The first vessel to be built in the Olympic class was Olympic herself in 1909. She was followed by Titanic and finally Britannic. Mark Chirnside explores these early ocean liners and their chequered history.

A pictorial celebration of the world-famous sister ships: the Olympic-class liners A maritime expert tells the story of the sister ships using previously unseen pictures, passenger diaries, and deck plans, illustrating Olympic's successful career; the premature ends of her two unfortunate sisters; and the experiences of those onboard. Designed for passenger comfort, they were intended to provide luxurious surroundings and safe, reliable transport rather than record-breaking speed. Ironically, fate decreed that only Olympic would ever complete a single commercial voyage...

The definitive study on this famous and highly successful White Star liner Sitting around a dining room table in 1907, the owners of the White Star Line discussed their competition to the newly-built Cunard liners, "Lusitania" and "Mauretania." From that smoke-filled room came the first designs of three White Star superliners." Olympic" and "Titanic" were to be built at Harland & Wolff's yard in Belfast, while the third ship was to follow after construction had been completed on the first pair of sisters. The only ship to make a return passenger voyage was "Olympic" and she was always...

Oceanic was the largest ship in the world when she was launched in 1899. The White Star Line's `Ship of the Century', she was their last express liner before the Olympic and Titanic and her lavish first-class accommodation became renowned among Atlantic travellers. Serving on the company's express service for fifteen years, she earned a reputation for running like clockwork. Days after the outbreak of war, she was commissioned into the Royal Navy and converted into an armed merchant cruiser. However, her new-found status was not to last - she grounded on the rocks off Foula, in the...