEdward J. Smith. On 20 September of the same year, while under the command of aharbour pilot she was involved in a collision with the cruiserHMS Hawke in the port of Southampton, leading to her repair back at Harland and Wolff and delaying the completion ofTitanic.[44] When her sister sank,Olympic was on her way across the Atlantic, in the opposite direction. She was able to receive a distress call fromTitanic but she was too far away to reach her before she sank.[45] After the sinking ofTitanic,Olympic was returned toThompson Graving Dock in October 1912, where she underwent a number of alterations to improve her safety before resuming commercial service.
During the First World War, the ship served as a troop transport. On 12 May 1918, she rammed and sank the German submarineU-103.[46] Once she was returned to commercial service in 1920, she crossed the Atlantic as one of a trio of grandWhite Star liners. The other two were seized as war reparations from Germany –theHAPAG's unfinishedBismarck which was renamedMajestic, andNDL'sColumbus which becameHomeric.[27]During the 1920sOlympic would enjoy great popularity on the transatlantic route, earning the nickname "The Ship Magnificent".[47] She often carried famous celebrities of the day, included the actorCharlie Chaplin and the thenEdward, Prince of Wales. In 1934 she inadvertently collided with and sankNantucket Lightship LV-117, leading to the death of seven of the lightship's eleven crewmembers.[48]
Despite a major refit later in her career,Olympic was outdated compared to newer ships. Following the merger of the White Star Line and Cunard Line in 1934, in April 1935 due to the excess tonnage within the new combined fleet of shipsOlympic was withdrawn, sold for breaking and towed toJarrow for scrapping.
Second in line of theOlympic class,Titanic was launched on 31 May 1911,[49] and her commissioning was slightly delayed due to ongoing repairs ofOlympic.[50] The ship left the port of Southampton 10 April 1912 for her maiden voyage, narrowly avoiding a collision withSS New York, a ship moored in the port pulled by the propellers ofTitanic. After a stopover at Cherbourg, France and another in Queenstown, Ireland, she sailed into the Atlantic with 2,200 passengers and crew on board, under the command of CaptainEdward J. Smith headed for New York City. The crossing took place without major incident until 14 April at 23:40.[51]
Titanic struck an iceberg at41°46′N50°14′W / 41.767°N 50.233°W /41.767; -50.233[52] while sailing about 400 miles (640 km) south of theGrand Banks of Newfoundland at 11:40 pm ships time. The strike and the resulting shock sheared the rivets, which opened several tears in the hull below the waterline. This caused the first five compartments to be flooded with water with flooding in a sixth compartment controlled by the pumps; the ship was only designed to stay afloat with a maximum of four compartments flooded.Titanic sank 2 hours and 40 minutes after the collision. There were not enough lifeboats for all the passengers and the nearest responding shipRMS Carpathia, being too far away,[32] 1,514 of the 2,224 people on board died, making it one of the deadliestpeacetime maritime disasters in history.
The third of theOlympic-class trio,Britannic was ordered in 1911 and launched on 26 February 1914 at theHarland and Wolff shipyard inBelfast and fitting out began.[53] In August 1914, beforeBritannic could commence transatlantic service between New York andSouthampton,World War I began. Immediately, allshipyards withAdmiralty contracts were given top priority to use available raw materials. All civil contracts, includingBritannic fitting out were slowed down.
On 13 November 1915,Britannic was requisitioned as a hospital ship from her storage location at Belfast. Repainted white and from bow to stern with large red crosses and a horizontal green stripe, she was renamed HMHS (His Majesty's Hospital Ship)Britannic.[53]
At 08:12 am on 21 November 1916, HMHSBritannic struck amine[b] at37°42′05″N24°17′02″E / 37.70139°N 24.28389°E /37.70139; 24.28389,[54] and sank. Survivors numbered 1,036, and 30 men lost their lives in the disaster. One survivor, nurseViolet Jessop was notable as having also previously survived the sinking ofTitanic in 1912, and had also been on boardOlympic, at the time when it collided with HMSHawke in 1911.Britannic was the largest ship lost during World War I, but her sinking did not receive the same attention as the sinking of her sister ship, or the sinking of the Cunard linerLusitania, when she wassunk by a torpedo in theIrish Sea.[55]
WhenTitanic sank in 1912 andBritannic sank in 1916, theBritannic sinking did not receive the same attention as theTitanic, due to the death toll (1,517 onTitanic and 30 onBritannic) and the ongoing First World War. Because the exact position of the sinking of theBritannic is known and the location is shallow, the wreck was discovered relatively easily in 1975.[56]Titanic, however, drew everyone's attention in 1912. After several attempts, the wreck was located byJean-Louis Michel ofIfremer andRobert Ballard following a top secret mission for the US Navy to investigate the wreckage ofUSS Thresher andUSS Scorpion, two nuclear submarines that sank in the North Atlantic in the 1960s.[57][58] Thediscovery of the wreck occurred on 1 September 1985, at 25 kilometres from the position given of the sinking. The wreck lies about 4,000 metres deep, broken in two. The bow is relatively well preserved, but the stern partially imploded, and to a large extent disintegrated during the descent and impact on the seabed.[c]
The wreck ofBritannic was discovered in 1975 byJacques Cousteau. It has a large tear in the front caused by the bow hitting the ocean floor before the rest of the ship sank, as the ship's length is greater than the depth of the water. After the discovery, she has been seen regularly as part of many other expeditions. In contrast toTitanic, which lies at the very bottom of the North Atlantic and is being fed on byiron-eating bacteria,Britannic is in remarkably good condition, and is much more accessible than her infamous sister. Many external structural features are still intact, including the propellers, and a great deal of the superstructure and hull.[59]
Museums and exhibitions pay tribute to the ships, and the two tragedies have inspired many movies, novels and even musicals and video games.
When she was decommissioned in 1935,Olympic –the only surviving ship of her class– was previously set to be converted into a floating hotel,[60] but the project was cancelled. However, its decorative elements were auctioned. The first class lounge and part of the aft grand staircase can be found in theWhite Swan Hotel, inAlnwick,Northumberland, England. The wood panels of the ship's À la Carte' restaurant are now restored on board theCelebrity Millennium.[61]
Due to the history and the story behind the sinking of theTitanic, several attempts to recreate the ship, partly or totally, were made throughout the years, from floating replicas, inland recreations, to an actual reimagining of the ship.[citation needed]
