Sitting around a dining-room table in 1907, the owners of the White Star Line discussed their competition to the newly-built Cunard liners, Lusitania and Mauretania. From that smoke-filled room came the first designs of three White Star superliners. Olympic and Titanic were to be built at Harland & Wolff's yard in Belfast, while the third ship was to follow after construction had been completed on the first pair of sisters. The only ship to make a return passenger voyage was Olympic and she was always overshadowed by her younger sisters. This is the definitive story of Titanic's sister RMS Olympic. First published in 2004 to critical acclaim, this new edition presents a revised expanded work from one the most successful maritime authors at work in Britain today.

The ShipCraft series explores the iconic pleasure vessels Titanic, Olympic, and Britannic in fully illustrated detail for building your own model ship. In the first of the ShipCraft series to cover non-naval vessels, this meticulously researched and illustrated volume looks at the legendary cruise ship RMS Titanic and her sisters, Olympic and Britannic. Written for the serious model ship builder, this book not only covers the many model kits available, but a concise history of the ship’s class, including every detail that contributed to the ship’s creation. Accompanied by hundreds of photographs of models in various scales, the text covers paint colors, line drawings, and scale plans, as well as the differences in the ships’ appearance over time. An invaluable resource on available models, their pros and cons, and ways to modify and customize each one, this ShipCraft title concludes with a reference section essential to any modeler.

A pictorial celebration of the world-famous sister ships: the Olympic-class liners A maritime expert tells the story of the sister ships using previously unseen pictures, passenger diaries, and deck plans, illustrating Olympic's successful career; the premature ends of her two unfortunate sisters; and the experiences of those onboard. Designed for passenger comfort, they were intended to provide luxurious surroundings and safe, reliable transport rather than record-breaking speed. Ironically, fate decreed that only Olympic would ever complete a single commercial voyage and she went on to serve for a quarter of a century in peace and war. Titanic's name would become infamous after she sank on her maiden voyage. The third sister, Britannic, saw a brief and commendable career as a hospital ship during World War I, sinking in the Aegean Sea in 1916.

Launched in 1914, two years after the ill-fated voyage of her sister ship, RMS Titanic, the Britannic was intended to be superior to her tragic twin in every way. But war intervened and in 1915 she was requisitioned as a hospital ship. Just one year later, while on her way to collect troops wounded in the Balkans campaign, she fell victim to a mine laid by a German U-boat and tragically sank in the middle of the Aegean Sea. There her wreck lay, at a depth of 400 feet, until it was discovered 59 years later by legendary explorer Jacques Cousteau. In 1996 the wreck was bought by the author of this book, Simon Mills. Exploring the Britannic tells the complete story of this enigmatic ship: her construction, launch and life, her fateful last voyage, and the historical findings resulting from the exploration of the well-preserved wreck over a period of 40 years. With remarkable sonar scans and many never before seen photographs of the wreck, plus the original Harland & Wolff ship plans, not previously published in their entirety, Exploring the Britannic finally details how the mysteries surrounding the 100-year-old enigma were laid to rest, and what the future might also hold for her.

The history of the Titanic Oceanliner and her sister ships the Olympic and Britannic.