Editing RMS Olympic (section)

== Background and construction ==
[[File:Olympic under construction.JPG|thumb|left|''Olympic'' under construction, {{circa|1909}}. The [[Arrol Gantry]] can be seen towering over the ship. {{Ship|2=Titanic}}'s keel is visible to the left.]]
Built in [[Belfast]], Ireland<!--DO NOT ALTER, Northern Ireland did not exist in 1912!-->,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://discovernorthernireland.com/things-to-do/attractions/titanic/rms-brittanicolympic-and-titanic/|title = Things to do in Northern Ireland}}</ref> ''Olympic'' was the first of the three {{sclass|Olympic|ocean liner|1}}s – the others being {{Ship|2=Titanic}} and {{HMHS|Britannic|3=2}}.{{sfn|Chirnside|2004|p=319}} They were the largest vessels built for the British shipping company [[White Star Line]], which was a fleet of 29 steamers and tenders in 1912.{{sfn|Beveridge|Hall|2004|p=27}} The three ships had their genesis in a discussion in mid-1907 between the White Star Line's chairman, [[J. Bruce Ismay]], and the American financier [[J. Pierpont Morgan]], who controlled the White Star Line's parent corporation, the [[International Mercantile Marine Co.]] The White Star Line faced a growing challenge from its main rivals [[Cunard Line|Cunard]], which had just launched {{RMS|Lusitania||2}} and {{RMS|Mauretania|1906|2}} – the fastest passenger ships then in service – and the German lines [[Hamburg America Line|Hamburg America]] and [[Norddeutscher Lloyd]].<ref>{{harvnb|Le Goff|1998|pp=32–33}}.</ref> Ismay preferred to compete on size and economics rather than speed and proposed to commission a new class of liners that would be bigger than anything that had gone before as well as being the last word in comfort and luxury. The company sought an upgrade in their fleet primarily in response to the largest Cunarders but also to replace their largest and now outclassed ships from 1890, {{RMS|Teutonic}} and {{RMS|Majestic|1889|6}}. The former was replaced by ''Olympic'' while ''Majestic'' was replaced by ''Titanic''. ''Majestic'' would be brought back into her old spot on White Star's New York service after ''Titanic''{{'}}s loss.
[[File:Olympic Titanic Belfast.jpg|left|thumb|''Olympic'' painted grey and ready for launching, {{circa|1910|lk=no}}. {{Ship|2=Titanic}}, under construction, is visible to the left.]]
The ships were built in Belfast by [[Harland & Wolff]], who had a long-established relationship with the White Star Line dating back to 1867.<ref>{{harvnb|Chirnside|2004|p=18}}.</ref> Harland and Wolff were given a great deal of latitude in designing ships for the White Star Line; the usual approach was for the latter to sketch out a general concept which the former would take away and turn into a ship design. Cost considerations were relatively low on the agenda and Harland and Wolff was authorised to spend what it needed on the ships, plus a five per cent profit margin.{{sfn|Bartlett|2011|p=25}} In the case of the ''Olympic''-class ships, a cost of £3&nbsp;million for the first two ships was agreed plus "extras to contract" and the usual five per cent fee.{{sfn|Hutchings|de Kerbrech|2011|p=12}}

Harland and Wolff put their designers to work designing the ''Olympic''-class vessels. It was overseen by [[William Pirrie, 1st Viscount Pirrie|Lord Pirrie]], a director of both Harland and Wolff and the White Star Line; [[Naval architecture|naval architect]] [[Thomas Andrews (shipbuilder)|Thomas Andrews]], the managing director of Harland and Wolff's design department; Edward Wilding, Andrews' deputy and responsible for calculating the ship's design, stability and trim; and [[Alexander Carlisle]], the shipyard's chief draughtsman and general manager.{{sfn|Hutchings|de Kerbrech|2011|p=14}} Carlisle's responsibilities included the decorations, equipment and all general arrangements, including the implementation of an efficient [[lifeboat (shipboard)|lifeboat]] [[davit]] design.{{sfn|McCluskie|1998|p=20}}<ref name=MC19>{{harvsp|Chirnside|2004|p=19}}.</ref>

[[File:Launch of Olympic.jpg|thumb|left|The launch of ''Olympic'' on 20 October 1910]]
On 29 July 1908, Harland and Wolff presented the drawings to Bruce Ismay and other White Star Line executives. Ismay approved the design and signed three "letters of agreement" two days later authorising the start of construction.{{sfn|Eaton|Haas|1995|p=55}} At this point the lead ship – which was later to become ''Olympic'' – had no name, but was referred to simply as "Number 400", as it was Harland and Wolff's four hundredth hull. ''Titanic'' was based on a revised version of the same design and was given the number 401.{{sfn|Eaton|Haas|1995|p=56}} Bruce Ismay's father [[Thomas Henry Ismay]] had previously planned to build a ship named ''Olympic'' as a sister ship to {{RMS|Oceanic|1899|2}}. The senior Ismay died in 1899 and the order for the ship was cancelled.<ref>[http://www.thegreatoceanliners.com/oceanic2.html Oceanic II] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170521021644/http://www.thegreatoceanliners.com/oceanic2.html |date=21 May 2017 }} – thegreatoceanliners.com</ref>

Construction of ''Olympic'' began three months before ''Titanic'' to ease pressures on the shipyard. Several years would pass before ''Britannic'' would be launched. To accommodate the construction of the class, Harland and Wolff upgraded their facility in Belfast; the most dramatic change was the combining of three slipways into two larger ones. ''Olympic'' and ''Titanic'' were constructed side by side.<ref name=MC19/> ''Olympic''{{'}}s [[keel]] was laid on 16 December 1908 and she was launched on 20 October 1910, without having been christened beforehand.{{sfn|Chirnside|2004|p=319}} By tradition, the White Star Line never christened any of their vessels and for the launch the hull was painted in a light grey colour for photographic purposes; a common practice of the day for the first ship in a new class, as it made the lines of the ship clearer in the black-and-white photographs.<ref>{{harvnb|Piouffre|2009|p=52}}.</ref> The launch was filmed both in black and white and in [[Kinemacolor]], with only the black and white footage surviving.<ref>{{Cite web |last=McKernan |first=Luke |title=Twenty famous films |url=https://www.charlesurban.com/films_twenty.html |access-date= |website=Charles Urban}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=http://archive.org/details/McGillLibrary-rbsc_catalogue-kinemacolor_ColgateIXNaturalColor-17612 |title=Catalogue of Kinemacolor Film Subjects |publisher=McGill University Library |year=1913 |pages=78–79 |language=}}</ref> The launches of ''Titanic'' and ''Britannic'' were also filmed, though only ''Britannic'''s survived.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.williammurdoch.net/articles_30_olympic_class_film_archive.html#1|title = "Olympic Class" Film Archive (1908–1937) &#124; William Murdoch}}</ref> Her hull was repainted black following the launch.<ref name="thegreatoceanliners"/> The ship was then dry-docked for fitting out.

[[File:RMS Olympic's propellers.jpg|thumb|272x272px|''Olympic''{{'s}} propellers (1924)]]
''Olympic'' was driven by three propellers. The two three-bladed wing propellers were driven by two triple-expansion engines, while the four-bladed central propeller was driven by a turbine that used recovered steam escaping from the triple-expansion engines.<ref>{{harvnb|Chirnside|2004|pp=29–30}}.</ref> The use of escaped steam was tested on the {{SS|Laurentic|1909|6}} two years earlier.<ref>[http://www.geocities.com/White_Star_Liners/Laurentic-I.html « SS ''Laurentic'' (I) »], ''White Star Liners''. Accessed 29 June 2009.</ref>