Cruise Ship History – Three “Sisters”

RMS Olympic

The story of the famous ‘cruise ship’ Titanic is pretty much well known thanks to a multitude of books, movies, and magazine articles. What may be a little less well-known is that the Titanic had two nearly identical ‘sisters’. She was actually the second of three large liners built for the White Star Line to work the Southampton, England to New York "shuttle" service.

HMS Olympic in New York Harbor

Titanic’s older sister was the RMS Olympic. Belfast, Ireland was her birthplace. At the time, Olympic was the largest liner in the world. She was launched October 20, October 1910.  Her Captain was E. J. Smith – who would later serve as captain of the Titanic. Olympic finally departed on her Maiden voyage to New York on June 14, 1911.

The Olympic was not immune from misfortune. On September 20, 1911, she collided with British cruiser HMS Hawke. Fortunately, Olympic managed to limp back to Belfast for repairs. Some of her repair components were donated by her sister, Titanic, which was still under construction.

Because of the unfortunate April 1912 demise of her younger sister, Titanic, Olympic was soon upgraded with various safety improvements - including enough lifeboats for everyone aboard! In October 1912, during a visit to her birthplace, Belfast, she was fitted with an inner watertight skin.

Then, in September 1915, the RMS Olympic was requisitioned by the British Government to serve as a troopship during World War I. A special dazzle paint was applied to her hull to confuse enemy observers. In May 1918, she became somewhat of a celebrity after striking and sinking a German submarine while nearing France with a load of U.S. troops.

After the war ended in 1919, Olympic returned to commercial service as an ocean liner. She served faithfully throughout the 1920’s and into the early 1930’s. Because of her illustrious 24 year career, she earned the nickname "Old Reliable". But her days were becoming numbered. Slumping trade and growing competition, along with the Great Depression, took a lot of the ‘steam’ out of her profitability.

Near the end of her long career, Olympic was visited by misfortune once again. In May 1934, she collided with the Nantucket lightship nearly 50 miles out in the Atlantic. The lightship was anchored in the shipping lane specifically to guide ocean traffic with a radio beacon signaling system and lights. However, on that fateful night in May, the lightship was nearly invisible because of an extremely heavy fog. The crew of the lightship tolled its bell in order to alert approaching ships of its whereabouts. But, unfortunately, the crew of the Olympic was unable to avoid the collision. Seven lives were lost in the accident.

The final voyage by Olympic ended at the port in Southampton, England on April 12, 1935. A few months later, she was stripped for salvage. In September 1937, her pitiful remains were finally towed to Inverkeithing, Scotland for final demolition. Because of her storied history and prestige, many of her fittings were sold at auction. Most of them are still on display today, including some in the White Swan Hotel in Alnwick, England. Her famous "Honour and Glory Crowning Time" wood carving from her Grand Staircase can be seen in the Southampton Maritime Museum.

Note: Michael Lance is a Cruise & Vacation Specialist at CruiseOne - Karber & Associates in Spring, Texas, and an avid history buff. Visit http://www.FirstClassCruising.biz for more information.