“The Olympic Class Ocean Liners.”

   “The Olympic Class Ocean Liners.”

     Khalid Mahbub Saifullah

  22201919

     BRAC University

                     

Introduction:

 

The early 20th century was the golden age of the ocean liners. In a time when a journey across the world’s oceans used to take weeks and even months, ocean liners offered passengers a safe, luxurious and comfortable journey. Among these, the Olympic class of ocean liners stood head and shoulders above the rest. The Olympic class consisted of the RMS Olympic, the RMS Titanic and the HMHS Britannic.  These goliaths were at the pinnacle of luxury and were absolute marvels of engineering during the early 20th century.

 This blog delves into the history, design and ultimate fate of these iconic ocean liners that continue to captivate our imagination even to this day.

The beginning:

 The concept of the Olympic Class ocean liners was born amidst intense competition in the transatlantic travel industry. The White Star Line was a British transatlantic shipping company. In 1907, J. Bruce Ismay , president of the White Star and William Pirrie, director of the Harland & Wolff shipyards decided to build three vessels.

The mastermind behind the Olympic Class liners was Thomas Andrews, a talented naval architect and the managing director of Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast, Ireland. The main goal of the ships was to offer best in class comfort and luxury to the passengers, the likes of which the world had never seen before. They featured an elegant Edwardian style, equipped with state-of-the-art amenities, luxurious cabins, and spacious public areas, including a grand staircase, lavish dining rooms, and a world-class gymnasium.

The Competition:

 The Olympic class had its origins in the intense competition between the United Kingdom and Germany in the construction of the liners. The biggest rival of the White Star Line was the Cunard Line. Cunard’s Mauretania and Lusitania also called “greyhounds of the seas” were the biggest rival of the Olympic class. Mauretania held “Blue Riband” for almost 20 years. The Olympic-class ships were built to surpass Cunard's Lusitania and Mauretania in size and luxury. Olympic, along with Titanic and the soon to be built Britannic–, were intended to be the largest and most luxurious ships to operate on the North Atlantic, but not the fastest, as the White Star Line had already switched from high speed to size and luxury

Size and Specs:

The Olympic class liners were enormous in every sense of the word. They were the largest man-made objects ever to move. They captivated the masses imaginations with their incredible size. The ships had a length of 882 feet (269 meters). The beam of these beasts of the ocean was 92.5 feet (28.2 meters). Their height from keel to top of masts was 205 feet (62 meters). These beasts had a tonnage of 45,000-48,000 GRT. And they displaced more than 52,000 tons of water.

RMS Olympic: The Sister Ship that Dodged Disaster:

RMS Olympic was the lead ship of the Olympic Class. She made her maiden voyage on 4 June, 1911. It served as a luxury passenger liner and, during World War I, it was converted into a troopship. Despite experiencing some minor incidents, Olympic managed to avoid any major disasters. It was the one and only of its class to not meet a watery grave.

She was finally retired in 1935 after a prosperous career.

RMS Olympic

RMS Titanic: The "Unsinkable" Tragedy:

 

The Titanic, without a doubt has to be the most well-known ship of all times. She embarked on her maiden voyage from Southampton to New York City on 10 April, 1912. Despite being celebrated as unsinkable, the Titanic met a tragic fate when it struck an iceberg and sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on April 15, 1912. More than 1,500 lives were lost in one of the deadliest peacetime maritime disasters in history. Titanic has become a household name worldwide in this century after its demise. She now rests in her watery grave almost 4 kilometers under the surface of the freezing North-Atlantic.

   RMS Titanic

HMHS Britannic: From Luxury Liner to Hospital Ship:

 Britannic was originally planned to be a luxury ocean liner just like her sisters. But she was completed after the great war had started, which is why she was converted into a hospital ship. She was completed on 12 December, 1915. On November 21, 1916, while serving as a hospital ship in the Aegean Sea, Britannic struck a mine and sank. Even though most of the passengers survived the shipwreck , 30 people still lost their lives.

HMHS Britannic

Legacy and Impact:

 The story of the Olympic class is a tale of both glory and grief. The tragedy of Titanic's sinking led to comprehensive changes in maritime regulations, emphasizing safety measures that have since become industry standards. Even today, modern cruise ships are inspired by the level of class and comfort that these legendary ships offered. Most people, even those who know nothing about ships, have heard of the titanic or the Olympic. Even my own  interest in ships was born because of these fascinating vessels.

My Personal Opinion:

 I have always been fascinated by the Olympic class liners. They really were the ship of dreams. In my opinion, these three ships signify a huge leap forward in engineering achievement and also show the resilience of mankind’s dreams. Even after the terrible tragedies that these ships faced, mankind did not shy away from dreaming big. We made even larger and safer vessels because we learned from our mistakes.

2 out of the 3 ships were lost. Only the Olympic survived a full career and served until 1935 when it was scrapped. In my opinion this ship should never have been scrapped and should have been converted into a museum for all of mankind to see and admire the beauty of these marvels of engineering.

 

Conclusion:

 The Olympic class ocean liners stand as iconic symbols of an era defined by innovation, luxury, and tragedy. These majestic vessels transcended their status as mere ships, becoming time capsules that encapsulate the spirit of their time. As we look back on these majestic vessels, we're reminded of the boundless human spirit that has always dared to conquer the seas and reach for the horizon, regardless of the challenges that lie ahead. The legacy of the Olympic class liners will forever sail on in the annals of maritime history, a symbol of human ambition and the unyielding desire to explore the depths of the ocean's mysteries.

About the author:

Hi!!! I am Khalid Mahbub Saifullah, born in Rajshahi on January 1, 2003 and currently completing my bachelor’s  in CSE at BRAC University. I have always been fascinated by history and technology. 

Links: 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympic-class_ocean_liner 

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Edward-J-Smith

https://titanic.fandom.com/wiki/HMHS_Britannic