Titanic Vs Olympic – Comparing The White Star Line Ships

The Titanic was one of the most famous ships ever built, primarily because of her tragic end. But she was not the only ocean liner launched by the White Star Line at that time.

She was the second of three ships in the Olympic Class, being preceded by the RMS Olympic.

How similar were these ships, what were the differences, and why did the Titanic become more famous? Let’s take a look…

Sister Ships

The Olympic and the Titanic were not identical ships, but they were very similar. The Olympic came first, and some tweaks were made to the design to improve the Titanic, making her a slightly more luxurious ship. They were identical in length and width, but Titanic was bigger due to a marginally larger gross tonnage.

The ships are often referred to as twin sisters because they were so similar, but they weren’t identical.

Olympic and Titanic Side Sy Side

Here’s a look at the two ships side-by-side. You can see how they look almost exactly the same.

The 8 Key Differences Between Olympic and Titanic

Here’s a look at the main differences between the two ships:

1. The Titanic was slightly larger than the Olympic

In terms of length and width, Titanic and Olympic were very similar. However, due to some changes made to the design of the Titanic, her gross tonnage was slightly larger at 46,329. This made Titanic the biggest ship in the world at the time.

When the Olympic launched, she had a gross tonnage of 45,324, so she regained the ‘biggest ship in the world’ title after her sister ship sank in 1912. She didn’t hold it for much longer though, as in 1913 she was overtaken by the German ship SS Imperator.

You can’t really tell by looking at side-by-side pictures that Titanic was slightly bigger, as they seem to be identical.

2. The Titanic was more luxurious than the Olympic

Technically, the Titanic was slightly more luxurious than the Olympic. This had not been the intention, since both ships were designed to be luxury ocean liners. But some design changes, following lessons learned from the Olympic, made Titanic more appealing to guests.

When the Olympic launched, she was in some ways a guinea pig for the new class. One of the features that didn’t quite work was a secondary promenade on B deck. Most people preferred to use the promenade on the higher A deck.

So when the Titanic was being built, the designs were modified. The secondary promenade was replaced with more first-class cabins and a couple of extra features, to make the ship a more luxurious proposition.

3. The Titanic is more well known because of the tragic sinking

The reason that the Titanic is more famous than the Olympic is purely down to her sinking, when she hit an iceberg on 14th April 1912.

The sinking of the Titanic was a genuine tragedy, with so many lives lost at sea. It sparked huge changes in the safety standards of shipping around the world. It also became a famous story, thanks to the many books written about her, the museums telling Titanic’s history and the Hollywood blockbuster movie.

The Olympic never sank, and was in operation for much longer. She survived the First World War as a troopship, then returned to civilian service. She sailed in total for 24 years before becoming unviable as a profitable ship, and was retired and sold for scrap. 

4. The Titanic was more sheltered on the Promenade Deck

Another design change made for the Titanic, following lessons learned from the Olympic, was the design of the promenade on A deck. On the Olympic, the forward section of this deck was wide open, but it was sheltered by windows on the Titanic.

This was because people walking along the promenade on the Olympic were being hit by sea spray, and getting wet a lot of the time. It was a relatively simple change to add windows to the Titanic design, to better protect those who were walking around the promenade.

5. In theory, Titanic was a safer ship

You might assume that the Titanic was a less safe ship – after all, she was the one that sank. However, the Olympic began life with exactly the same flaws as the Titanic, including a severe lack of lifeboats.

But there was one key difference which actually made the Titanic safer. Her bridge extended out on both sides, giving the senior crew a better view around the sides of the ship. On the Olympic, the bridge was flush with the sides.

So it is purely the circumstances of that particular sailing that caused the Titanic to sink and not the Olympic. Put the Olympic in the place of the Titanic, and she would have met the same fate.

This did, of course, all change after the loss of the Titanic. Olympic’s bridge was widened to make it safer, and more lifeboats were added so that passengers had a greater chance of survival if the ship was in trouble.

6. The Titanic had more dining options

The changes made to the Titanic’s design included the addition of two new dining venues. When the B promenade was removed from the design, there was space on the starboard side of that deck to add a new restaurant.

Cafe Parisien was introduced, an a la carte restaurant serving upmarket French-style cuisine. The rest of the dining venues remained the same. So for its brief tenure, Titanic had more options available to the guests who could afford to eat here.

7. The Titanic had more irregular windows

One of the few differences you can spot by looking at pictures of Titanic and Olympic is that the Titanic had more irregular port holes on B deck.

This is because of all the design changes that were made to that part of the ship during construction. It meant that the windows were spaced out less evenly.

On the Olympic, because the plans were unchanged during construction, the windows are evenly spaced across that deck.

8. The Olympic wasn’t just an ocean liner

The Titanic sank so quickly after launch that she will forever be known solely as an ocean liner. The Olympic had a much longer life, and was able to contribute to the war effort.

Olympic was originally withdrawn from service in 1912 to be modified following the Titanic disaster. In 1914 she was given some cosmetic adjustments due to the war, blocking out portholes and painted a new colour. She entered service in 1915, transporting troops where needed.

Olympic returned to commercial passenger duties in 1919, and was restored to include more modern interiors and repair damage from a torpedo strike.

Final word

Despite the ships being twins, there are a lot of differences in the designs of Titanic and Olympic, and sadly in their legacies too. The Olympic was able to see her story to the end, while the Titanic’s was cut short, along with the lives of many who sailed on her.

The Olympic was one of the first ships to learn the lessons of the Titanic with her refit in 1912. It’s a good thing that she isn’t as famous. Another major tragedy like the sinking of the Titanic could have ended the cruise industry before it really got going.

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