RMS Olympic Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids History
RMS Olympic on her sea trials in Belfast in 1911
United Kingdom
Name	Olympic
Owner	White Star Line 1911–1934 Cunard White Star Line 1934–1935
Port of registry	Liverpool, United Kingdom
Route	Southampton to New York City
Ordered	1907
Builder	Harland and Wolff, Belfast
Cost	$7.5 million (USD) ($195.1 million in 2018)
Yard number	400
Laid down	16 December 1908
Launched	20 October 1910
Completed	31 May 1911
Acquired	31 May 1911
Maiden voyage	14 June 1911
In service	1911
Out of service	1935
Identification	Official Number 131346 Code Letters HSRP Radio callsign "MKC"
Fate	Retired at Southampton after 24 years service & scrapped. Superstructure dismantled at Jarrow, England, and the hull at Inverkeithing, Scotland.
Status	Scrapped
General characteristics
Class and type	Olympic-class ocean liner
Tonnage	45,324 gross register tons; 46,358 after 1913; 46,439 after 1920
Displacement	52,067 tons
Length	882 ft 9 in (269.1 m)
Beam	92 ft 9 in (28.3 m)
Height	175 ft (53.4 m) (keel to top of funnels)
Draught	34 ft 7 in (10.5 m)
Decks	9 decks (8 for passengers and 1 for crew)
Installed power	24 double-ended (six furnace) and 5 single-ended (three furnace) Scotch boilers. Two four-cylinder triple-expansion reciprocating engines each producing 15,000 hp for the two outboard wing propellers at 75 revolutions per minute. One low-pressure turbine producing 16,000 h. 59,000 hp produced at maximum revolutions.
Propulsion	Two bronze three-bladed wing propellers. One bronze four-bladed centre propeller.
Speed	21 knots (39 km/h; 24 mph) 24.2 knots (45 km/h; 28 mph)
Capacity	2,435 passengers
Crew	950
Notes	First in a trio of Olympic-class ocean liners for White Star Line and the only one to have a successful career. Elder sister to RMS Titanic and HMHS Britannic.

RMS Olympic was a huge British ship. It was an ocean liner, which means it carried passengers across the Atlantic Ocean. It was the first of three famous ships built by the White Star Line.

Unlike its sister ships, Olympic had a very long career. It sailed for 24 years, from 1911 to 1935. During World War I, it even served as a troopship, carrying soldiers. This earned it the nickname "Old Reliable." After the war, Olympic went back to being a passenger ship. It sailed successfully through the 1920s. However, by the 1930s, it became too expensive to operate. This was due to new ships and the Great Depression.

Olympic was the biggest ocean liner in the world for a while. This was between 1911 and 1913. Its sister ship, Titanic, was briefly larger. Titanic had the same size but more space inside. Olympic was also the largest British-built liner until 1934. That's when the RMS Queen Mary was launched.

The Olympic was taken out of service in 1935. It was then sold for scrap metal. Its demolition was finished in 1937. Before it was scrapped, many beautiful parts of Olympic were saved. They were sold and now decorate buildings and even a cruise ship.

Olympic's sister ships, Titanic and Britannic, did not have long lives. Titanic hit an iceberg and sank on its first trip. This happened in the Atlantic Ocean. Britannic hit a mine and sank in Greece in 1916. Britannic never even got to carry passengers.

Building a Giant Ship
Life as an Ocean Liner
Images for kids
See also

Building a Giant Ship

The Olympic was built by Harland and Wolff in Belfast. It was ordered in 1907. The ship was very large for its time. Its construction started in December 1908. It was launched into the water in October 1910. The ship was finished in May 1911.

Life as an Ocean Liner

Olympic began its first journey on June 14, 1911. It sailed from Southampton to New York City. It was a very popular ship. Passengers enjoyed its grand interiors. It had a famous Grand Staircase.

World War I Service

When World War I started in 1914, Olympic was still a passenger ship. But soon, it was called to help. It became a troopship. This meant it carried soldiers across the ocean. It was painted grey to make it harder for enemies to see.

Olympic was very good at its job. It safely carried many thousands of soldiers. It even helped rescue sailors from a sinking British battleship. This is why it was called "Old Reliable."

Return to Passenger Service

After the war, Olympic went back to carrying passengers. It was refitted and updated. It continued to sail between England and New York. It was still a very popular ship in the 1920s.

Later Years and Retirement

By the early 1930s, times were changing. The Great Depression meant fewer people could afford to travel. Also, newer, faster ships were being built. Olympic became less profitable. In 1934, it was involved in a small accident. It hit a lightship near Nantucket.

In 1935, after 24 years of service, Olympic was retired. It was then sold to be taken apart. Its parts were recycled. This marked the end of a long and successful career for the "Old Reliable."

Images for kids

{{{1}}} Titanic]]'s keel is visible to the left
{{{1}}} Titanic]] under construction, is visible to the left
The launch of Olympic on 20 October 1910
An image of the propellers of the Olympic, 1911
The boat deck of Olympic, with her original lifeboat setup, seen from the ship's starboard side
The Grand Staircase of Olympic
Olympic (left) being moved into dry dock in Belfast for repairs on the morning of 2 March 1912. Titanic (right) is docked nearby. This was the last time the two ships were photographed together.
Damage to Olympic after a collision with HMS Hawke in 1911.
Olympic photographed near the Isle of Wight in October 1912, six months after the Titanic disaster
Olympic's new lifeboats, ready to be installed.
Olympic as she appeared after her refit following the Titanic disaster, with more lifeboats, on a Fred Pansing painting, c. 1912
HMT Olympic in grey colour scheme during World War I.
The crew of the battleship HMS Audacious take to lifeboats; photograph taken by passengers on Olympic
HMT Olympic in dazzle camouflage while serving as a troopship during the First World War
Olympic in dazzle camouflage at Pier 2 in Halifax, Nova Scotia painted by Arthur Lismer
Olympic, photographed in 1922
Olympic's list of first-class passengers, 1923
Olympic at Southampton in 1929
Matchsafe, circa 1911
Olympic in 1934, passing the Lightship Nantucket, the same ship she would strike and sink a few months later
Olympic (left) and Mauretania (right) laid up in Southampton before they were scrapped.
Olympic arriving at Jarrow for scrapping on 13 October 1935
Fittings from the ship installed in the Olympic Suite at the White Swan Hotel, Alnwick

RMS Olympic facts for kids

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