Titanic’s Sister Ships – What Do You Know About Them?

RMS Titanic is probably the most well-known shipwreck of all time, given its tragic story has been showcased within the iconic film starring Kate Winslet and Leonardo de Caprio.

The Titanic story has additionally been the topic of many books, performs and tv reveals. However, most individuals have no idea in regards to the Titanic’s sister ships and their destiny.

RMS Olympic and HMHS Britannic had been two sister ships of the Titanic, which are sometimes neglected. The trio was a part of the Olympic-Class Liners of the White Star Line. When they entered the waters, they had been mentioned to be the largest, most opulent, and most secure vessels.

Harland & Wolff shipyard constructed these British Ocean Liners within the early twentieth century to profit the White Star Line in transatlantic passenger commerce.

What Happened To Titanic, Olympic and Britannic? 

Titanic was the 2nd and most well-known of the sister ships. She was launched in 1911 and entered service the next 12 months. She was referred to as unsinkable. However, on her first voyage from Southampton to New York, she hit an iceberg and sank, taking on 1500 lives. The Titanic has change into some of the iconic disasters within the maritime world.

Olympic was the lead ship and had a 24-year profession. After that, she was retired and offered for scrap in 1935.

Britannic went lacking in the course of the First World War after it hit a mine within the Aegean Sea earlier than coming into passenger service.

Though they didn’t have careers to boast about, these sister ships had been fairly common ocean liners that loved the excellence of being the largest ships on this planet and higher than their contemporaries.

The Story of the RMS Olympic

Olympic remained the largest British-constructed vessel for over 20 years till the Queen Mary was commissioned in 1936. She started her maiden voyage on 14 June 19111 from Southampton to New York with 1313 passengers. Her captain was Edward Smith, who died the following 12 months within the Titanic catastrophe, together with Designer Thomas Andrews, who shared the identical destiny.

Features of Titanic’s Sister Ship, RMS Olympic

Olympic was first in a category of superliners, so her first journey attracted worldwide consideration. After she reached New York, she was opened to the individuals and noticed 8000 guests and 10,000 spectators who noticed her depart the New York Harbour for her return journey.

Olympic was a luxurious vessel, and most of her fittings, deck plans, and different onboard services had been just like these of the Titanic.

Her first-class company had their cabins with loos. They may eat on the eating saloon or the A La Carte Restaurant. The ship had a grand staircase attribute of Olympic-class vessels and three lifts that ran behind the staircase, going to the E Deck.

The vessel additionally had a Georgian-style smoking room, a restaurant, a gymnasium, a swimming pool, a Turkish bathtub, and different areas for leisure and rest. The second-class passengers had a smoking room, a eating room, and a library. Third-class passengers got cheap lodging in comparison with different ships.

Design and Style

Olympic was cleaner and sleeker than different ships of the time. Instead of cumbersome vents, she was fitted with small air vents with electrical followers. She additionally had a low-pressure turbine as an alternative of a steam engine put in on Cunard Line’s Mauretania.

Talking in regards to the Titanic sister ship’s profession, the RMS Olympic carried celebrities, rich company and politicians throughout the Atlantic till she remained in service.

Olympic’s position when Titanic Sank

Olympic was getting back from New York when its wi-fi operator acquired the misery name from the Titanic. She was round 505 miles west by south of Titanic’s place. Her captain ordered its engineers to be set to full energy, and he or she headed to assist in the rescue.

When she was 100 nm away from the Titanic’s location, Captain Rostron of RMS Carpathia despatched her a message that that they had reached the positioning of the accident and that coming right here can be for nothing.

The Olympic provided to take some survivors from the Titanic. However, Rostron mentioned that asking passengers to board a ship just like the Titanic would trigger them stress. Olympic then returned to her course in Southampton.

Served as a troop ship in WWI

Olympic additionally served as a troop ship within the First World War, incomes her the nickname ‘Old Reliable’. To make her much less seen, she was painted gray, her portholes blocked, and her deck lights turned off.

Her preliminary wartime journeys had been full of Americans caught in Europe and keen to come back residence. Her bookings had already fallen as a result of menace from German U-boats, and so the White Star Line withdrew it from business service. In 1914, she left for Glasgow on her final business voyage of the struggle with 153 passengers.

Accidents and Collisions

Olympic additionally met with many accidents and collisions in her service years, together with a collision with a British warship in 1911. She nearly missed hitting an iceberg the next 12 months and struck a German sub in 1918.

Refits and Modernisation

Over the years, she underwent many modernisations and refits. Oil-fired boilers had been put in onboard the Olympic, and he or she additionally obtained new propellors and further lifeboats.

Faced Increased Competition from new ships

After the First World War, it operated as a passenger ship however confronted rising competitors from new and sooner liners just like the Cunard Line’s Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth. Demand for trans-Atlantic journey decreased as a result of Great Depression and the recognition of air journey.

Sold for scrap and dismantled

White Star Line merged with Cunard in 1934, so the Olympic grew to become a part of the newly shaped Cunard-White Star Line. She made her final journey in March 1935 and retired from service in April 1935. Later that 12 months, she was offered for scrap and finally dismantled in Jarrow, England, between 1935 and 1937.

The Tale of HMHS Britannic

Britannic was the third and final ship of the Olympic class of steamships belonging to the White Star Line. She was the youngest sister of Titanic and Olympic and was to enter her profession as a trans-Atlantic passenger liner; nevertheless, destiny had different plans.

Safest Among the Three Olympic Class Liners

She was launched earlier than WWI started and was designed to be the most secure among the many three vessels, with main modifications completed throughout development from classes learnt after the Titanic Sinking in 1912. She was endowed with further lifeboats, increased watertight compartments and a double hull for cover.

Began profession as a hospital ship

Britannic couldn’t function a business vessel when it entered service in 1915 when the British Government determined to make use of passenger liners as troop transportation vessels within the Gallipoli Campaign. This was harmful, and casualties elevated, creating a necessity for enormous hospital ships to deal with and evacuate the wounded.

Hence, on thirteenth November 1915, Britannic entered service as a hospital ship. She was repainted with pink crosses and a inexperienced stripe and renamed His Majesty’s Hospital Ship (HMHS) Britannic.

Around 3309 beds and lots of working rooms had been arrange onboard. The frequent space on the higher deck was additionally became rooms for treating the injured. Cabins from B Deck had been used as docs’ lodging. The first-class eating room and the reception room grew to become working theatres. She had a medical group of 101 nurses, 336 non-commissioned and 52 commissioned officers and a 675-member crew.

She made a number of profitable voyages to locations like Lemnos Island and the Dardanelles and transported troopers from battlefields to England. When her navy service was about to finish in 1916, she went to Belfast for modification to rework right into a passenger liner. The conversion took months earlier than it was interrupted by the ship’s name again into navy service.

Sinking of the Britannic after hitting a mine

Britannic left Southampton for Lemnos on 12 November 1916 on her sixth voyage to the Mediterranean Sea to choose up casualties from Greece. On 21 November 1916, she was shaken by an explosion after hitting a mine which was positioned within the Kea Channel the earlier month by an Imperial German Navy submarine. She sank 55 minutes later close to the island of Kea.

The explosion broken 6 watertight compartments and flooded the ship by way of the open portholes. The captain tried to seaside the ship on the shores of Kea Island, however he couldn’t as a result of the ship had taken on a number of water.

However, her rescue was simpler than that of the Titanic, because the water temperature was increased, extra lifeboats had been out there, and assist was close to when she sank. The first to come back had been fishermen from Kea after which ships just like the HMS Scourge. Of the 1066 individuals on the ship, 1036 survived, and 30 died.

The Britannic is the world’s largest intact shipwreck, 400 ft or 120 m deep within the Aegean Sea. It was found on 3 December 1975. The Britannic shared the recognition of the Titanic however grew to become well-known after its wreck was discovered. Her story was proven in a 2000 movie referred to as Britannic and a 2016 BBC documentary referred to as Titanic’s Tragic Twin—the Britannic Disaster.

Differences between Titanic and her sister ships

The primary distinction between the three passenger liners was their dimension, design, and repair.

Britannic was a bit bigger than the opposite two, with a gross tonnage of 48,158 tons, whereas Titanic was 46,328 tons and Olympic was 45,324 tons. She additionally had a robust turbine engine and a much bigger rudder.

The Titanic had minor enhancements in design over the Olympic, like an enclosed promenade on Deck A and extra lifeboats. The Olympic underwent modification after the Titanic sinking and was endowed with a double hull and extra lifeboats.

All three vessels had completely different careers. While the Titanic sank on her first voyage, Britannic may by no means operate as a passenger liner and sank when it was serving as a hospital ship.

Conclusion

Titanic’s sister ships, Olympic and Britannic, didn’t expertise the identical tragedy because the Titanic however nonetheless had spectacular careers of their very own. They made important contributions at a time when the world was getting ready for struggle. They had been leaders of their phase and symbols of wealth, opulence, consolation, and standing. The most interesting minds of the time labored on developing these pioneering ships, which have left a outstanding legacy within the maritime trade.

You may also prefer to read-

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• Titanic Survivors – Some Noteworthy Stories You Must Know
• 10 Titanic Captain Facts You Might Not Know
• 30 Famous Shipwrecks In The World
• Maritime Accidents : The Sinking of Britannic Hospital Ship

About Author

Zahra is an alumna of Miranda House, University of Delhi. She is an avid author, possessing immaculate analysis and enhancing abilities. Author of a number of tutorial papers, she has additionally labored as a contract author, producing many technical, artistic and advertising and marketing items. A real aesthete at coronary heart, she loves books a bit greater than the rest.

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