The White Star Line commissioned three nearly identical ships from Harland Wolff and, between 1908 and 1915, the three Olympic Class vessels were built. The plan was for Olympic, Titanic and Britannic to work the lucrative North Atlantic route. The three ships were very large and built to the highest standards, with well designed accommodation for all classes of passengers.

he White Star Line had vast experience in transporting passengers across the Atlantic and knew that their new ships would be a worthy challenge to the huge new liners, Lusitania and Mauretania, of the rival Cunard Line.

Yet, although all three ships were built, the plan was never fulfilled. The second ship, Titanic, was to become world famous through sinking with huge loss of life on her maiden voyage. Her two sisters, Olympic and Britannic, are less well known and had very different careers. Olympic made her maiden voyage in 1911 and remained in service for a further twenty-four years. Britannic, like Titanic, was destined for a short life. Less than a year after her maiden voyage in 1915, Britannic sank after striking a mine during the First World War.

Of the three ships, it is Olympic that best provides a window into life on board for passengers and crew. The Olympic survived until 1935 when she was broken up and her fittings sold at auction. She was the most photographed of the three vessels, both because she was the first built and because she survived the longest.