The ship "Olympic": history. "Olympic," Titanic "," Britannicus "- transatlantic liners

The ship "Olympic" has experienced many bright events. At the time of launching it was a ship that was considered a new wonder of the world. His fame faded before the Titanic, which had the same device and appeared two years later, but drowned in its very 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, the inhabitants often confuse the ship "Olympic" with the same name class of ocean liners.

There were three in total. The first was the "Olympic", built in 1910. The second was the Titanic, which became world famous after its collapse.

The last ship of this class was named "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 voyages, the German mine was blown up in 1916.

The shipbuilding industry in the early 20th century

In these years, the civilian fleet of European countries was engaged mainly in that it conquered new speed records and paved the most incredible routes for access to hard-to-reach regions. The Atlantic Ocean has become more important than ever as a route, as ships from the rapidly developing United States of America to Europe and backwards traveled here. Important cargoes and a large number of emigrants were transported. Another important feature of the era is the growing rivalry between the world powers on the eve of the First World War.

The British shipping company White Star Line lost this race. Its main competitors were the Germans and another English manufacturer - Cunard Line. The latter became the industry leader after two new-generation liners - Mauritania and Lusitania - came from their shipyard to the ocean. They differed not only in their large size, but also in high-speed qualities. "Lusitania" in 1907 broke the speed record in the waters of the Atlantic, which remained out of reach for more than 20 years.

Against this backdrop, the tycoon John Morgan, who owned the White Star Line, decided to outperform competitors and set before his engineers the task of creating something truly colossal. This project was the ship "Olympic" and his two "brothers".

Characteristics

Compared with other vessels, the new airliners 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 much resources.

Instead, it was decided that the priority of the new ship would be its dazzling luxury. Another advantage was safety. Designers assured that the new ships are unsinkable thanks to a system of several compartments. If a gap appears in the case, it will flood only a small part of the ship, which will help to keep him afloat.

This confidence turned into a tragedy. If the "Olympic" really experienced many flights, the "Titanic" - a ship-symbol - perished in its very 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 serviced by a crew of 860 people. The length was 269 meters, width - 18 meters. These insane figures immediately attracted the attention of the press and the public to the new project. Significantly, the old ports were not ready to accept such large ships, because of which it was necessary to rebuild the pier where the "Olympic" route ran.

The interior of the liner was divided into three classes, depending on the paying capacity of passengers. A special highlight was the dining hall, which was designed for more than 500 people and was the largest room on the ship in the world. The interiors of the first class were made in the style of modern times.

Start of operation

The first flight liner ran from English Southampton to the French Cherbourg, who was in Normandy. From there the ship immediately left for New York. Since the voyage in many respects bore test character, the ship's crew checked the reliability and practicality of many new zadumok, implemented on the ship. Based on this experience, the designers brought some changes to the design of the next project called "Titanic".

In the first years of operation, there were quite a few incidents, which, however, were not fatal for Olimpic. The collision of the liner with the cruiser "Hawk" was widely publicized. Although no one perished in the incident, litigation began, 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 the error, but the court decided in favor of the defending side. In addition, the captain of "Olympic" Smith was found guilty of wrong actions, and the company-owner undertook to pay compensation.

After the crash of the Titanic

If the operation of the "Olympic" was generally successful, then the second class ship was wrecked on the first voyage. Reputation White Star Line hung in the balance. In order to convince the public of the safety of transportation, the company began re-equipping its liner.

In addition, the strike of the crew 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 badly recommended themselves in a fatal night in the North Atlantic.

Boats were replaced. In addition, the designers have updated the ship's hull. A year after the symbolic collapse, "Olympic" again went to the United States.

World War I

However, the use of "Olympic" as a ship for civilian transportation did not last long. After only a few years, a conflict with the Germans began, and the British state requisitioned the liner to carry out military orders.

The vessel served in the Mediterranean Sea and was equipped with appropriate artillery. Camouflage was supposed to protect the ship from German submarines. Anyway, but "Olympic" managed to survive the war, successfully forwarding the wounded to hospitals. This was considered a miracle, especially against the background of the death of the twin Britannica and the passenger Lusitania.

End of operation

After the war the ship again became civilian. In the 30s, the ship "Olympic" was already considered a technologically obsolete ship. Therefore, with each flight it became clear that soon it would be scrapped for scrap. Then the company-owner merged with Cunard Line.

His last flight "Olympic" made on the usual route - from Southampton to New York. This was the 257 journey of the giant. No matter what, he had a happy fate. The history of the ship was longer than that of its twins - the sunken "Titanic" and the Britannic exploded on the mine.

On the eve of the analysis for scrap metal furniture from the cabins and halls, as a particularly valuable property, was sold at auction and went to a number of fashionable establishments.

Comparison with the Titanic

This comparison begs by itself. People often ask about "Olympic" (ship): "What happened to him?". Just by analogy with the Titanic.

Perhaps the most curious, if not mystical fact in the comparison is that Edward John Smith, who was the infamous captain of the sunken "Titanic", before that commanded the "Olympic". But then he was transferred to another transatlantic liner. As the most experienced of the company's staff. It is believed that he shot himself when he realized that by his mistake the great ship began to sink. "Olympic" and "Titanic" did not differ in appearance. The only significant sign by which it was possible to understand who of them is the deck of A. The Titanic was glazed in this place, while the Olimik remained open.

There were still some minor differences in the location of the infrastructure. For example, "Titanic" - a ship with a cafe on the second deck. At the "Olympic" such an institution in this place was not.