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.
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.
