RMS Olympic May 31 1911
Career
Name:	RMS Olympic
Owner:	White Star Line
Port of Registry:	Liverpool, United Kingdom
Builder:	Harland and Wolff yards in Belfast
Laid down:	1908-12-16
Launched:	1910-10-20
Christened:	Not christened
Maiden voyage:	14 June 1911
Fate:	Retired at Southampton after 24 years service and scrapped. The Oceanic Steam Navigation Company or White Star Line of Boston Packets, more commonly known as the White Star Line, was a prominent British Shipping Liverpool ( is a City and Metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom from 1 January 1801 until 12 April 1927 Harland and Wolff Heavy Industries is a diversified heavy industrial company specialising in Shipbuilding, Ship breaking, Offshore construction Belfast ( is the capital city of Northern Ireland and the seat of government in Northern Ireland. Year 1908 ( MCMVIII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year Events 755 - An Lushan revolts against Chancellor Yang Guozhong at Fanyang, initiating the An Shi Rebellion Year 1910 ( MCMX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting Events 1740 - Maria Theresa takes the throne of Austria. France, Prussia, Bavaria and Saxony Superstructure dismantled at Jarrow, England, and the hull at Inverkeithing, Scotland. Jarrow (ˈjæroʊ or /ˈjærə/ is a Town on the River Tyne, England with a Population around 27000 (2001 Census) England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Inverkeithing is a town and former Royal burgh in Fife, Scotland, located on the Firth of Forth. Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain.
General characteristics
Class and type:	Olympic-class ocean liner
Tonnage:	45,324 (46,358 after 1913, increased to 46,439 after 1920)
Displacement:	52,067 tons
Length:	882 ft 6 in (269. Fatalities An ocean liner is a ship designed to transport people from one Seaport to another along regular long-distance Maritime routes according to a schedule Units of mass There are three similar units of Mass called the ton: Long ton (simply ton in countries such as the United A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit Inches redirects here To see the Les Savy Fav album see Inches. 0 m)
Beam:	92 ft 6 in (28. The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International 2 m)
Draught:	34 ft 7 in (10. 5 m)
Installed power:	24 double-ended (six furnace) and 5 single-ended (three furnace) Scotch boilers. Two four-cylinder triple-expansion reciprocating engines each producing 15,000 hp for the two outboard wing propellers at 75 revolutions per minute. One low-pressure turbine producing 16,000 h. 59,000 hp produced at maximum revolutions. [1]
Propulsion:	Two bronze triple-blade wing propellers. One bronze quadruple-blade centre propeller.
Speed:	21 knots (39 km/h/24 mph) maximum 23 knots

RMS Olympic was the lead ship of the Olympic class ocean liners built for the White Star Line, which also included Titanic and Britannic. (For the South African airport with IATA code "KMH" see Johan Pienaar Airport. Royal Mail Ship (sometimes Steam-ship, Steamer) usually seen in its abbreviated form RMS, is the Ship prefix used for seagoing vessels that Fatalities An ocean liner is a ship designed to transport people from one Seaport to another along regular long-distance Maritime routes according to a schedule The Oceanic Steam Navigation Company or White Star Line of Boston Packets, more commonly known as the White Star Line, was a prominent British Shipping Construction The Titanic was a White Star Line ocean liner built at the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast, Ireland History Post- Titanic design changes Following the loss of the Titanic and the subsequent enquiries several design changes were made to the remaining Unlike her sisters, Olympic served a long and illustrious career (1911 to 1935), becoming known as "Old Reliable. "

The Olympic class ships were originally to be named Olympic, Titanic and Gigantic, after Greek mythological races: the Olympians, the Titans, and the Giants. Greek mythology is the body of stories belonging to the ancient Greeks concerning their gods and Heroes the nature of the world and the origins and significance The Twelve Olympians, also known as the Dodekatheon ( Greek: Δωδεκάθεον In Greek mythology, the Titans ( Greek: Tītā́n; plural Tītânes) were a race of powerful Deities that ruled during the legendary See Gigantes y cabezudos for the giant figures of Spanish culture Gigantic was renamed Britannic following the sinking of Titanic.

History

Plaque of RMS Olympic on the William Pirrie monument, grounds of Belfast City Hall

J. Bruce Ismay, the chairman of White Star Line, and William Pirrie, the chairman of Harland and Wolff shipyard, intended the Olympic-class ships to surpass rival Cunard's largest ships, the RMS Lusitania and RMS Mauretania in size and luxury. Belfast City Hall is the civic building of the Belfast City Council. Joseph Bruce Ismay ( 12 December 1862 &ndash 17 October 1937) was an English businessman who served as Managing Director of the The Oceanic Steam Navigation Company or White Star Line of Boston Packets, more commonly known as the White Star Line, was a prominent British Shipping William James Pirrie 1st Viscount Pirrie, KP, PC(Ire ( 31 May, 1847 &ndash 6 June, 1924) was a leading Irish Harland and Wolff Heavy Industries is a diversified heavy industrial company specialising in Shipbuilding, Ship breaking, Offshore construction Shipyards and dockyards are places which repair and build ships These can be Yachts military Cunard Line is a British shipping company operator of the Ocean liners RMS ''Queen Elizabeth 2'' ( QE2) RMS ''Queen Mary 2'' ( Construction and trials Owned by the Cunard Steamship Company built by John Brown and Company Lusitania was named for the ancient Roman province of Beginning In 1897 the German liner became the largest and fastest ship in the world Olympic was to be built first, followed by Titanic and Gigantic (the latter renamed Britannic after Titanic's sinking). In order to accommodate the construction of the class, Harland and Wolff upgraded their facility in Belfast; the most dramatic change was the combining of three slipways into two larger ones. Olympic's keel was laid in December 1908 and she was launched on 20 October 1910. Events 1740 - Maria Theresa takes the throne of Austria. France, Prussia, Bavaria and Saxony Year 1910 ( MCMX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting For her launch, the hull was painted in a light grey colour for photographic purposes (a common practice of the day for the first ship in a new class, as it made the lines of the ship clearer in the black and white photographs). Her hull was repainted following the launch.

Her maiden voyage commenced on 14 June 1911. Events 1276 - While taking exile in Fuzhou in southern China, away from the advancing Mongol invaders, the remnants of the Year 1911 ( MCMXI) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Designer Thomas Andrews was present for the passage to New York and return, along with a number of engineers, as part of Harland and Wolff's "Guarantee Group" to spot areas for improvement. Thomas Andrews Jr ( 7 February 1873 – 15 April 1912) was an Irish Businessman and shipbuilder managing director Olympic had a cleaner, sleeker look than other ships of the day: rather than fitting her with bulky exterior air vents, Harland and Wolff used smaller air vents with electric fans, with a "dummy" fourth funnel used for additional ventilation. For the powerplant Harland and Wolff employed a combination of reciprocating engines with a centre low-pressure turbine, as opposed to the steam turbines used on Cunard's Lusitania and Mauretania. White Star claimed the Olympic class's engine set-up to be more economical than expansion engines or turbines alone. Olympic consumed about 650 tons of coal a day at 21. 7 knots on her maiden voyage, compared to 1000 tons of coal a day the Lusitania and Mauretania. ^[2]

Hawke incident

Olympic's first major mishap occurred on 20 September 1911, when it collided with a British warship, HMS Hawke off the Isle of Wight. Events 451 - The Battle of Chalons takes place in North Eastern France. Year 1911 ( MCMXI) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Service In 1897-1898 Hawke, under the command of Captain Sir Richard Poore, was in action in the Mediterranean in the operations which led to the pacification The Isle of Wight is an English Island and county in the English Channel between three and five miles (8 km from the south coast of the Although the incident resulted in the flooding of two of her compartments and a twisted propeller shaft, Olympic was able to limp back to Southampton. Southampton ( IPA /ˌsaʊθˈhæmptən/ is the largest city in the county of Hampshire, on the south coast of England At the subsequent inquiry the Royal Navy blamed Olympic for the incident, alleging that her large displacement generated a suction that pulled Hawke into her side. The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British armed services (and is therefore known as the Senior Service) In command during this incident was Captain Edward Smith, who was lost at sea a year later onboard Titanic. Captain Edward John Smith, RD, RNR ( 27 January 1850 &ndash 15 April 1912) was the captain of the RMS ''Titanic'' One crew member, Violet Jessop, survived not only the collision with the Hawke but also the later sinking of Titanic and the 1916 sinking of Britannic, the third ship of the class. Violet Constance Jessop ( 2 October 1887 – 5 May 1971) was an Ocean liner stewardess and nurse who achieved fame by surviving History Post- Titanic design changes Following the loss of the Titanic and the subsequent enquiries several design changes were made to the remaining

The Hawke incident was a financial disaster for Olympic's operator, and keeping her out of revenue service made matters worse. Olympic returned to Belfast, and to speed up her repair, Harland and Wolff was forced to delay Titanic's completion and use her propeller shaft for Olympic. In February 1912, Olympic lost a propeller blade and she once again returned to her builder for emergency repairs. To get her back to service immediately, Harland & Wolff again had to pull resources from Titanic, delaying her maiden voyage from 20 March 1912 to 10 April 1912. Events 1600 - The Linköping Bloodbath takes place on Maundy Thursday in Linköping, Sweden. Year 1912 ( MCMXII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year starting Events 879 - Louis III becomes King of the Western Franks. 1407 - the lama Year 1912 ( MCMXII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year starting ^[3]

Titanic disaster

Main article: Sinking of the RMS Titanic

On 14 April 1912, Olympic, now under the command of Herbert Haddock, received a distress signal from her sister Titanic, but was too far away to assist. Events 43 BC - Battle of Forum Gallorum: Mark Antony, besieging Julius Caesar 's assassin Decimus Junius Brutus in Year 1912 ( MCMXII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year starting Olympic, like Titanic, did not carry enough lifeboats for everyone on board. Upon return to Britain, Olympic was equipped with additional, second-hand collapsible lifeboats but this still was not enough for everyone on board; subsequently her stokers went on strike and refused to return to work until the ship was equipped with regular lifeboats sufficient to accommodate all passengers and crew. Six months later, White Star withdrew Olympic and returned her to her builders at Belfast. There, her bulkheads were raised higher and a double hull was installed. At the same time, alterations and additions to her passenger cabins were carried out on B Deck which necessitated deleting her B Deck promenades - one of the few features that separated her from her sister ship. With these changes, Olympic's gross tonnage rose to 46,359 tons, 31 tons larger than Titanic's. In 1913, Olympic returned to service and briefly regained the title of largest ocean liner in the world, until SS Imperator entered passenger service in June 1913. History The first plates of her Keel were laid in 1910 at the Vulcan Shipyards in Hamburg, and she made her maiden voyage in 1913

World War I

After aborting the attempts to tow, the crew of HMS Audacious take to lifeboats to be taken aboard RMS Olympic. Note Olympic's lifeboats in the water.

A postcard of Olympic with "dazzle" camouflage.

In World War I, Olympic initially remained in commercial service. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All On 27 October 1914 she was ordered to assist a stricken British warship, HMS Audacious. Events 312 - Constantine the Great is said to have received his famous Vision of the Cross. Year 1914 ( MCMXIV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Image gallery See also List of battleships List of battleships of the Royal Navy List of ship launches Olympic took on board the warship's crew. Attempts to tow the warship were unsuccessful as the tow-lines parted in bad weather, and Audacious sank.

In September 1915 the Royal Navy summoned Olympic to serve as a troopship. A troopship (also troop ship or troop transport or trooper) is a Ship used to carry Soldiers either in peacetime or wartime Armed with 12-pounders and 4. 7-inch guns, the newly-designated His Majesty's Transport 2810 left Liverpool on 24 September 1915, carrying soldiers to the Gallipoli campaign. Events 622 - Prophet Muhammad completes his hegira from Mecca to Medina. Year 1915 ( MCMXV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Gallipoli peninsula (Gelibolu Yarımadası is located in Turkish Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles She continued to serve on routes to the eastern Mediterranean. From 1916 to 1917, Olympic was chartered by the Canadian Government to transport troops from Halifax, Nova Scotia to Britain. The politics of Canada function within a framework of Constitutional monarchy and a federal system of parliamentary government with strong democratic See also Halifax Nova Scotia See also Halifax Regional Municipality municipal election 2008 Halifax Regional Municipality is the capital Nova Scotia (ˌnəʊvəˈskəʊʃə ( Latin for New Scotland; Alba Nuadh Nouvelle-Écosse is a Canadian province located on Canada 's In 1917 she gained 6-inch guns and was painted with a "dazzle" camouflage scheme to make it more difficult for observers to estimate her speed and heading. Dazzle camouflage, also known as Razzle Dazzle or Dazzle painting, was a Camouflage paint scheme used on Ships extensively during World After the United States declared war on Germany in 1917, Olympic transported thousands of U. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. S. troops to Britain.

On 12 May 1918, Olympic, under the command of Captain Bertram Fox Hayes, successfully rammed the U-boat U-103, the only known sinking of a warship by a merchant vessel during World War I. Events 1191 - Richard I of England marries Berengaria of Navarre. Year 1918 ( MCMXVIII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word, itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot ( undersea boat) and refers A merchant vessel is a Ship that transports Cargo and Passengers during peace time

During the war, Olympic is reported to have carried up to 201,000 troops and other personnel, burning 347,000 tons of coal and travelling about 184,000 miles. ^[4] Her impressive World War I service earned her the nickname Old Reliable.

Post-war

After completing service as a troopship, Olympic returned to Belfast for restoration to civilian service. Her interior was modernized and her boilers were converted from coal burning to oil fired. During the conversion work and drydocking a dent was discovered below her waterline which was later concluded to have been caused by a torpedo that had failed to detonate.

Olympic emerged from her refit with an increased tonnage of 46,439, allowing her to retain her claim to the title of largest British built liner afloat (although RMS Aquitania was slightly longer). Origin The origins of Aquitania lay in the rivalry between the White Star Line and Cunard, Britain 's two leading shipping companies In 1920 she returned to passenger service, on one voyage that year carrying 2,403 passengers. She was joined with RMS Majestic and RMS Homeric for an express service from 1922, operating successfully until the Great Depression reduced demand after 1930. Construction and handover The Majestic was built by the Blohm & Voss shipbuilders in Hamburg, Germany and was launched on 20 June History It took Britain's Cunard Line less than a year following World War I to re-establish their Atlantic supremacy with a three ship weekly service

At the turn of 1927-28, Olympic was converted to carry tourist third cabin passengers as well as first, second and third class. Tourist third cabin was an attempt to attract travellers who desired comfort without the accompanying high ticket price. New public rooms were constructed for this class, although tourist third cabin and second class would merge to become 'tourist' by late 1931.

One year later Olympic's first class cabins were again improved by adding more bathrooms, a dance floor was fitted in the enlarged first class dining saloon, and a number of new suites with private facilities were installed forward on B-deck. More improvements would follow in a later refit, but 1929 saw Olympic's best average passenger lists since 1925.

Demise

Following a refit and overhaul at the end of 1932, Olympic returned to service in March 1933 'looking like new. ' Her engines were performing at their best and she repeatedly recorded speeds in excess of 23 knots, despite averaging less than that in regular transatlantic service. Passenger capacities were given as 618 first class, 447 tourist class and only 382 third class after the decline of the immigrant trade. 1933 was Olympic's worst year of business - carrying under 10,000 passengers in total.

Olympic passes the Nantucket light vessel in early 1934.

In 1934, Olympic again struck a ship. The approaches to New York were marked by lightships, and Olympic, like other liners, had been known to pass close by these vessels. ^{[5] [6]} On 15 May 1934, Olympic, inbound in heavy fog, was homing in on the radio beacon of Lightship 117, the Nantucket lightship. Events 1252 - Pope Innocent IV issues the Papal bull Ad exstirpanda, which authorizes but also limits the Year 1934 ( MCMXXXIV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full 1934 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. History Lightships and their crews were exposed to many dangers ^[7] Olympic, under the command of Captain John Binks failed to turn in time and sliced through the smaller vessel, which broke apart and sank. ^[8] Four of the lightship's crew went down with the vessel and seven were rescued, of whom three died of their injuries - thus there were seven fatalities out of a crew of eleven. ^[9]

In 1934 the White Star Line merged with the Cunard Line at the instigation of the British government. The Oceanic Steam Navigation Company or White Star Line of Boston Packets, more commonly known as the White Star Line, was a prominent British Shipping Cunard Line is a British shipping company operator of the Ocean liners RMS ''Queen Elizabeth 2'' ( QE2) RMS ''Queen Mary 2'' ( This merger allowed funds to be granted for the completion of the future RMS Queen Mary. Naming and construction With Germany launching their and into service the British did not want to be left out in this ship building race Cunard White Star then started retiring its surplus tonnage, which included the majority of the old White Star liners. Olympic was withdrawn from service in 1935 and sold to Sir John Jarvis for £100,000 to be partially demolished at Jarrow, providing work for the region. Jarrow (ˈjæroʊ or /ˈjærə/ is a Town on the River Tyne, England with a Population around 27000 (2001 Census) In 1937, Olympic was towed to Inverkeithing to T. Inverkeithing is a town and former Royal burgh in Fife, Scotland, located on the Firth of Forth. W. Ward's yard for final demolition.

Olympic today

Olympic fittings can be seen in this photo of the Olympic Suite at the White Swan Hotel in Alnwick, Northumberland

Olympic's fittings were auctioned off immediately before she was scrapped; some of her fittings, namely those of the First Class Lounge and part of the Aft Grand Staircase, can be found in the White Swan Hotel, in Alnwick, England. Alnwick ( IPA /ˈænɪk/ is a small Market town in north Northumberland, England. Some fittings and panelling also ended up at a Haltwhistle paint factory. Haltwhistle is a small town in Northumberland, England, situated ten miles east of Brampton, near Hadrian's Wall, and the villages of The rest of her fittings found homes in scattered places throughout Great Britain.

In 2000, Celebrity Cruises purchased some of Olympic's original wooden panels and created the RMS Olympic Restaurant on board their newest cruise ship, Millennium. Celebrity Cruises is a Cruise line founded in 1989 by the Greek Chandris Group. According to Celebrity Cruise Line, this rare collection of wood panelling once lined Olympic's à la carte restaurant.

In 2004, in the Titanic Museum in Branson, Missouri, USA, a first class cabin from the Olympic served as an example of the class's interior quarters. Branson is a city in Stone and Taney counties in the US state of Missouri. A replica of the Grand Staircase in the Titanic also appears at this museum, as well as many items recovered from the Titanic wreckage.

The clock from Olympic's grand staircase is on display at the Southampton Maritime Museum. The phrase Grand Staircase of the RMS Titanic has been used to refer to the first-class entrance aboard the Titanic which contained a large ornate Southampton ( IPA /ˌsaʊθˈhæmptən/ is the largest city in the county of Hampshire, on the south coast of England A maritime museum (sometimes nautical museum) is a Museum specializing in the display of objects relating to Ships and travel on large bodies of water

See also

• SS Nomadic - surviving tender to Olympic

References

Further reading

• RMS Olympic: Titanic's Sister, by Mark Chirnside
• The Olympic-Class Ships, by Mark Chirnside
• Olympic & Titanic: The Truth Behind the Conspiracy, by Bruce Beveridge
• Atlantic Liners: A Trio of Trios, by J. Kent Layton

External links

• Titanic Research & Modelling Association, for Olympic-Class Research
• Olympic Home at Atlantic Liners
• RMS Olympic; Old Reliable
• Encyclopedia Titanica : RMS Olympic
• Olympic on Titanic-Titanic.com
• The RMS Olympic Restaurant on the Celebrity Millennium (Virtual Tour of ship's Plaza Deck shows panoramic view).
• Olympic's Fittings at White Swan Hotel, Alnwick, England
• Maritimequest RMS Olympic Photo Gallery
• Lostliners: RMS Olympic
• White Star Line RMS Olympic the Ship Magnificent
• Lego RMS Olympic