With the maiden voyage of Cunard's Lusitania and Mauretania, White Star Line was suddenly the underdog on the Atlantic. Bruce Ismay's company placed an order with shipbuilder Harland and Wolff for a class of three ocean liners which would be the largest in the world. The first of these ships would be RMS Olympic. Olympic was destined for a successful and glorious career but would see the early sinking of her sister ships Titanic and Britannic.

Olympic's commercial career was successful, but was interrupted by an accident in which she collided with the British Royal Navy cruiser HMS Hawke. After the sinking of Titanic, she underwent some modifications to her hull and safety equipment including lifeboats. When World War 1 began, Olympic was immediately pressed into service as a troopship. She supported the Gallipoli campaign before moving to Halifax to bring Canadian troops to Europe. After the war, Olympic returned to commercial service for about fifteen years. It was not long, though, before Olympic was outclassed by newer, larger, and faster ocean liners.

By the time Olympic was sold for scrap, she had carried countless passengers and troops, brought in maritime safety improvements, heroically sank an enemy German U-Boat, and tragically rammed the Nantucket Lightship.

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Sources:
The British Newspaper Archive, "The Completion of the Maiden Voyage of the RMS Lusitania."
"The Only Way to Cross," John Maxtone-Graham
TheGreatOceanLiners.com, "Megantic."
OceanLinersMagazine.com, "Olympic Survives Collision."
"RMS Olympic, Titanic's Sister," Mark Churnside
"Down Amongst the Gang of Black," de Kerbrech
Canadian Military History, Volume 11

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