The ship "Olympic" has experienced many striking events. At the time of launching it was a ship, which was considered a new wonder of the world. His fame faded before the Titanic, who had the same device and appeared two years later, but drowned in his first voyage.
Class of liners "Olympic"
There is a tradition in shipbuilding. According to her, the names are given to both the ships and the projects to which they relate. For this reason, ordinary people often confuse the ship "Olympic" with the same class of ocean liners.
There were three of them. The first was the Olympic, built in 1910. The second was the Titanic, which became world famous after its crash.
The last ship of this class was called the Britannic. He appeared on the eve of the First World War and immediately began to carry out military missions, including transporting wounded soldiers. After five successful flights, it was blown up by a German mine in 1916.
Shipbuilding Industry at the Beginning of the 20th Century
During these years, the civilian fleet of European countries was mainly engaged in conquering new speed records and paving the most incredible routes for access to remote regions. The Atlantic Ocean has become more important than ever as a route, since ships from the rapidly developing United States of America to Europe and vice versa cruised here. Important cargoes and a large number of emigrants were transported. Another important sign of the era is the growing rivalry between world powers on the eve of the First World War.
The British shipping company White Star Line lost this race. Its main competitors were Germans and another English manufacturer - Cunard Line. The latter became the industry leader after two liners of a new generation, Mauritania and Lusitania, left the shipyard for the ocean. They differed not only in large sizes, but also in fleet qualities. Lusitania in 1907 broke the speed record in the waters of the Atlantic, which remained unattainable for more than 20 years.
Against this background, tycoon John Morgan, who was the owner of the White Star Line, decided to surpass the competition and set his engineers the task of creating something truly colossal. The Olympic ship and its two “brothers” became such a project.
Specifications
Compared to other vessels, the new liners were much larger. Their tonnage exceeded the tonnage of the same "Mauritania" by one and a half times. Such dimensions did not allow to take a speed record, otherwise the engine would spend too many resources.
Instead, it was decided that the dazzling luxury would be the priority of the new ship. Another advantage was security. The designers assured that the new ships are unsinkable thanks to a system of several compartments. If a gap appears in the hull, only a small part of the ship will be flooded, which will help it stay afloat.
This confidence turned into a tragedy. If the Olympic really survived many flights, the Titanic, the symbol ship, died in its first voyage.
The engine of the novelty worked on steam boilers, and its power was 50 thousand horsepower. The vessel accommodated 2,435 passengers, it was served by a crew of 860 people. The length was 269 meters, width - 18 meters. These crazy figures immediately attracted the attention of the press and the public to the new project. It is significant that the old ports were not ready to accept such large vessels, which was why it was necessary to rebuild the marinas where the Olympic route ran.
The interior of the liner was divided into three classes, depending on the solvency of passengers. The dining room, which was designed for more than 500 people and was the largest room on the ship in the world, was especially brilliant. The first class interiors were made in the style of modern times.
Start of operation
The first flight of the liner ran from English Southampton to French Cherbourg, which was located in Normandy. Already from there, the ship immediately went to New York. Since sailing was largely of a test character, the crew checked the reliability and practicality of many new ideas implemented on the ship. Based on this experience, the designers brought some changes to the device of the next project called the Titanic.
In the first years of operation, there were many incidents, which, however, were not fatal in nature for Olimpik. The liner’s collision with the Hawk cruiser was widely publicized. Although no one died in the incident, a trial has begun, which is actively covered in the press.
The reason for this was that the Hawk belonged to the state fleet. White Star Line accused the crew of the cruiser of a mistake, but the court decided in favor of the defending side. In addition, the captain of the “Olympic” Smith was found guilty of wrong actions, and the owner company undertook to pay compensation.
After the crash of the Titanic
If the operation of the Olympic was generally successful, the second class ship crashed in the first voyage. The reputation of the White Star Line hung in the balance. In order to convince the public of the safety of transportation, the company began re-equipping its ship.
In addition, a crew strike began. This was due to the fact that no one wanted to sail on a ship equipped with the same boats that were on the Titanic. They performed poorly on a fateful night in the North Atlantic.
The boats were replaced. In addition, the designers updated the hull of the vessel. A year after the symbolic crash, Olympic again traveled to the United States.
World War I
However, the use of Olimpik as a ship for civilian transportation did not last long. After only a few years, a conflict began with the Germans, and the British state requisitioned the ship to carry out military orders.
The ship served in the Mediterranean Sea and was equipped with appropriate artillery. Camouflage was supposed to protect the ship from German submarines. One way or another, but the Olympic managed to survive the war, successfully transporting the wounded to hospitals. This was considered a miracle, especially against the background of the death of the twin Britannicus and the passenger Lusitania.
End of operation
After the war, the ship again became civilian. In the 30s, the Olympic ship was already considered a technologically obsolete ship. Therefore, with each flight it became clear that soon it would be written off for scrap. Then the owner company merged with Cunard Line.
Olympic completed its last flight along the usual route - from Southampton to New York. It was a 257 giant journey. Whatever you say, he had a happy fate. The history of the ship was longer than that of its twins - the sunken Titanic and the Britannic bombed by a mine.
On the eve of parsing for scrap, furniture from cabins and halls, as a particularly valuable property, was auctioned and sold to many fashionable establishments.
Comparison with the Titanic
This comparison suggests itself. People often ask about the Olympic (ship): "What happened to him?" Just by analogy with the Titanic.
Probably the most curious, if not mystical fact in the comparison is that Edward John Smith, who was the notorious captain of the sunken Titanic, had previously commanded the Olympique. But then he was transferred to another transatlantic liner. As the most experienced of the company staff. It is believed that he shot himself when he realized that by his mistake the great ship began to sink. “Olympic” and “Titanic” practically did not differ in appearance. The only significant sign by which it was possible to understand which of them was who is the deck of A. Titanic was glazed in this place, while the Olimik remained open.
There were still slight differences in the placement of infrastructure. For example, the Titanic is a ship with a cafe on the second deck. Olimpik did not have such an institution in this place.