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The ''Olympic''-class ocean liners were a trio of ocean liners built by the Harland & Wolff shipyard for the White Star Line during the early 20th century. They were ''Olympic'', ''Titanic'', and ''Britannic''. Two were lost early in their careers: ''Titanic'' sank in 1912, after hitting an iceberg in the North Atlantic, and ''Britannic'' in 1916, after hitting a mine or torpedo laid by the German minelayer submarine U79 in a barrier off Kea during World War I. ''Olympic'', the lead vessel, had a career spanning 24 years and was retired in 1934. It was sold for scrapping in 1935. Although the two younger vessels did not have successful careers, they are among the most famous ocean liners ever built. Decorative elements of ''Olympic'' were purchased to adorn many places. ''Titanic'' story has been adapted into many books and films. ''Britannic'' has also inspired a film of the same name. == Origin and construction == The ''Olympic''-class had its origins in the intense competition between the United Kingdom and Germany in the construction of the liners. The Norddeutscher Lloyd and HAPAG, the two largest German companies, were indeed involved in the race for speed and size in the late 19th century. The first in service for the Norddeutscher Lloyd was , which won the Blue Riband in 1897 before being beaten by of HAPAG in 1900. Then followed the three vessels of the ''Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse'': , and all of whom were part of a "''Kaiser'' class". In response to this, the Cunard Line of the UK ordered two vessels whose speed earned them the nickname "greyhounds of the seas:" and . ''Mauretania'' kept the Blue Riband for more than twenty years, from 1909 to 1929.〔 The White Star Line knew that their Big Four, a quartet of ships built for size and luxury were no match for the Cunard's new liners in terms of speed. In 1907, J. Bruce Ismay, president of White Star and William J. Pirrie, director of the shipyard Harland & Wolff decided to build three vessels. And so, the ''Olympic''-class ships were built to surpass rival Cunard's largest ships, ''Lusitania'' and ''Mauretania'', in size and luxury. ''Olympic'', along with ''Titanic'' and the soon to be built ''Britannic'',〔(''Origins Of The Olympic Class'' ), ''RMS Olympic Archive''. Retrieved 8 August 2009〕 were intended to be the largest and most luxurious ships to operate on the North Atlantic, but not the fastest, as the White Star Line had already switched from high speed to size and luxury. The three vessels were designed by Thomas Andrews and Alexander Carlisle.〔 Construction of ''Olympic'' started in December 1908 and ''Titanic'' in March 1909. The two ships were built side by side. The construction of ''Britannic'' began in 1911 after the commissioning of ''Olympic'' and ''Titanic'' launch. Following the sinking of ''Titanic'', the two remaining vessels underwent many changes in their safety provisions. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Olympic-class ocean liner」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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