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The luxurious ocean liner RMS Olympic was the first of three near-identical sister ships built for the White Star Line, the other two being her heavier sisters RMS Titanic and HMHS Britannic. Construction of the Olympic began in 1908 in the Harland and Wolff shipyard located in Belfast, Ireland, and it was launched in 1910. Following its launch and the completion of its interior, it entered service for the White Star Line in 1911 and operated as a transatlantic passenger ship. Unlike her ill-fated sisters, Olympic had a long career, but its longevity was partnered with tragedy.
In 1911, while under the command of the same Captain Edward J. Smith who would later captain the RMS Titanic on its ill-fated maiden voyage, the Olympic collided with the Royal Navy cruiser HMS Hawke off the Isle of Wight. The collision caused extensive damage to both ships but did not result in any casualties. However, while the damage to Olympic was later repaired, the collision eventually became the focus of conspiracy theories that claimed the ship was switched for the brand-new RMS Titanic, and that Olympic was intentionally sunk as part of an insurance scam. That theory was debunked when researchers confirmed that a numeric identifier on the wreck of the Titanic matched a construction number from shipbuilder Harland and Wolff.
After Captain Smith left Olympic to command Titanic, Herbert James Haddock replaced him as the ship's captain. He would serve in that capacity until 1913, with the ship suffering no major incidents under his command. When World War I erupted in 1914, Olympic's days of a passenger ship rapidly came to a temporary halt. Amazingly, on her last voyage as a pre-war passenger ship, the vessel joined an effort to tow the severely damaged battleship HMS Audacious to safety after the warship struck a mine. Unfortunately, the rescue effort failed, and Audacious sank.
Olympic with Returned Soldiers
A portrait of Olympic in dazzle camouflage
by Arthur Lismer
In 1915, Olympic, like many other passenger ships of the era, was requisitioned by the British government for war efforts, and Captain Bertram Fox Hayes replaced Herbert J. Haddock as the ship's commander. The ship underwent several modifications to transform it into a camouflaged troopship that required the removal of Its luxurious fittings, the installation of additional cabins and medical facilities, and other changes to accommodate massive numbers of troops. The ship played a significant role in transporting troops from Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United States, and other countries to various theaters of war. Notably, Olympic transported troops as part of the British expeditionary force during the Gallipoli Campaign in 1915, which aimed to capture the Ottoman Empire's capital of Constantinople (modern day Istanbul). Apart from operating as a troop transport, Olympic was involved in additional rescue operations for ships damaged or sunk due to enemy action, and it earned the nickname "Old Reliable" for its service.
In the early hours of May 12th, 1918, while under the command of Captain Hayes, Olympic was targeted for attack by German submarine U-103, which failed to strike the ship with torpedoes. Olympic, then armed with various deck guns, fired at U-103 and eventually rammed the submarine at the cost of taking heavy damage to its bow. U-103 was damaged beyond repair and later sank.
Following the Armistice of November 11th, 1918 (which ended WWI), Olympic continued to transport troops returning from Europe. In August 1919, the ship returned to the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast for restoration to civilian service. Nearly four years later, on March 22nd, 1924, Olympic was involved in yet another collision with a ship, this time in New York. As Olympic was reversing from her berth in New York harbor, her stern collided with the smaller liner Fort St. George, which had somehow crossed into her path. The collision of the two ocean liners caused extensive damage to both ships, though neither sank. Olympic required the replacement of her rearmost section due to the incident.
Before the tragedy: A picture of Olympic taken from
Nantucket Lightship LV-117
Olympic's unfortunate history of collisions with other ships extended into 1934, when it again struck another ship. At the time, the approaches to New York were marked by lightships (floating lighthouses), and Olympic, then under the command of Captain John W. Binks, struck Nantucket Lightship LV-117 when the two were wholly engulfed in dense fog. The massive bulk of Olympic split the lightship in two, sinking the smaller vessel with the loss of four lives. The remaining lightship crewmen were rescued by Olympic. Finally, in 1935, with larger, more modern ships dominating the transatlantic routes, the White Star Line decided to end the service career of Olympic, and the ship was scrapped.
-TechRider
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