The Unsinkable Trio
The RMS Olympic, was built in 1911 as the first of the trio of Olympic-class ocean liners from the British White Star Line. The ships were built to be the safest and largest ships ever made. The Titanic was the largest of the trio, but only slightly larger than the Olympic. Otherwise, they were virtually identical. Both deemed to be unsinkable, which, unlike the Titanic, the Olympic truly was. However, the RMS Olympic did have her fair share of mishaps as well.
The RMS Olympic next to the unfinished RMS Titanic. Public domain, via Wikimedia.
Close Calls
Already on her fifth voyage, Olympic collided with another passenger ship, but the “innovative” watertight compartments prevented flooding.
The Olympic served in World War 1 as a troop transport ship, where she managed to sink a German submarine that had planned on torpedoing the Olympic. The now “HMT Olympic” had luckily spotted the submarine in time, and had daringly rammed straight into it. Thus managing to become the the only passenger liner to sink a German U-Boat during World War One.
The Olympic continued being unsinkable and later survived being hit by a faulty torpedo fired from another submarine.
HMT Olympic in dazzle camouflage. Public domain, via Wikimedia.
What About The Youngest Sister?
Launched in 1914, HMHS Britannic was not as lucky in the war. Serving as the largest hospital ship in the world, she was struck by a mine in 1916 and sank. This was despite the Britannic being designed as the safest ship of the three, with design changes made as a result of the sinking of the Titanic in 1912.
HMHS Britannic. Public domain, via Wikimedia.
An Unsinkable Success
Back to the Olympic, now the only surviving sister, she continued her transatlantic voyages following the war, and was increasingly popular and successful during the 1920s.
Not without incident though, as she managed to collide with and destroy two more ships in collisions in 1924 and 1934. The Olympic, however, remained relatively unscathed.
Olympic and Hawke collision. Public domain, via Wikimedia.
The Unsinkable Ships
By the 1930’ies the popularity and success of the Olympic had quickly taken a nosedive due to the great depression and tightening of US immigration laws. She eventually started operating at a net loss and was thus scrapped in 1935.
The Olympic had sailed 1.8 million miles and completed 257 round trips across the Atlantic, with 430,000 commercial passengers. She was what the Titanic may have been – unsinkable and largely successful.
Instead, the not so unsinkable ship of RMS Titanic sunk but was remembered, while the actually unsinkable ship of RMS Olympic did not sink but was forgotten.
RMS Olympic arriving for scrapping. Public domain, via Wikimedia.