"The
big icebergs that drift into warmer water melt much more rapidly under
water than on the surface, and sometimes a sharp, low reef extending two
or three hundred feet beneath the sea is formed. If a vessel should run
on one of these reefs half her bottom might be torn away." - Captain Edward John Smith The Olympic-class ocean liners were a trio of British ocean liners built
by the Harland & Wolff shipyard for the White Star Line during the
early 20th century. They were Olympic (1911), Titanic (1912) and
Britannic (1914). All three were designed to be the largest and most
luxurious passenger ships at that time, designed to give White Star an
advantage in the transatlantic passenger trade.
While Olympic, the lead vessel, had a career spanning 24 years and was
retired and sold for scrap in 1935, her sisters would not see similar
success: Titanic struck an iceberg and sank on her maiden voyage and
Britannic was lost during World War I after hitting a mine off Kea in
the Aegean Sea before she could enter passenger service.
Although two of the vessels did not have successful careers, they are
among the most famous ocean liners ever built. Both Olympic and Titanic
enjoyed the distinction of being the largest ships in the world. Olympic
was the largest British-built ship in the world for over 20 years until
the commissioning of Queen Mary in 1936. Titanic's story has been
adapted into many books, films, and television programs and Britannic
inspired a film of the same name in 2000. Pictured here is a 1:1250 scale diecast replica of the Olympic class ocean liner, RMS Titanic. #LCS24195 Dimensions: Width: 1-inch Length: 8-1/4-inches Features: - Diecast metal and plastic construction - Superb attention to detail - Comes on a display plinth with etched plastic base Historical Account:
"Iceberg, Dead Ahead!" - RMS Titanic was a
British passenger liner, operated by the White Star Line, which sank in
the North Atlantic Ocean on April 15th, 1912, after striking an iceberg
during her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City,
United States. Of the estimated 2,224 passengers and crew aboard, more
than 1,500 died, making it the deadliest sinking of a single ship up to
that time. It remains the deadliest peacetime sinking of an ocean liner
or cruise ship. The disaster drew public attention, provided
foundational material for the disaster film genre, and has inspired many
artistic works.
RMS Titanic was the largest ship afloat at the time she entered service
and the second of three Olympic-class ocean liners operated by the White
Star Line. She was built by the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast.
Thomas Andrews, the chief naval architect of the shipyard, died in the
disaster. Titanic was under the command of Captain Edward Smith, who
went down with the ship. The ocean liner carried some of the wealthiest
people in the world, as well as hundreds of emigrants from Great Britain
and Ireland, Scandinavia, and elsewhere throughout Europe, who were
seeking a new life in the United States and Canada.
The first-class accommodation was designed to be the pinnacle of comfort
and luxury, with a gymnasium, swimming pool, libraries, high-class
restaurants, and opulent cabins. A high-powered radiotelegraph
transmitter was available for sending passenger "marconigrams" and for
the ship's operational use. Titanic had advanced safety features, such
as watertight compartments and remotely activated watertight doors,
contributing to its reputation as "unsinkable".
Titanic was equipped with 16 lifeboat davits, each capable of lowering
three lifeboats, for a total of 48 boats; she carried only 20 lifeboats,
four of which were collapsible and proved hard to launch while she was
sinking (Collapsible A nearly swamped and was filled with a foot of
water until rescue, Collapsible B completely overturned while
launching). Together, the 20 lifeboats could hold 1,178 people - about
half the number of passengers on board, and one third of the number of
passengers the ship could have carried at full capacity (consistent with
the maritime safety regulations of the era). When the ship sank, many
of the lifeboats that had been lowered were only about half full. Please note: We happily combine multiple sales into one order to reduce shipping charges. Please contact us first to determine the cost of shipping before proceeding to final checkout so we can clarify the procedure with you.
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