HOME | DD

New-Oban-Productions — Old Habits Die Hard

Published: 2023-07-27 05:49:52 +0000 UTC; Views: 1845; Favourites: 12; Downloads: 0
Redirect to original
Description In 1906, an infamous arms race between the Cunard Line and White Star Line began to build the largest liner on Earth. Cunard set the stage when RMS Lusitania was launched from Clydebank, followed by RMS Mauretania on the Tyne, both in the same year. In response to this, White Star Line responded with a trio of sister ships known collectively as the "Olympic-class", with RMS Olympic launched in 1910 and entered service in 1911. The second, RMS Titanic, was launched in 1911 and entered service in April 1912 but was sunk on her maiden voyage on the 15th of the same month.

Realising White Star was trying to outdo them, Cunard responded with the launch of RMS Aquitania in 1913, serving a three-liner service across the North Atlantic with Lusitania and Mauretania. The third of the Olympic-class, Britannic, was launched in 1914 but upon WWI breaking out, all five were taken over by the Admiralty, with Britannic originally being fitted out as a troopship like Olympic but the Gallipoli Campaign changed those plans and was converted to a hospital ship, henceforth known as "HMHS Britannic". Sadly, Britannic would never see service as an ocean liner as on 21st November 1916, she hit a mine and sank in the Aegean Sea near Kea, Greece. One year earlier on 7th May 1915, Lusitania was torpedoed by the submarine SM U-20 of the cost of southern Ireland, which resulted in a diplomatic incident that nearly caused the United States to enter WWI that year. Olympic would gain some fame as she famously sunk the submarine SM U-103 and survived a torpedo attack, which the torpedo was a dud, both occurring in 1918.

After WWI, Olympic, Mauretania and Aquitania were now the only pre-war British four-funnel liners left and left to handle the transatlantic route despite being three ships down. When the Great Depression hit, both companies began to suffer until merged into Cunard-White Star in 1934. This became a blow to them as Mauretania was withdrawn the same year, followed by Olympic in 1935. Both liners were gutted of their fittings and broken up for scrap, leaving Aquitania to soldier on alone. This included further service as a troopship during World War Two until withdrawn and scrapped in 1950.

Here, the Olympic-class sisters are about to have an argument with the Cunard trio, all the while as three other liners (including a certain Australian four-funneler) watch on.

Shipgirls
Left:
-HMHS Britannic (1914-1916)
-RMS Titanic (1911-1912)
-RMS Olympic (1910-1937)
Right:
-RMS Aquitania (1913-1950)
-RMS Mauretania (1906-1936)
-RMS Lusitania (1906-1915)
Back:
-RMS Carpathia (1902-1918)
-RMS Baltic (1903-1933)
-SS Barnier (1912-present)
Related content
Comments: 13

CJO1234 [2024-06-30 10:42:57 +0000 UTC]

👍: 1 ⏩: 0

CJO1234 [2024-06-08 08:00:53 +0000 UTC]

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

New-Oban-Productions In reply to CJO1234 [2024-06-08 08:02:53 +0000 UTC]

👍: 0 ⏩: 0

orangeengine69 [2023-07-29 12:30:37 +0000 UTC]

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

New-Oban-Productions In reply to orangeengine69 [2023-07-29 12:32:40 +0000 UTC]

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

orangeengine69 In reply to New-Oban-Productions [2023-07-29 12:34:36 +0000 UTC]

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

New-Oban-Productions In reply to orangeengine69 [2023-07-29 12:35:59 +0000 UTC]

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

orangeengine69 In reply to New-Oban-Productions [2023-07-29 12:42:10 +0000 UTC]

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

New-Oban-Productions In reply to orangeengine69 [2023-07-29 13:01:21 +0000 UTC]

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

orangeengine69 In reply to New-Oban-Productions [2023-07-29 13:09:58 +0000 UTC]

👍: 0 ⏩: 0

Thenewmikefan21 [2023-07-27 06:13:44 +0000 UTC]

👍: 0 ⏩: 2

LorenzoFerrari2002 In reply to Thenewmikefan21 [2024-01-24 15:31:04 +0000 UTC]

👍: 0 ⏩: 0

New-Oban-Productions In reply to Thenewmikefan21 [2023-07-27 06:20:16 +0000 UTC]

👍: 1 ⏩: 0