Olympic Titanic Britannic: The anatomy and evolution of the Olympic Class

The Titanic, Britannic, and Olympic were the largest and grandest ships ever to set sail, but their first year of service resulted in the loss of both ships, securing White Star Lines' infamy. This book tells the story of these three ships from conception and construction to their different careers, including rare photographs, computer-generated recreations, and unique wreck images. Simon Mills offers unparalleled access to Harland & Wolff's specification book for the Olympic Class.

Format: Hardback
Length: 272 pages
Publication date: 13 October 2022
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

The Titanic, the Britannic, and the Olympic are some of the most famous ships in history, but for unfortunate reasons. The Olympic-class liners were designed to be the largest and most magnificent ships ever to sail. Of the three ships built, the first lost the record for being the largest only to be surpassed by the second, and both were surpassed by the third. The class was intended to establish the White Star Line's reputation as the greatest shipping company in the world. However, with the loss of both the Titanic and the Britannic in their first year of service, it guaranteed the White Star Line's infamy.

This unique book tells the extraordinary story of these three extraordinary ships from the bottom up, starting with their conception and construction (and later their modification) and following their very different careers. Behind the technical details of these magnificent ships lies a tragic human story. Not just of the lives lost aboard the Titanic and Britannic, but also of the designers pushing the limits beyond what was actually possible, engineers unable to prepare for every twist of fate, and ship owners and crew who truly believed a ship could be unsinkable.

This fascinating story is told with rare photographs, new computer-generated recreations of the ships, and unique wreck images that explore how well the ships were designed and built. Simon Mills offers unparalleled access to shipbuilders Harland & Wolff's specification book for the Olympic Class, including original blueprints and large fold-out technical drawings showing how these extensive plans were meant to be seen.

Weight: 1140g
Dimension: 195 x 254 x 26 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781472988652