89-542: RMS Olympic was a British ocean liner and the lead ship of the White Star Line 's trio of Olympic -class liners. Olympic had a career spanning 24 years from 1911 to 1935, in contrast to her short-lived sister ships, Titanic and Britannic . This included service as a troopship during the First World War , which gained her the nickname "Old Reliable" , and during which she rammed and sank
178-578: A business trip to South America. They travelled overland from Buenos Aires to Chile, where they embarked aboard the Pacific Steam Navigation Company 's Ebro . Pirrie caught pneumonia in Antofagasta , and his condition worsened when the ship reached Iquique . At Panama City two nurses embarked to care for him. By then he was very weak, but insisted on being brought on deck to see the canal. He admired how Ebro
267-500: 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 power plant 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 had successfully tested this engine configuration on
356-587: A famous meeting of the Ulster Liberal Association at which Winston Churchill defended the government's policy of Home Rule for Ireland, Pirrie was jeered on the streets of Belfast, and assaulted as he boarded a steamer in Larne: pelted with rotten eggs, herrings, and bags of flour. In 1910, the Ulster Liberal Association, an overwhelmingly Protestant body, with a weekly newspaper, and branch network throughout Ulster, had adopted (in opposition to
445-468: A gentleman apprentice in 1862. Twelve years later he was made a partner in the firm, and on the death of Sir Edward Harland in 1895 he became its chairman, a position he was to hold until his death. As well as overseeing the world's largest shipyard, Pirrie was elected Lord Mayor of Belfast in 1896, and was re-elected to the office as well as made an Irish Privy Counsellor the following year. He became Belfast's first honorary freeman in 1898, and served in
534-490: A long-established relationship with the White Star Line dating back to 1867. Harland and Wolff were given a great deal of latitude in designing ships for the White Star Line; the usual approach was for the latter to sketch out a general concept which the former would take away and turn into a ship design. Cost considerations were relatively low on the agenda and Harland and Wolff was authorised to spend what it needed on
623-536: A message from Captain Rostron of Cunard's RMS Carpathia , which had arrived at the scene. Rostron explained that Olympic continuing on course to Titanic would gain nothing, as "All boats accounted for. About 675 souls saved [...] Titanic foundered about 2:20 am." Rostron requested that the message be forwarded to White Star and Cunard. He said that he was returning to harbour in New York. Subsequently,
712-495: A new class of superliners , Olympic ' s maiden voyage attracted considerable worldwide attention from the press and public. Following her arrival in New York, Olympic was opened up to the public and received over 8,000 visitors. More than 10,000 spectators watched her depart from New York harbour, for her first return trip. There were 2,301 passengers on board for the return voyage (731 first class, 495 second class and 1,075 third class). During her third crossing, an observer of
801-660: A new class of liners that would be bigger than anything that had gone before as well as being the last word in comfort and luxury. The company sought an upgrade in their fleet primarily in response to the largest Cunarders but also to replace their largest and now outclassed ships from 1890, RMS Teutonic and RMS Majestic . The former was replaced by Olympic while Majestic was replaced by Titanic . Majestic would be brought back into her old spot on White Star's New York service after Titanic ' s loss. The ships were built in Belfast by Harland & Wolff , who had
890-686: A number of high-profile mail contracts , and traditionally prefixed the names of many of their ships with the initials "RMS". While some lines in the past, particularly the Royal Mail Lines , called all their ships "RMS", technically a ship would use the prefix only while contracted to carry mail, and would revert at other times to a standard designation such as " SS ". Originally, the British Admiralty operated these ships. The designation "RMS" has been used since 1840. In 1850 contracts were awarded to private companies. Having
979-467: A request to the Southampton manager of the White Star Line that the collapsible boats be replaced by wooden lifeboats; the manager replied that this was impossible and that the collapsible boats had been passed as seaworthy by a Board of Trade inspector. The men were not satisfied and ceased work in protest. On 25 April, a deputation of strikers witnessed a test of four of the collapsible boats. One
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#17327798681541068-518: A serious collision and stayed afloat appeared to vindicate the design of the Olympic -class liners, and reinforced their "unsinkable" reputation. It took two weeks for the damage to Olympic to be patched up sufficiently to allow her to return to Belfast for permanent repairs, which took just over six weeks to complete. To expedite repairs, Harland and Wolff was obliged to replace Olympic ' s damaged propeller shaft with one from Titanic , delaying
1157-471: A shortage of ships gave them little choice. At the same time, Olympic ' s other sister ship Britannic , which had not yet been completed, was requisitioned as a hospital ship . Operating in that role she would strike a German naval mine and sink in the Aegean Sea on 21 November 1916. Stripped of her peacetime fittings and now armed with 12-pounders and 4.7-inch guns, Olympic was converted to
1246-417: A smoking room, a library, a spacious dining room, and a lift. Finally, the third-class passengers enjoyed reasonable accommodation compared to other ships. Instead of large dormitories offered by most ships of the time, the third-class passengers of Olympic travelled in cabins containing two to ten bunks. Facilities for the third class included a smoking room, a common area, and a dining room. Olympic had
1335-577: A troopship, with the capacity to transport up to 6,000 troops. On 24 September 1915 the newly designated HMT (Hired Military Transport) 2810, now under the command of Bertram Fox Hayes , left Liverpool carrying 6,000 soldiers to Moudros , Greece for the Gallipoli Campaign . On 1 October lifeboats from the French ship Provincia which had been sunk by a U-boat that morning off Cape Matapan were sighted and 34 survivors rescued by Olympic . Hayes
1424-598: A twisted propeller shaft. Olympic settled slightly by the stern, but in spite of the damage was able to return to Southampton under her own power; no one was killed or seriously injured. HMS Hawke suffered severe damage to her bow and nearly capsized; Hawke was repaired, but sunk by the German U-boat SM ; U-9 in October 1914. Captain Edward Smith was in command of Olympic at the time of
1513-523: The Olympic -class ocean liners . He responded that the great ships were unsinkable and the rafts were to save others. This would haunt him forever. In Belfast he was, on other grounds, already a controversial figure: a Protestant employer associated as a leading Liberal with a policy of Home Rule for Ireland . Pirrie was born in Quebec City , Canada East . He was taken back to Ireland when he
1602-631: The Cunard Line was on board, in search of ideas for their new ship then under construction, the Aquitania . Olympic ' s first major mishap occurred on her fifth voyage on 20 September 1911, when she collided with the British cruiser HMS Hawke . The collision took place as Olympic and Hawke were running parallel to each other through the Solent . As Olympic turned to starboard,
1691-663: The English Channel with U.S. troops under the command of Captain Hayes, Olympic sighted a surfaced U-boat 500 m (1,600 ft) ahead. Olympic ' s gunners opened fire at once, and the ship turned to ram the submarine, which immediately crash dived to 30 m (98 ft) and turned to a parallel course. Almost immediately afterwards Olympic struck the submarine just aft of her conning tower with her port propeller slicing through U-103 's pressure hull. The crew of U-103 blew her ballast tanks, scuttled and abandoned
1780-628: The First World War . Olympic initially remained in commercial service under Captain Herbert James Haddock. As a wartime measure, Olympic was painted in a grey colour scheme, portholes were blocked, and lights on deck were turned off to make the ship less visible. The schedule was hastily altered to terminate at Liverpool rather than Southampton, and this was later altered again to Glasgow . The first few wartime voyages were packed with Americans trapped in Europe, eager to return home;
1869-675: The Gold Medal of Honour . Olympic made several more trooping journeys to the Mediterranean until early 1916, when the Gallipoli Campaign was abandoned. In 1916, considerations were made to use Olympic to transport troops to India via the Cape of Good Hope . However, on investigation it was decided that the ship was unsuitable for this role, because the coal bunkers, which had been designed for transatlantic runs, lacked
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#17327798681541958-492: The Isles of Scilly ; and RMS Queen Mary 2 . QM2 was conferred "RMS" by Royal Mail when she entered service in 2004 on the Southampton to New York route as a gesture to Cunard's history. The Royal Mail continues a form of this tradition on modern day airliners . The UK's flag carrier airline, British Airways , is contracted to carry mail on some of its scheduled long-distance routes. Aircraft operating these routes with
2047-461: The Titanic disaster six months prior, and improve safety. The number of lifeboats carried by Olympic was increased from twenty to sixty-eight, and extra davits were installed along the boat deck to accommodate them. An inner watertight skin was also constructed in the boiler and engine rooms, which created a double hull . Five of the watertight bulkheads were extended up to B-Deck, extending to
2136-424: The " White Star Dock " had been specially constructed to accommodate the new Olympic -class liners, and had opened in 1911. Her maiden voyage commenced on 14 June 1911 from Southampton, calling at Cherbourg and Queenstown , and reaching New York City on 21 June, with 1,313 passengers on board (489 first class, 263 second class and 561 third class). The maiden voyage was captained by Edward Smith who would perish
2225-533: The CDSPCo contract, in 1860, there was a penalty clause of £1 1s 4d for every minute's delay. The Canadian Pacific Railway 's trans-Pacific Royal Mail contract required the building of the first three of a fleet of steamships: the RMS ; Empress of China , RMS Empress of India and RMS Empress of Japan which regularly sailed between Vancouver and Asia beginning in 1891. The RMS designation
2314-674: The City of Belfast. In 1907 Pirrie was appointed Comptroller of the Household to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland , and in 1908 he was appointed Knight of St Patrick (KP). Pro-Chancellor of The Queen's University of Belfast from 1908 to 1914 Pirrie was also in the years before the First World War a member of the Committee on Irish Finance as well as Lieutenant for the City of Belfast (both 1911) In February 1912, after chairing
2403-553: The U-boat U-103 . She returned to civilian service after the war, and served successfully as an ocean liner throughout the 1920s and into the first half of the 1930s, although increased competition, and the slump in trade during the Great Depression after 1930, made her operation increasingly unprofitable. Olympic was withdrawn from service and sold for scrap on 12 April 1935 which was completed in 1937. Olympic
2492-680: The Ulster Liberal Unionist Association) an explicitly pro-home rule position. Two months later, April 1912, he was to travel aboard RMS Titanic , but illness prevented him. During the war he was a member of the War Office Supply Board, and in 1918 became Comptroller-General of Merchant Shipbuilding, organising British production of merchant ships. In 1921 Pirrie was elected to the Northern Ireland Senate , and that same year
2581-568: The White Star Line's parent corporation, the International Mercantile Marine Co. The White Star Line faced a growing challenge from its main rivals Cunard , which had just launched Lusitania and Mauretania – the fastest passenger ships then in service – and the German lines Hamburg America and Norddeutscher Lloyd . Ismay preferred to compete on size and economics rather than speed and proposed to commission
2670-522: The addition of extra lifeboats and the addition of an inner watertight skin in the hull along about half the length of the ship. An extra watertight compartment was added bringing the total of watertight compartments to 17. Five watertight bulkheads were raised to B deck. Along with these improvements there were many others included in the 1913 refit. Following completion, Olympic started her sea trials on 29 May 1911 during which her manoeuvrability, compass, and wireless telegraphy were tested. No speed test
2759-535: The cable parted after Audacious ' s steering gear failed. A second attempt was made to tow the warship, but the cable became tangled in HMS ; Liverpool 's propellers and was severed. A third attempt was tried but also failed when the cable gave way. By 17:00 the Audacious ' s quarterdeck was awash and it was decided to evacuate the remaining crew members to Olympic and Liverpool , and at 20:55 there
RMS Olympic - Misplaced Pages Continue
2848-591: The capacity for such a long journey at a reasonable speed. Instead, from 1916 to 1917, Olympic was chartered by the Canadian Government to transport troops from Halifax, Nova Scotia , to Britain. 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. Her dazzle colours were brown, dark blue, light blue, and white. Her many visits to Halifax Harbour carrying Canadian troops safely overseas, and back home after
2937-498: The command of Herbert James Haddock , was on a return trip from New York. Wireless operator Ernest James Moore received the distress call from Titanic , when she was approximately 505 miles west by south of Titanic ' s location. Haddock calculated a new course, ordered the ship's engines to be set to full power and headed to assist in the rescue. When Olympic was about 100 nautical miles (190 km; 120 mi) away from Titanic ' s last known position, she received
3026-540: The configuration of Olympic ' s First-Class sections to be more like those of Titanic . Although the A-Deck Promenade remained open for the entirety of Olympic ' s career, the B-Deck promenade was vetoed and staterooms added like those on Titanic , as well as a Café Parisien and enlarged restaurant. The 1913 refit also included modifications for greater safety after the loss of the Titanic , including
3115-440: 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 and Titanic were constructed side by side. Olympic ' s keel was laid on 16 December 1908 and she was launched on 20 October 1910, without having been christened beforehand. By tradition, the White Star Line never christened any of their vessels and for
3204-470: The covered promenade, more private bathing facilities, an enlarged Á La Carte restaurant, and a Café Parisien (another addition that had proved popular on Titanic ) was added, offering another dining option to first class passengers. With these changes (and a second refit in 1919 after the war), Olympic ' s gross register tonnage rose to 46,439 tons, 111 tons more than Titanic ' s. In March 1913, Olympic returned to service and briefly regained
3293-522: The crew of Audacious and Chief Surgeon John Beaumont, who was transferring to RMS Celtic . Steel tycoon Charles M. Schwab , who was travelling aboard the liner, sent word to Jellicoe that he had urgent business in London with the Admiralty, and Jellicoe agreed to release Schwab if he remained silent about the fate of Audacious . Finally, on 2 November, Olympic was allowed to go to Belfast where
3382-412: The designation RMV for Royal Mail Vessel and is the only active RMV. Service dates are the years with the status of Royal Mail Ship. Those highlighted are still in service with the status of Royal Mail Ship. William Pirrie, 1st Viscount Pirrie William James Pirrie, 1st Viscount Pirrie , KP , PC , PC (Ire) (31 May 1847 – 7 June 1924) was a leading British shipbuilder and businessman. He
3471-405: The drawings to Bruce Ismay and other White Star Line executives. Ismay approved the design and signed three "letters of agreement" two days later authorising the start of construction. At this point the lead ship – which was later to become Olympic – had no name, but was referred to simply as "Number 400", as it was Harland and Wolff's four hundredth hull. Titanic was based on a revised version of
3560-585: The earlier liner SS Laurentic , where it was found to be more economical than expansion engines or turbines alone. Olympic consumed 650 tons of coal per 24 hours with an average speed of 21.7 knots on her maiden voyage, compared to 1,000 tons of coal per 24 hours for both Lusitania and Mauretania . The Olympic and Titanic were nearly identical, and were based on the same core design. A few alterations were made to Titanic and later on Britannic which were based on experience gained from Olympic ' s first year in service. The most noticeable of these
3649-447: The eastbound journeys carried few passengers. By mid-October, bookings had fallen sharply as the threat from German U-boats became increasingly serious, and White Star Line decided to withdraw Olympic from commercial service. On 21 October 1914, she left New York for Glasgow on her last commercial voyage of the war, though carrying only 153 passengers. On the sixth day of her voyage, 27 October, as Olympic passed near Lough Swilly off
RMS Olympic - Misplaced Pages Continue
3738-429: The entire height of the hull. This corrected a flaw in the original design, in which the bulkheads only rose up as far as E or D-Deck, a short distance above the waterline. This flaw had been exposed during Titanic ' s sinking, where water spilled over the top of the bulkheads as the ship sank and flooded subsequent compartments. In addition, an extra bulkhead was added to subdivide the electrical dynamo room, bringing
3827-521: The facilities to carry mail are allowed to display the Royal Mail's logo and crest on their fuselage, usually alongside their registration markings. The less-common designations RMMV for Royal Mail Motor Vessel and RMMS for Royal Mail Motor Ship , were used for a period when RMS was restricted to steam-ships. Motor Vessel and Motor Ship indicated that propulsion was provided by diesel rather than steam . The RMV Scillonian III carries
3916-405: The following year in the Titanic disaster. Designer Thomas Andrews was present for the passage to New York and return, along with a number of engineers with Bruce Ismay and Harland and Wolff's "Guarantee Group" who were also aboard for them to spot any problems or areas for improvement. Andrews would also lose his life in the Titanic disaster. As the largest ship in the world, and the first in
4005-688: The iceberg was sighted. Olympic , like Titanic , did not carry enough lifeboats for everyone on board, and so was hurriedly equipped with additional, second-hand collapsible lifeboats following her return to Britain. Towards the end of April 1912, as she was about to sail from Southampton to New York, 284 of the ship's firemen went on strike, for fear that the ship's new collapsible lifeboats were not seaworthy. 100 non- union crew were hastily hired from Southampton as replacements, with more being hired from Liverpool. The 40 collapsible lifeboats were transferred from troopships and put on Olympic , and many were rotten and would not open. The crewmen, instead, sent
4094-493: The incident. Two crew members, stewardess Violet Jessop and stoker Arthur John Priest , survived not only the collision with Hawke but also the later sinking of Titanic and the 1916 sinking of Britannic , the third ship of the class. 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 Hawke incident
4183-474: The latter's completion. By 20 November 1911 Olympic was back in service, but, on 24 February 1912, suffered another setback when she lost a propeller blade on an eastbound voyage from New York, and once again returned to her builder for repairs. To return her to service as soon as possible, Harland & Wolff again had to pull resources from Titanic , delaying her maiden voyage by three weeks, from 20 March to 10 April 1912. On 14 April 1912, Olympic , now under
4272-503: The 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. The launch was filmed both in black and white and in Kinemacolor , with only the black and white footage surviving. The launches of Titanic and Britannic were also filmed, though only Britannic' s survived. Her hull
4361-459: The managing director of Harland and Wolff's design department; Edward Wilding, Andrews' deputy and responsible for calculating the ship's design, stability and trim; and Alexander Carlisle , the shipyard's chief draughtsman and general manager. Carlisle's responsibilities included the decorations, equipment and all general arrangements, including the implementation of an efficient lifeboat davit design. On 29 July 1908, Harland and Wolff presented
4450-582: The next few months, Olympic assisted with both the American and British inquiries into the disaster. Deputations from both inquiries inspected Olympic ' s lifeboats, watertight doors and bulkheads and other equipment which were identical to those on Titanic . Sea tests were performed for the British enquiry in May 1912, to establish how quickly the ship could turn two points at various speeds, to approximate how long it would have taken Titanic to turn after
4539-428: The north coast of Ireland, she received distress signals from the battleship HMS Audacious , which had struck a mine off Tory Island and was taking on water. HMS Liverpool was in the company of Audacious . Olympic took off 250 of Audacious ' s crew, then the destroyer HMS Fury managed to attach a tow cable between Audacious and Olympic and they headed west for Lough Swilly. However,
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#17327798681544628-565: The passengers disembarked. Following Olympic ' s return to Britain, the White Star Line intended to lay her up in Belfast until the war was over, but in May 1915 she was requisitioned by the Admiralty , to be used as a troop transport, along with the Cunard liners Mauretania and Aquitania . The Admiralty had initially been reluctant to use large ocean liners as troop transports because of their vulnerability to enemy attack; however,
4717-618: The residence of Whitaker Wright . The letter P with a coronet above adorn metal gates and fence posts in the estate and previously owned lands. Pirrie built the Temple of the Four Winds near the Devil's Punchbowl , Hindhead . The octagonal plinth still remains. Lord Pirrie's nephew, Thomas Andrews , died on RMS Titanic . In March 1924 Pirrie, his wife, and her sister sailed on a Royal Mail Steam Packet Company liner from Southampton on
4806-455: The right both to fly the pennant of the Royal Mail when sailing and to include the Royal Mail "crown" insignia with any identifying device and/or design for the ship. It was used by many shipping lines, but is often associated in particular with the White Star Line , Cunard Line , Royal Mail Lines , Union-Castle Line , Canadian Pacific Line , Orient Line and the P&;OSNC , which held
4895-424: The same design and was given the number 401. Bruce Ismay's father Thomas Henry Ismay had previously planned to build a ship named Olympic as a sister ship to Oceanic . The senior Ismay died in 1899 and the order for the ship was cancelled. Construction of Olympic began three months before Titanic to ease pressures on the shipyard. Several years would pass before Britannic would be launched. To accommodate
4984-643: The same year as High Sheriff of Antrim and subsequently of County Down . In February 1900 he was elected President of the Chamber of Shipping of the United Kingdom , where he had been vice-president the previous year. He helped finance the Liberals in Ulster in the 1906 general election , and that same year, at the height of Harland and Wolff's success, he was raised to the peerage as Baron Pirrie , of
5073-617: The scheduled sailing being cancelled. All 54 sailors were arrested on a charge of mutiny when they went ashore. On 4 May 1912, Portsmouth magistrates found the charges against the mutineers were proven, but discharged them without imprisonment or fine, due to the special circumstances of the case. Fearing that public opinion would be on the side of the strikers, the White Star Line let them return to work and Olympic sailed on 15 May. On 9 October 1912, White Star withdrew Olympic from service and returned her to her builders at Belfast to have modifications added to incorporate lessons learned from
5162-462: The ship's large and luxurious dining saloon or in the more intimate A La Carte Restaurant. There was a lavish Grand Staircase , built only for the Olympic -class ships, along with three lifts that ran behind the staircase down to E deck, a Georgian-style smoking room, a Veranda Café decorated with palm trees, a swimming pool, Victorian Turkish bath , gymnasium, and several other places for meals and entertainment. The second-class facilities included
5251-427: The ships, plus a five per cent profit margin. In the case of the Olympic -class ships, a cost of £3 million for the first two ships was agreed plus "extras to contract" and the usual five per cent fee. Harland and Wolff put their designers to work designing the Olympic -class vessels. It was overseen by Lord Pirrie , a director of both Harland and Wolff and the White Star Line; naval architect Thomas Andrews ,
5340-622: The short careers of Titanic and Britannic . The other two ships in the class had short service lives: in 1912, Titanic collided with an iceberg on her maiden voyage and sank in the North Atlantic ; Britannic never operated in her intended role as a passenger ship, instead serving as a hospital ship during the First World War until she hit a mine and sank in the Aegean Sea in 1916. Built in Belfast , Ireland, Olympic
5429-408: The submarine. Olympic did not stop to pick up survivors, but continued on to Cherbourg. Meanwhile, USS Davis had sighted a distress flare and picked up 31 survivors from U-103 . Olympic returned to Southampton with at least two hull plates dented and her prow twisted to one side, but not breached. It was subsequently discovered that U-103 had been preparing to torpedo Olympic when she
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#17327798681545518-602: The title "RMS" was seen as a mark of quality and a competitive advantage, because the mail had to be on time. The most valuable route, with the highest volume, was between Kingstown (now Dún Laoghaire ), in Ireland , and Holyhead in Wales . The City of Dublin Steam Packet Company (CDSPCo) won the contract. They bought RMS St Columba and RMS Llewellyn from the Admiralty to supplement their Prince Arthur . In
5607-570: The title of largest ocean liner in the world, until the German liner SS Imperator entered passenger service in June 1913. Following her refit, Olympic was marketed as the "new" Olympic and her improved safety features were featured prominently in advertisements. The ship experienced a short period of tranquility despite a storm in 1914 that broke some of the First Class windows and injured some passengers. On 4 August 1914, Britain entered
5696-506: The title of largest ship in the world. Additionally, the B-Deck First-Class promenade decks installed on Olympic had proven to be scarcely used because of the already ample promenade space on A-Deck. Accordingly, Thomas Andrews eliminated this feature on Titanic and built additional, enlarged staterooms with en-suite bathrooms. It also allowed a Café Parisien in the style of a French sidewalk café to be added as an annexe to
5785-408: The total number of watertight compartments to seventeen. Improvements were also made to the ship's pumping apparatus. These modifications meant that Olympic could survive a collision similar to that of Titanic , in that her first six compartments could be breached and the ship could remain afloat. At the same time, Olympic ' s B Deck underwent a refit, which included extra cabins in place of
5874-433: The two luxury parlour suites on B-Deck on Titanic , as well as additional First-Class gangway entrances on B-Deck. Cosmetic differences also existed between the two ships, most noticeably concerning the wider use of Axminster carpeting in Titanic ' s public rooms, as opposed to the more durable linoleum flooring on Olympic . Most of these shortcomings on Olympic would be addressed in her 1913 refit, which altered
5963-497: The unofficial award of being the only passenger liner to ram - and sink - a German U-Boat during the First World War. Royal Mail Ship Royal Mail Ship (sometimes Steam-ship or Steamer ), usually seen in its abbreviated form RMS , is the ship prefix used for seagoing vessels that carry mail under contract to the British Royal Mail . The designation dates back to 1840. Any vessel designated as "RMS" has
6052-433: The voyage from New York to Southampton with American troops... 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 (296,000 km). Olympic ' s war service earned her the nickname Old Reliable . Her captain was knighted in 1919 for "valuable services in connection with the transport of troops". Olympic holds
6141-538: The war at Pier 2 , made her a favourite symbol in the city of Halifax. Noted Group of Seven artist Arthur Lismer made several paintings of her in Halifax. A large dance hall, the "Olympic Gardens" was also named in her honour. After the United States declared war on Germany in 1917, Olympic transported thousands of American troops to Britain. In the early hours of 12 May 1918, while en route for France in
6230-417: The wide radius of her turn took the commander of Hawke by surprise, and he was unable to take sufficient avoiding action. Hawke ' s bow, which had been designed to sink ships by ramming them, collided with Olympic ' s starboard side near the stern, tearing two large holes in Olympic ' s hull, above and below the waterline, resulting in the flooding of two of her watertight compartments and
6319-433: The wireless room aboard Olympic operated as a clearing room for radio messages. When Olympic offered to take on the survivors, she was turned down by Rostron under order from Ismay, who was concerned that asking the survivors to board a virtual mirror-image of Titanic would cause them distress. Olympic then resumed her voyage to Southampton, with all concerts cancelled as a mark of respect, arriving on 21 April. Over
6408-648: The À la Carte Restaurant, and for the Restaurant itself to be expanded to the Port-side of the ship. One drawback of this was that the Second-Class promenade space on B-Deck was reduced aboard Titanic . A reception area for the restaurant was added in the foyer of the B-Deck aft Grand Staircase on Titanic , which did not exist on Olympic , and the main reception room on D-Deck was also slightly enlarged. 50-foot (15 m) private promenade decks were added to
6497-420: Was a financial disaster for Olympic ' s operator. A legal argument ensued which decided that the blame for the incident lay with Olympic and, although the ship was technically under the control of the harbour pilot , the White Star Line was faced with large legal bills and the cost of repairing the ship, and keeping her out of revenue service made matters worse. However, the fact that Olympic endured such
6586-649: Was also used on the ships of the White Star , P&O and Cunard lines of the 19th and 20th centuries. The most famous liner with the RMS title was the Titanic. In recent years the shift to air transport for mail has left only three ships with the right to the prefix or its variations: RMS Segwun , which serves as a passenger vessel in Gravenhurst, Ontario , Canada; RMV Scillonian III , which serves
6675-487: Was an explosion aboard Audacious and she sank. Admiral Sir John Jellicoe , Commander of the Home Fleet, was anxious to suppress the news of the sinking of Audacious , for fear of the demoralising effect it could have on the British public, so he ordered Olympic to be held in custody at Lough Swilly. No communications were permitted and passengers were not allowed to leave the ship. The only people departing her were
6764-606: Was carried out. She completed her sea trial successfully. Olympic then left Belfast bound for Liverpool , her port of registration , on 31 May 1911. As a publicity stunt the White Star Line timed the start of this first voyage to coincide with the launch of Titanic . After spending a day in Liverpool, open to the public, Olympic sailed to Southampton , where she arrived on 3 June, to be made ready for her maiden voyage. Her arrival generated enthusiasm from her crew and newspapers. The deep-water dock at Southampton, then known as
6853-457: Was chairman of Harland & Wolff , shipbuilders, between 1895 and 1924, and also served as Lord Mayor of Belfast between 1896 and 1898. He was ennobled as Baron Pirrie in 1906, appointed a Knight of the Order of St Patrick in 1908 and made Viscount Pirrie in 1921. In the months leading up to the 1912 Sinking of the Titanic , Lord Pirrie was questioned about the number of life boats aboard
6942-525: Was created Viscount Pirrie , of the City of Belfast, in the honours for the opening of the Parliament of Northern Ireland in July 1921, for his war work and charity work. Lord Pirrie married Margaret Montgomery Carlisle , sister of future Harland & Wolfe architect Alexander Carlisle and daughter of John Carlisle, M.A., of Belfast, on 17 April 1879. In 1909 Lord Pirrie bought Witley Park , formerly
7031-570: Was criticised for this action by the British Admiralty, who accused him of putting the ship in danger by stopping her in waters where enemy U-boats were active. The ship's speed was considered to be her best defence against U-boat attack, and such a large ship stopped would have made an unmissable target. However, the French Vice-Admiral Louis Dartige du Fournet took a different view, and awarded Hayes with
7120-513: Was handled through the locks. On 7 June Pirrie died at sea off Cuba . His body was embalmed. On 13 June Ebro reached Pier 42 on the North River in New York, where Pirrie's friend Baron Inverforth and his wife met Viscountess Pirrie and her sister. UK ships in the port of New York lowered their flags to half-mast , and Pirrie's body was transferred to Pier 59, where it was embarked on White Star Line 's RMS Olympic , one of
7209-473: Was identical to Titanic 's – fourteen regulation boats, two emergency cutters and the White Star complement of four collapsible boats. Two collapsibles were stored (collapsible C and D) broken down under the lead boats on the port and starboard sides. The final two collapsibles were stored on the top of the officers' quarters on either side of the number one funnel. Collapsible lifeboat B
7298-537: Was repainted black following the launch. The ship was then dry-docked for fitting out. Olympic was driven by three propellers. The two three-bladed wing propellers were driven by two triple-expansion engines, while the four-bladed central propeller was driven by a turbine that used recovered steam escaping from the triple-expansion engines. The use of escaped steam was tested on the SS ; Laurentic two years earlier. Olympic 's lifeboat arrangement in 1911–12
7387-548: Was sighted, but the crew were not able to flood the two stern torpedo tubes. For his service, Captain Hayes was awarded the DSO . Some American soldiers on board paid for a plaque to be placed in one of Olympic ' s lounges to commemorate the event, it read: This tablet presented by the 59th Regiment United States Infantry commemorates the sinking of the German submarine U103 by Olympic on May 12th 1918 in latitude 49 degrees 16 minutes north longitude 4 degrees 51 minutes west on
7476-496: Was stored on the port side roof of the officers quarters and collapsible lifeboat A was on the starboard side on the roof of the officers quarters. Olympic was designed as a luxury ship; Titanic 's passenger facilities, fittings, deck plans and technical facilities were largely identical to Olympic , although with some small variations. The first-class passengers enjoyed luxurious cabins, and some were equipped with private bathrooms. First-class passengers could have meals in
7565-421: Was that the forward half of Titanic ' s A Deck promenade was enclosed by a steel screen with sliding windows, to provide additional shelter, whereas Olympic ' s promenade deck remained open along its whole length. The additional enclosed volume was a major contributor to Titanic ' s increased gross register tonnage of 46,328 tons over Olympic ' s 45,324 tons, which allowed Titanic to claim
7654-485: Was the largest ocean liner in the world for two periods during 1910–13, interrupted only by the brief tenure of the slightly larger Titanic , which had the same dimensions but higher gross register tonnage, before the German SS ; Imperator went into service in June 1913. Olympic also held the title of the largest British-built liner until RMS Queen Mary was launched in 1934, interrupted only by
7743-489: Was the first of the three Olympic -class ocean liners – the others being Titanic and Britannic . They were the largest vessels built for the British shipping company White Star Line , which was a fleet of 29 steamers and tenders in 1912. The three ships had their genesis in a discussion in mid-1907 between the White Star Line's chairman, J. Bruce Ismay , and the American financier J. Pierpont Morgan , who controlled
7832-644: Was two years old and spent his childhood at Conlig House, aka Little Clandeboye Conlig , County Down . Belonging to a prominent family, his nephews included J. M. Andrews , who would later become Prime Minister of Northern Ireland , Thomas Andrews , builder of RMS Titanic , and Sir James Andrews, 1st Baronet , the Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland . Pirrie was educated at the Royal Belfast Academical Institution before entering Harland and Wolff shipyard as
7921-467: Was unseaworthy and the deputation said that it was prepared to recommend the men return to work if the boats were replaced. However, the strikers now objected to the non-union strikebreaker crew which had come on board, and demanded that they be dismissed, which the White Star Line refused. Fifty-four sailors then left the ship, objecting to the non-union crew who they claimed were unqualified and therefore dangerous, and refused to sail with them. This led to
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