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RMS Olympic was a British ocean liner and the lead ship of the White Star Line's trio of liners. Olympic had a career spanning 24 years from 1911 to 1935, in contrast to her short-lived sister ships, and the Royal Navy hospital ship . This included service as a troopship with the name HMT Olympic during the First World War, which gained her the nickname " Old Reliable", and during which she rammed and sank 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 Olympic was withdrawn from service on 12 April 1935, and later sold for scrap, which was completed by 1939.
Olympic was the largest ocean liner in the world for two periods during 1910–13, interrupted only by the brief service life (six-day maiden voyage in April 1912) of the slightly larger Titanic, which had the same dimensions but higher gross register tonnage, before the German went into service in June 1913. Olympic also held the title of the largest British-built liner until was launched in 1934, interrupted only by the short career of Titanic; Britannic, intended as a liner, instead served as a Royal Navy hospital ship for her 11-month life (December 1915 to November 1916), sinking when she hit a Naval mine.Chirnside, Mark, RMS Olympic Specification File (November 2007)
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, 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 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 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 . The senior Ismay died in 1899 and the order for the ship was cancelled. Oceanic II – thegreatoceanliners.com
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 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. Olympics 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 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 was repainted black following the launch.
On 1 April 1911, Olympic was pulled into Thompson Graving Dock as part of its opening ceremony. Here, her hull was cleaned and painted. It was also the place where she received her propellers.
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 two years earlier. « SS Laurentic (I) », White Star Liners. Accessed 29 June 2009.
After Olympic 1913 refit, she carried 68 lifeboats, enough for all aboard. Mark Chirnside Titanic's Lifeboats: Fact & Fiction
The second-class facilities included a smoking room, a library, a spacious dining room, and a lift. New York Times – Olympic Like A City – 18 June 1911 encyclopedia-titanica.org
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 general room, an enclosed common area, and a dining room.
Olympic had 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 steam turbine, as opposed to the steam turbines used on Cunard's Lusitania and Mauretania. White Star had successfully tested this engine configuration on the earlier liner , 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.
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 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. private promenade decks were added to 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 Titanics 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 the configuration of Olympics First-Class sections to be more like those of Titanic. Although the A-Deck Promenade remained open for the entirety of Olympics 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 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.
Her maiden voyage commenced on 14 June 1911 from Southampton, calling at Cherbourg and Cobh, and reaching New York City on 21 June, with 1,313 passengers on board (489 first class, 263 second class and 561 third class). Olympic and Titanic: Maiden Voyage Mysteries, by Mark Chirnside and Sam Halpern – encyclopaedia-titanica. org The maiden voyage was captained by Edward Smith. 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.. Smith and Andrews would also be onboard for Titanic's ill-fated maiden voyage the following year where both men chose to go down with the ship.
As the largest ship in the world, and the first in a new class of superliners, Olympics 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, Leonard Peskett, senior naval architect for Cunard Line was on board, in search of ideas for their new ship then under construction, the ..
Captain Edward Smith was in command of Olympic at the time of the incident. Two crew members, stewardess Violet Jessop and stoker Arthur John Priest, "Titanic's unsinkable stoker" BBC News 30 March 2012 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. (2026). 9780760313367, MBI Publishing Company. ISBN 9780760313367 The Hawke incident was a financial disaster for Olympics 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. « Maiden Voyage – Collision With HMS Hawke » , RMS Olympic archive. Accessed 21 May 2009.. However, the fact that Olympic endured such 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 Olympics damaged propeller shaft with one from Titanic, delaying the latter's completion.. By 20 November 1911 Olympic was back in service.
On 24 February 1912, Olympic suffered another setback when she lost a propeller blade on an eastbound voyage from New York. At the time, the extension of Southampton's Trafalgar Graving Dock was not yet completed. Olympic therefore had to return to Thompson Graving Dock at Belfast 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.
When Olympic was about away from Titanics last known position, she received a message from Arthur Rostron of Cunard's , 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, 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 the next few months, Olympic assisted with both the American and British inquiries into the disaster. Deputations from both inquiries inspected Olympics 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, 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 the iceberg was sighted..
The 40 collapsible lifeboats were transferred from troopships and put on Olympic, and many were rotten and would not open. The crewmen, instead, sent 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 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 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.
At the same time, Olympics B Deck underwent a refit, which included extra cabins in place of 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), Olympics gross register tonnage rose to 46,439 tons, 111 tons more than Titanics.List of on board facilities from the Passenger List (First Class) for the White Star Lines steamer RMS "Olympic" for April 28, 1923 voyage from New York to Southampton. pp. 9-10
In March 1913, Olympic returned to service and briefly regained the title of largest ocean liner in the world, until the German liner entered passenger service in June. 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, although while she was in the mid-Atlantic during a storm on 7 February 1914 a rogue wave struck her which shattered eight first class portholes, swamped the dining saloon during lunch, and injured the ship's purser and several passengers..
Olympic took off 250 of Audaciouss crew, then the destroyer managed to attach a tow cable between Audacious and Olympic and they headed west for Lough Swilly. However, the cable parted after Audaciouss steering gear failed. A second attempt was made to tow the warship, but the cable became tangled in 's propellers and was severed. A third attempt was tried but also failed when the cable gave way. By 17:00 the Audaciouss quarterdeck was awash and it was decided to evacuate the remaining crew members to Olympic and Liverpool, and at 20:55 there 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 the crew of Audacious and Chief Surgeon John Beaumont, who was transferring to . 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 the passengers disembarked.
Stripped of her peacetime fittings and now armed with 12-pounders and 4.7-inch guns, Olympic was converted to a troopship, with the capacity to transport up to 6,000 troops. On 24 September 1915, the newly designated HMT (Hired Military Transport) 2810,, p.289 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 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 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 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 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 Olympic in Halifax. A large dance hall, the "Olympic Gardens", was also named in her honour.
After the United States declared war on Germany, Olympic transported thousands of American troops to Britain.
It was subsequently discovered that U-103 had been preparing to torpedo Olympic when she 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 Olympics 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 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 . Olympics 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 the distinction of being the only passenger liner to ram – and sink – a German U-Boat during the First World War.
Olympic emerged from refit with an increased tonnage of 46,439, allowing her to retain her claim to the title of largest British-built liner afloat, although the Cunard Lines was slightly longer. On 25 June 1920 she returned to passenger service, on one voyage that year carrying 2,249 passengers, and carried more than 28,000 passengers throughout the second half of 1920. Olympic transported a record 38,000 passengers during 1921, which proved to be the peak year of her career. With the loss of the Titanic and Britannic, Olympic initially lacked any suitable running mates for the express service; however, in 1922 White Star obtained two former German liners, and , which had been given to Britain as war reparations. These joined Olympic as running mates, operating successfully until the Great Depression reduced demand after 1930.
During the 1920s, Olympic remained a popular and fashionable liner, and often attracted the rich and famous of the day; Marie Curie, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks, and Edward VIII, then Prince of Wales, were among the celebrities that she carried. Prince Edward and Captain Howarth were filmed on the bridge of Olympic for Pathé News. According to his autobiography, Archie Leach, Ladies Home Journal , January/February 1963 (Part 1), March 1963 (Part 2), April 1963 (Part 3) and confirmed by US Immigration records, Cary Grant, then 16-year-old Archibald Leach, first set sail to New York on Olympic on 21 July 1920 on the same voyage on which Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford were celebrating their honeymoon. One of the attractions of Olympic was that she was nearly identical to Titanic, and many passengers sailed on Olympic as a way of vicariously experiencing the voyage of her sister ship.Wade, Wyn Craig, "The Titanic: End of a Dream," Penguin Books, 1986 On 22 March 1924, Olympic was involved in another collision with a ship, this time at New York. As Olympic was reversing from her berth at New York harbour, her stern collided with the smaller liner HMAT Wandilla, which had crossed into her path. The collision caused extensive damage to the smaller ship. At first it appeared that Olympic had sustained only minor damage, but it was later revealed that her sternpost had been fractured, necessitating the replacement of her entire stern frame.
On 7 June, Lord Pirrie died on a business trip aboard in the Caribbean Sea off Cuba. On 13 June Ebro reached New York; UK ships in the port of New York lowered their flags to half-mast; and Pirrie's body was transferred to Olympic to be repatriated to the UK.
Changes in immigration laws in the United States in the 1920s greatly restricted the number of immigrants allowed to enter. The law limited the number of immigrants to about 160,000 per year in 1924.. This led to a major reduction in the immigrant trade for the shipping lines, forcing them to cater to the tourist trade to survive. At the turn of 1927–28, Olympic was converted to carry tourist third cabin passengers as well as first, second and third class. Tourist third cabin was an attempt to attract travellers who desired comfort without the accompanying high ticket price. New public rooms were constructed for this class, although tourist third cabin and second class would merge to become 'tourist' by late 1931.
A year later, Olympics first-class cabins were again improved by adding more bathrooms, a dance floor was fitted in the enlarged first-class dining saloon, and a number of new suites with private facilities were installed forward on B deck. More improvements would follow in a later refit, but 1929 saw Olympics best average passenger lists since 1925.
On 18 November 1929, as Olympic was travelling westbound near to Titanics last known position, the ship suddenly started to vibrate violently, and the vibrations continued for two minutes. It was later determined that this had been caused by the 1929 Grand Banks earthquake.
Olympics running mate was withdrawn from the transatlantic route as early as 1932, leaving only Olympic and maintaining White Star Line's Southampton-New York service, although this was occasionally augmented during the summer months by either or . During slack periods in the summer, Olympic and fleet mate Majestic were employed in summer recreational cruises from New York to Pier 21 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
At the end of 1932, with passenger traffic in decline, Olympic went for an overhaul and refit that took four months. She returned to service on 5 March 1933 described by her owners as "looking like new." Her engines were performing at their best and she repeatedly recorded speeds in excess of , despite averaging less than that in regular transatlantic service. Passenger capacities were given as 618 first class, 447 tourist class and only 382 third class after the decline of the immigrant trade.
Despite this, during 1933 and 1934, Olympic ran at a net operating loss for the first time. Olympic’s Grand Staircase was painted avocado green along with pathways and pillars and the yellow line at the hull was lowered to look more similar to Majestic and Homeric during a 1933 refit. 1933 was Olympics worst year of business – carrying just over 9,000 passengers in total. Passenger numbers rose slightly in 1934, but many crossings still lost money.
Olympic was withdrawn from the transatlantic service, and left New York for the last time on 5 April 1935, returning to Britain to be laid up in Southampton. The new company considered using her for summer cruises for a short while, but this idea was abandoned and she was put up for sale. Among the potential buyers was a syndicate who proposed to turn her into a floating hotel off the south coast of France, but this came to nothing.
After being laid up for five months alongside her former rival , she was sold to Sir John Jarvis – Member of Parliament – for £97,500, to be partially demolished at Jarrow to provide work for the depressed region. On 11 October 1935, Olympic left Southampton for the last time and arrived in Jarrow two days later. The scrapping began after the ship's fittings were auctioned off. Between 1935 and 1937, Olympics superstructure and upper hull were demolished, and then on 19 September 1937, the remaining hulk was towed to Thos. W. Ward's yard at Inverkeithing for final demolition, which was most likely finished by late 1938 or early 1939. The Olympic was removed from the Shipping Registry on 4 February 1939. Mark Chirnside | RMS Olympic: Titanic's Sister, Page 413 At that time, the ship's chief engineer commented, "I could understand the necessity if the 'Old Lady' had lost her efficiency, but the engines are as sound as they ever were".
By the time of her retirement, Olympic had completed 257 round trips across the Atlantic, transporting 430,000 passengers on her commercial voyages, travelling 1.8 million miles. RMS Olympic: Another Premature Death? – Mark Chirnside – encyclopaedia-titanica.org
The fittings of the first-class lounge and part of the aft grand staircase can be found in the White Swan Hotel, in Alnwick, Northumberland, England. A variety of panelling, light fixtures, flooring, doors, and windows from Olympic were installed in a paint factory in Haltwhistle, Northumberland, until they were auctioned in 2004. One suite at Sparth House Hotel, Clayton-le-Moors, Lancashire has the furniture from one of the staterooms, including light fitting, sink, wardrobes and fireplace. The crystal and ormolu electrolier from the lounge is installed in the Cutlers' Hall in Sheffield. Some of the timber panelling was used in the extension (completed in 1937) of St John the Baptist's Catholic Church in Padiham, Lancashire.
In 2000, Celebrity Cruises purchased some of Olympics original wooden panels to create the "RMS Olympic Restaurant" on board their new cruise ship, Celebrity Millennium. According to the cruise line, this panelling had lined Olympics À la Carte restaurant.
Olympics bridge bell is on display at the Titanic Historical Society in Indian Orchard, Springfield, Massachusetts.
The clock depicting "Honour and Glory Crowning Time" from Olympics grand staircase is on display at Southampton's SeaCity Museum.
In 1912, a Steinway Vertegrand upright piano No. 157550 with a quartered walnut case left the Steinway Hamburg factory unfinished and was sent to its London branch. In 1913, it was decorated by Harland & Wolff's interior decoration company Aldam Heaton & Co with carvings and gold accents. The piano was first placed in the aft starboard corner in the first-class reception room.
In 2017, the old billiard hall at 44 Priestpopple, Hexham, Northumberland, was demolished. It had opened in 1936. During an archaeological excavation on the demolition site by AAG Archaeology, one of the Olympics chairs was recovered. The fittings from Olympic were auctioned off over ten days in November 1935 at the Palmers Works in Jarrow.
Until 1933 Olympics code letters were HSRP and her wireless telegraphy call sign was MKC. In 1930 new four-letter call signs superseded three-letter ones, and in 1934 they also superseded code letters. Olympics new call sign was GLSQ.
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