ARTICLE INDEX

Thomas Andrews’ Olympic Notes, Summer 1911 (July 2005)

Although not widely available, Thomas Andrews’ notes from Olympic’s maiden voyage to New York provide a fascinating insight into his philosophy of continuous improvement. It seems that no detail or improvement was too small to warrant his attention.

HMHS Britannic Officers’ Appointments (December 2005)

This provides the most complete and up-to-date listing of Britannic’s officers (including the dates of their appointments) available, as well as highlighting Second Officer Brocklebank’s service onboard throughout 1915-16.

RMS Majestic Notebook (April 2006)

A number of interesting facts and figures about Majestic’s life, including some rare images courtesy of John Creamer.

RMS Olympic’s Retirement (July 2006)

An extensive examination of the reasons for Olympic’s retirement, and why it took place in 1935.

Cunard’s ‘Queens’ and the 1960s (July 2006)

Although it is popularly believed that Queen Mary was more popular than her sister Queen Elizabeth, the passenger lists that are available expose this as a myth.

Olympic & Titanic – An Analysis Of The Robin Gardiner Conspiracy Theory (July 2006)

This is the most extensive critical analysis available online, prepared to academic standards and endorsed accordingly. It concludes that the conspiracy theory does not stand up to scrutiny, and is unsupported by reliable evidence.

RMS Olympic: The Mis-dated Refit (August 2006)

An article helps to pinpoint the dates of specific changes to Olympic in the late 1920s, including the installation of new first class suites forward on B-deck.

RMS Olympic & The Poderjay Case (November 2006)

In December 1933, Olympic left New York with a suspected murderer onboard.

The 1920 Bismarck Files (November 2006)

In 1920, Bismarck was incomplete and the White Star Line, in conjunction with Harland & Wolff, hoped to have her finished as soon as possible. Edward Wilding was among those who reported upon the ship’s condition and prospects.

RMS Aquitania Captains Page (April 2007)

Intended to be read alongside the listing available as an appendix in the Aquitania book, this is believed to be the most comprehensive documentation of Aquitania’s commanders available.

‘To The Editor...’ (July 2007)

A listing of letters that have been published in various maritime journals. This page will be updated as additional letters are written and published.

RMS Majestic Specification File (November 2007)

As the largest liner in the world for more than a decade, Majestic’s size was impressive. This specification file examines her dimensions and capacities.

RMS Olympic Specification File (November 2007)

When she entered service, Olympic was by far the largest liner in the world; almost one hundred feet longer than Mauretania and with a gross tonnage almost fifty percent higher. Her specifications are interesting to record.

RMS Majestic: An Interior Glimpse (November 2007)

Majestic’s career was all too short, yet in her heyday she was the most popular liner afloat. This concise article examines the magnificence of her first class dining saloon, for - like Majestic herself - it has long since ceased to exist.

The 66,000-ton Myth (December 2007)

In an article first published by the Irish Titanic Historical Society’s White Star Journal, the myth that Titanic displaced 66,000 tons is addressed and refuted. Although the figure is often repeated, it has no basis in reality. The article does not address a new discovery - rather it brings together information that was previously known.

Olympic’s Expansion Joints (January 2008)

First published in the Titanic Historical Society’s Titanic Commutator in September 2007, this article takes a short look at Olympic’s expansion joints and the progressive philosophy of continuous improvement that Harland & Wolff practised. It argues that changes made to Britannic’s expansion joints were probably the usual lessons learned from her older sister, and not a conspiracy to cover up any defect supposedly brought to light by Titanic’s loss.

RMS Majestic: Weekend Cruise to Nassau, 1935 (January 2008)

Shortly before she was withdrawn forever from service as a passenger liner, Majestic made a weekend New Year’s Eve cruise to Nassau at the end of 1935. She attracted 1,501 passengers, who were attracted by the liner’s comfort and luxury, but unfortunately the end of the line was a mere few weeks away.

Aquitania ‘Down The Years’ (February 2008)

This short article examines Aquitania as she was in 1914 and 1938, highlighting several aspects of her accommodation that changed radically over the years.

Although a smaller vessel than her running mates, Homeric’s interiors were magnificent. Period deckplans and a few illustrations provide an interesting glimpse inside.

This dossier groups together material relating to Titanic, the ship’s local time, and her speed.

The ongoing debate regarding the third sister’s name is covered in a number of new articles, which analyse recent research into the issue. It provides a link to order a copy of ‘The Gigantic Question,’ an extensive article by Mark Chirnside and Paul Lee, published in the Titanic Historical Society’s Titanic Commutator 2008: Volume 31 Number 180: Pages 181-92.

However absurd they are, it seems there is always interest in far-fetched conspiracy theories. Fantasy seems more interesting than reality to some people.

Several models of Majestic survive today, including an interesting one at the Auckland Maritime Museum. Photos of several models, and the ship herself, are provided here with additional commentary.

An 'Olympic' Class Propulsion System (2000-01)

Mark Chirnside’s first online article summarising the design and performance of the Olympic’s engines, including information about the turbine engine material published for the first time.

Olympic's Ventilation, Heating & Lighting Systems (2001)

A summary of Olympic’s onboard systems, once again including previously unpublished information – for instance, Bruce Ismay’s involvement in the specification of the B-deck windows.

RMS Olympic: Another Premature Death? (2002)

This brief article published the first analysis of the relative running costs of Aquitania, Berengaria, Majestic and Olympic in 1934-35, arguing against the view that high maintenance costs caused Olympic’s withdrawal from service. The decline in passenger traffic due to the depression was simply too severe.

Aquitania: Changes To A Design (2003)

Some of the changes that were made to the Aquitania as a result of her performance when she entered service.

The Twenty-One Knot 'Myth' (2003)

An article arguing that the belief that the Olympic’s service speed was limited to 21 knots from 1932 onwards is a myth, and that in fact the ship’s engines were performing better than ever before during this period. Since this very brief article was written in early 2003, even more information has come to light and it has established as a matter of historical fact that Olympic was regularly driven in excess of 23 knots after 1932.

Olympic and Titanic: 'Straps' And Other Changes (2005)

As a result of some of Olympic’s experiences in a storm during January 1912, several changes were made to her sister Titanic prior to her entering service. Lessons learnt from the operation of Olympic were incorporated into her younger sister. This article is the first time that this information has been made publicly available.

The 'Olympic' Class' Expansion Joints (2005)

General information about expansion joints onboard the large liners of Olympic’s era and their performance over time, including previously unpublished information. As shipbuilders such as Harland & Wolff learned from experience, they refined their designs and increased the number of expansion joints.

Olympic and Titanic: Maiden Voyage Mysteries (2007)

An article co-authored by Mark Chirnside and Sam Halpern explores some of the navigational aspects of the maiden voyage of Olympic and her ill-fated sister. In 2006, it was discovered that there was an error in the time calculation on Olympic’s maiden voyage log card, which meant that Olympic’s average speed was understated and that the new liner performed better than anyone realised at the time.

Britannic: A Glimpse From John Riddell’s Photograph Album (2008)

Early in January 2008, Michail Michailakis and Mark Chirnside were fortunate to purchase an album maintained by John Riddell, who served onboard the hospital ship Panama during the war and took a number of photographs. Four of those photographs turned out to be unpublished images of Britannic, and there were also unique photographs of Aquitania and Mauretania. By careful analysis of the historical record, Mark Chirnside was able to date the photographs to February 4th 1916, for Britannic left Naples at 3.15 p.m. that day.

The Mystery of Titanic's Central Propeller (2008)

Towards the end of 2007, Mark Chirnside first ran across a reference to Titanic’s central propeller specifications which stated that the propeller had three blades. It has always been assumed that this propeller had four blades, as its counterpart on Olympic did in 1911, but the new material called that assumption into question. This article examines many of the pros- and cons- of such an arrangement, as well as providing new and original material.