Titanic and her Sister Ships

By 1900, Belfast had become one of the world’s most prosperous industrial cities. It had the design skills and top quality workmanship to produce world-class steamships, despite having to import almost all the raw materials for shipbuilding. Eleven years into the new century, Titanic was launched and in 1912 was lost on her maiden voyage - becoming the most famous ship in the world.

The White Star Line commissioned three nearly identical ships from Harland & Wolff and, between 1908 and 1915, the three Olympic Class vessels were built. The plan was for Olympic, Titanic and Britannic to work the lucrative North Atlantic route. The three ships were very large and built to the highest standards, with well designed accommodation for all classes of passengers. The White Star Line had vast experience in transporting passengers across the Atlantic and knew that their new ships would be a worthy challenge to the huge new liners, Lusitania and Mauretania, of the rival Cunard Line.

Yet, although all three ships were built, the plan was never fulfilled. The second ship, Titanic, was to become world famous through sinking with huge loss of life on her maiden voyage.

Her two sisters, Olympic and Britannic, are less well known and had very different careers. Olympic made her maiden voyage in 1911 and remained in service for a further twenty-four years. Britannic, like Titanic, was destined for a short life. Less than a year after her maiden voyage in 1915, Britannic sank after striking a mine during the First World War.

Of the three ships, it is Olympic that best provides a window into life on board for passengers and crew. Olympic survived until 1935 when she was broken up and her fittings sold at auction. She was the most photographed of the three vessels, both because she was the first built and because she survived the longest. By understanding Olympic, we also understand Titanic because the two ships were almost identical and were built and fitted out with a year of each other.

Around 15,000 people were employed by Harland & Wolff when Titanic and her sister ships were under construction. There were close community links with the shipyard which often employed several members of a family, spread across two or more generations.

The Drawing Office at Harland & Wolff was where the design of Olympic Class ships was worked out in intricate detail. Building on years of expertise in ship design, every aspect of the ships’ construction was carefully considered and set out in the drawings. A ship was only drawn once, so the plans for Olympic were also used for Titanic and any changes and improvements were duly noted.

Ships’ plans were often very long and highly detailed so large, well-lit, drawing desks were required for ease of working. The design of the Olympic Class ships owed much to Alexander Carlisle who retired as chief draughtsman in 1910, the Chairman William Pirrie and Thomas Andrews who was head of the Naval Architects’ Department at Harland & Wolff.