What happened to Olympic and Britannic?
The Olympic made her maiden voyage in June of 1911 and served on the Southampton New York run until the outbreak of the First World War in August of 1914. During the war, the Olympic served principally as a troop transport, carrying American and Australian men to the front lines in Europe. At the end of the war in 1918, the process was reversed and Olympic returned the troops to their country of origin. In 1919, the Olympic resumed her transatlantic passenger crossings but by the 1930s, the ships age and changing economic conditions were catching up with her. In 1934 the great British rivals, the Cunard and the White Star Lines, merged in an attempt to survive the world depression. The new company, now called Cunard White Star, carefully reviewed its ships for “superannuated and redundant tonnage”. A decision was then made to sell off all the older ships in the fleet, eight in all, and among them was the venerable, old Olympic. The fate of obsolete British ships at this time was to be
The Olympic made her maiden voyage in June of 1911 and served on the Southampton – New York run until the outbreak of the First World War in August of 1914. During the war, the Olympic served principally as a troop transport, carrying American and Australian men to the front lines in Europe. At the end of the war in 1918, the process was reversed and Olympic returned the troops to their country of origin. In 1919, the Olympic resumed her transatlantic passenger crossings but by the 1930s, the ship’s age and changing economic conditions were catching up with her. In 1934 the great British rivals, the Cunard and the White Star Lines, merged in an attempt to survive the world depression. The new company, now called Cunard White Star, carefully reviewed its ships for “superannuated and redundant tonnage.” A decision was then made to sell off all the older ships in the fleet, eight in all, and among them was the venerable, old Olympic. The fate of obsolete British ships at this time was to
