|
RMS ''Olympic'', sister ship of infamous RMS ''Titanic''. |
| Owner: | White Star Line |
| Builder: | Harland And Wolff yards in Belfast , Ireland |
| Laid down: | December 16 , 1908 |
| Launched: | October 20 , 1910 |
| Christened: | Not Christened |
| Maiden voyage: | June 14 , 1911 |
| Fate: | Served for 24 years from 1911 to 1935 . Scrapped. |
| General Characteristics |
|---|
| Tonnage: | 45,324 (46,439 after repairs) |
| Length: | 882 ft, 9 in |
| Beam: | 92.5 feet |
| Power: | 29 boilers.Two four cylinder triple expansion reciprocating engines each producing 16000 hp for outer two propellers. One low pressure turbine producing 18000 hp for the center propeller. Total 50,000 hp. |
| Propulsion: | Two bronze triple blade side propellers.One bronze quadruple blade central propeller. |
| Speed: | 21 knots |
Built for the
White Star Line Company, '' (or '''SS ''Olympic''''') was a sister ship to the ill-fated
''Titanic'' and
''Britannic'' . Unlike her sisters, ''Olympic'' served a long and illustrious career (
1911 to
1935 ), coming to be known as "Old Reliable".
Contrary to popular belief the ship was not named after the
Olympic Games . Instead, the ''Olympic'' class of ships — ''Olympic'',
''Titanic'' and
''Britannic'' (originally ''Gigantic'') — were named after
Greek Mythological races
Olympians ,
Titans and
Giants .
''Olympic'' was built on the
Harland And Wolff Shipyard in
Belfast ,
Ireland . She was the first ship of the ''Olympic''-class liners of the White Star Line Company built in that shipyard. With a gross tonnage of 45,324 (46,439 following repairs), she was 882 ft 9 in (269 m) long and could maintain a service speed of 21 knots (39 km/h).
One notable incident in ''Olympic's'' record is a 1911 collision with a British warship,
HMS ''Hawke'' . Immediately following the collision, which left two of her water-tight compartments filled, ''Olympic'' was able to limp back to
Southampton for repairs. At the helm during this incident was Captain
E. J. Smith , who would famously perish at the helm of ''Titanic'' less than a year later. One crew member,
Violet Jessop , survived not only the collision, but also the later sinking of ''Titanic'', and the sinking of the other of ''Olympic'' 's sisters, ''
Britannic '' (
1916 ).
During
World War I , ''Olympic'' was converted into a
Troopship . On
May 12 ,
1918 , she rammed and sank the German
U-boat ''U103'', the only known sinking of a warship by a merchant vessel during World War I. In
1934 , having resumed passenger service, she again struck a ship, this time
''Nantucket Lightship'' , which broke apart and sank, killing 7, out of a crew of 11 aboard the smaller ship.
In
1935 , ''Olympic'' was withdrawn from service and partially demolished at
Jarrow ,
England . In
1937 she was towed to
Inverkeithing ,
Scotland for final scrapping.
''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 , located in
Alnwick , England. Some fittings and paneling also ended up at a
Haltwhistle paint factory.
In
2000 ,
Celebrity Cruise Line purchased some of ''Olympic's'' original wooden panels and created RMS ''Olympic'' Restaurant on board their newest mega cruise ship, ''Millennium''. According to Celebrity Cruise Line, this rare collection of wood paneling once graced ''Olympic's'' à la carte restaurant.
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