{"id":6846,"date":"2023-10-09T02:04:15","date_gmt":"2023-10-09T02:04:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.historydefined.net\/?p=6846"},"modified":"2023-10-09T02:04:17","modified_gmt":"2023-10-09T02:04:17","slug":"hmhs-britannic-and-rms-olympic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.historydefined.net\/hmhs-britannic-and-rms-olympic\/","title":{"rendered":"HMHS Britannic and RMS Olympic: The Titanic’s sister ships"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If you ask someone what the most famous ship in history is, there\u2019s a good chance that their answer will be the Titanic.<\/em> The tragic darling of dozens of movies, books, and songs, the Titanic <\/em>earned her notoriety when she hit an iceberg and sank during her maiden voyage. But did you know that she wasn\u2019t the only ship of her kind?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Built alongside the Titanic <\/em>were two other incredible ocean liners: the HMHS Britannic <\/em>and the RMS Olympic. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Introduction to HMHS Britannic and RMS Olympic<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a rivalry was brewing. The trans-Atlantic cruise industry was growing by leaps and bounds, and the rush to be at the forefront of this new type of travel was ferocious. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This competition wasn\u2019t just between countries, though. While Germany was producing a class of ships they were calling the \u201cKaiser class\u201d, two British companies, the Cunard Line and the White Star Line, were competing amongst themselves. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cunard Line had everyone else beat when it came to speed, owing to their Lusitania<\/em> and Mauretania,<\/em><\/a>but as far as luxury went, White Star Line knew they had the superior product: Olympic-<\/em>class liners Olympic, Britannic, and Titanic. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Titanic<\/em>\u2019s story is known throughout the world, so today, we\u2019ll be focusing on the lesser-known sisters of that fateful ship, because Olympic <\/em>and  Britannic <\/em>have incredible stories all their own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The RMS Olympic: The First of Three Sisters<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The first of the three sister ships to be constructed was the RMS <\/em>Olympic. White Star Line hired construction firm Harland and Wolff, and construction began on December 16th, 1908 in Belfast, Ireland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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RMS Olympic in NYC<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Modifications were made to the shipyard where the Olympic <\/em>was being built, merging multiple slips into larger ones so that the Olympic <\/em>and the Titanic <\/em>could be built alongside each other. Both ships were so massive that the Titanic <\/em>had to be started three months after the Olympic <\/em>because of the stress the two giant ships put on the shipyard. The Olympic<\/em> herself was 882 ft long.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Olympic<\/em> was completed and launched on October 20th, 1910. The White Star Line had a tradition where they never christened their ships, so Olympic<\/em> followed suit. They also chose to paint the liner a light gray, owing to the fact that the color photographed better in black and white.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Olympic<\/em> hit the water with much fanfare, and after the filming of her launch and the subsequent pictures were taken, Olympic<\/em> was repainted black. She began her career as the first of the Olympic<\/em>-class ocean liners of the White Star Line in 1911.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Made the RMS Olympic Special?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

All three of the Olympic<\/em>-class ocean liners garnered significant attention from the public. They were considered to be some of the most advanced ships of the time, and the most luxurious. At the time of her construction, the Olympic<\/em> was the largest ship in the world. When Titanic <\/em>was finished, it took that mantle from the Olympic<\/em>\u2026for a short time, at least.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There were many similarities between the Titanic<\/em> and the Olympic <\/em>in terms of appearance. The Titanic <\/em>was larger, but both ships were equally as stunning and lavish. Of the three Olympic-<\/em>class liners, Olympic<\/em> herself would prove to be the luckiest. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sea Trials and Maiden Voyage of RMS Olympic<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Before she could embark on her maiden voyage, the Olympic<\/em> had to complete a battery of sea trials. These tests made sure the liner was fit for her work as a cruise ship. Olympic<\/em> passed her trials, and from there, was ready for her maiden voyage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The maiden voyage set off from Southampton on June 14, 1911, bound for New York City. She arrived on June 21st. The entire endeavor, from beginning to end, attracted worldwide attention. In South Hampton, New York City, and her two ports of call, Cherbourg and Queenstown, there were huge crowds of both the media and the general public, desperate to see the new luxury liners from the White Star Line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two notable people aboard the Olympic<\/em> during her maiden voyage were Captain Edward Smith and Designer Thomas Andrews. Both men would perish just one year later aboard the Olympic\u2019s<\/em> sister ship, the Titanic. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Career and Incidents of the RMS Olympic <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Compared to her sister ships, the Olympic <\/em>had a long and illustrious career. While she did see her fair share of unfortunate incidents, she never sank. Olympics <\/em>career spanned nearly a quarter century\u2013she was active for twenty-four years before being retired. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Olympic<\/em> didn\u2019t only work as a cruise ship, either. During World War I, she served as a troopship, earning the nickname \u201cOld Reliable\u201d.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The notable Incidents involving the RMS Olympic are:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n