Mighty Britannic Never Saw its Intended Glory
By James Donahue
At 882 feet, nine inches, the White Star Liner Britannic was two inches longer than her sister ship, the Titanic. Except for some changes in the hull and bulkheads, it was supposed to be a spitting image of her sister ships, the Titanic and Olympic. But the Britannic was the last of the White Star’s Olympic Class liners to be launched and world events prevented it from ever appearing as the great ship she was envisioned to be.
The Britannic was still under construction at the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast when the Titanic disaster happened. Consequently time was spent determining why the Titanic was lost and making changes in the hull and bulkheads in an effort to make the Britannic a safer ship.
This great ship was launched in 1915, just before the start of World War I. Thus it was among the British ships seized by the Royal Navy and put to service in the war effort. Instead of sporting a fine superstructure for passenger service, the Britannic was turned into a hospital ship. She was still serving in that capacity when it struck a mine and sank off the Greek island of Kea on November 21, 1916. Miraculously there were 1,035 survivors and only 30 deaths.
Under the command of Captain Charles A. Bartlett the Britannic completed five successful voyages carrying sick and injured soldiers from the Middle Eastern theater to the United Kingdom. And then it was sunk only 11 months after going into service. It was steaming at full speed into the Kea Channel with 673 crew members, 315 members of the Royal Army Medical Corps and 77 nurses when it struck a German mine planted by U-73.
The force of the blast tore open the hull on the starboard side, destroying steering and the radio antenna. Captain Bartlett attempted to run the ship aground on Kea Island but the vessel was sinking too fast. While the bulkheads might have saved the ship, it seems that the nurses had opened the portholes on the lower decks for ventilation, against orders, and water quickly flooded the ship. Two lifeboats were launched before the engines were stopped and the little boats were both pulled into the churning propellers, killing all 30 people in them.
Twenty-eight more lifeboats were successfully launched, plus several inflatable rafts before the Britannic rolled on its starboard side and sank in 400 feet of water. All of the other passengers and crew members survived.
The Britannic holds the distinction of being the largest passenger ship sitting on the sea floor. It was the largest ship lost in the First World War.
The steamer lies near the French steamer Burdigala, also sunk in the war, and the Patris, a Greek side-wheeled steamship that sank in a storm. Consequently plans are underway to develop an underwater museum around the wrecks.
By James Donahue
At 882 feet, nine inches, the White Star Liner Britannic was two inches longer than her sister ship, the Titanic. Except for some changes in the hull and bulkheads, it was supposed to be a spitting image of her sister ships, the Titanic and Olympic. But the Britannic was the last of the White Star’s Olympic Class liners to be launched and world events prevented it from ever appearing as the great ship she was envisioned to be.
The Britannic was still under construction at the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast when the Titanic disaster happened. Consequently time was spent determining why the Titanic was lost and making changes in the hull and bulkheads in an effort to make the Britannic a safer ship.
This great ship was launched in 1915, just before the start of World War I. Thus it was among the British ships seized by the Royal Navy and put to service in the war effort. Instead of sporting a fine superstructure for passenger service, the Britannic was turned into a hospital ship. She was still serving in that capacity when it struck a mine and sank off the Greek island of Kea on November 21, 1916. Miraculously there were 1,035 survivors and only 30 deaths.
Under the command of Captain Charles A. Bartlett the Britannic completed five successful voyages carrying sick and injured soldiers from the Middle Eastern theater to the United Kingdom. And then it was sunk only 11 months after going into service. It was steaming at full speed into the Kea Channel with 673 crew members, 315 members of the Royal Army Medical Corps and 77 nurses when it struck a German mine planted by U-73.
The force of the blast tore open the hull on the starboard side, destroying steering and the radio antenna. Captain Bartlett attempted to run the ship aground on Kea Island but the vessel was sinking too fast. While the bulkheads might have saved the ship, it seems that the nurses had opened the portholes on the lower decks for ventilation, against orders, and water quickly flooded the ship. Two lifeboats were launched before the engines were stopped and the little boats were both pulled into the churning propellers, killing all 30 people in them.
Twenty-eight more lifeboats were successfully launched, plus several inflatable rafts before the Britannic rolled on its starboard side and sank in 400 feet of water. All of the other passengers and crew members survived.
The Britannic holds the distinction of being the largest passenger ship sitting on the sea floor. It was the largest ship lost in the First World War.
The steamer lies near the French steamer Burdigala, also sunk in the war, and the Patris, a Greek side-wheeled steamship that sank in a storm. Consequently plans are underway to develop an underwater museum around the wrecks.