Olympic Titanic Britannic by Simon Mills

Olympic Titanic Britannic

The Anatomy and Evolution of the Olympic Class

Simon Mills

Bloomsbury · Print & ebook · October 18, 2022

The Titanic.

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Who it’s for
Trace the Olympic Class from shipbuilding plans through three very different careers and their human costs.
Themes
Olympic-class ship design, Maritime disasters, Human costs of engineering ambition
Genres
Maritime History, Maritime History & Piracy, 20th-Century Britain

About this book

The Titanic. The Britannic. The Olympic. They are some of the most famous ships in history, but for the wrong reasons. The Olympic Class liners were conceived as the largest, grandest ships ever to set sail. Of the three ships built, the first only lost the record for being the largest because she was beaten by the second, and they were both beaten by the third. The class was meant to secure the White Star Line's reputation as the greatest shipping company on earth.

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Instead, with the loss of both the Titanic and the Britannic in their first year of service, it guaranteed White Star'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 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 - being made widely available for the first time - large fold-out technical drawings showing how these extensive plans were meant to be seen.

Olympic Class Plans

Trace the Olympic Class from shipbuilding plans through three very different careers and their human costs.

Come here for

  • The ships’ conception, construction, modifications, and careers
  • Harland & Wolff specifications, original blueprints, and technical drawings

Expect

  • Rare photographs, computer-generated ship recreations, and wreck images
  • Technical detail alongside the designers, engineers, owners, and crew

Where it sits

Maritime History78%
Maritime History & Piracy66%
20th-Century Britain32%

Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.

Publisher categories

  • Maritime History & Piracy
  • Marine & Naval Engineering
  • Maritime History
Authors
Simon Mills
Publisher
Bloomsbury
Published
October 18, 2022
Format
Print & ebook
Theme
Olympic-class ship design · Maritime disasters · Human costs of engineering ambition
Reading lane
Maritime History & Piracy