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| HMHS Britannic (II) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| The Britannic as she would have looked in commercial service. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Built: 1915, Harland & Wolff, Belfast Yard No: 433 Funnels: 4 Masts: 2 Tonnage: 48,158 GRT Dimensions: 275.2 x 28.7 m / 903 x 94.0 ft Engines: Triple Expansion Plus Low Pressure Turbine by builders. Triple Screw; 60,000 IHP; 21 kn. Hull: Steel, Fcsle 130ft, bridge 560ft, poop 76ft Completed with 2,000 hospital beds. |
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| After Olympic and Titanic a third ship was projected as Gigantic, but she was instead christened Britannic because Gigantic resembled Titanic's ill-fated name too closely. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Britannic was launched on February 26, 1914 but the British Admiralty ordered the completion of the Britannic as a hospital ship on November 13, 1915. She left for her sea trials on December 8, 1915 and was then delivered and commissioned as a hospital ship on December 12, 1915. The Britannic was painted in International Red Cross colors. Her maiden voyage was to Alexandria. On November 21, 1916 the Britannic ran into a minefield laid by the German submarine U-73 in the Aegean, four nautical miles west of Port St. Nikolo, and struck a mine. The resultant explosion was on the starboard side near the bulkhead between compartments 2 and 3. For some reason unexplained, the watertight door system in the forward part of the ship failed to function. Water flowed unchecked into five compartments including the two forward boiler rooms. The Britannic sent out an SOS. Her master ordered course for the coast in order to run his ship ashore. Meanwhile a start was made on getting the 1,134 people onboard into lifeboats. Two lifeboats were shattered by the thrashing propellers which were now protruding from the water. One hour after the explosion the Britannic heeled over to starboard and sank. 21 people lost their lives, most of them in the two destroyed lifeboats. Shortly afterwards the survivors were picked up by the British cruiser Heroic, the destroyers Foxhound and Scourge, and a French tug. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| RMS Britannic (II) On The Stocks White Star Line Official Card |
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| RMS Britannic (II) Leaving The Ways White Star Line Official Card |
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| RMS Britannic (II) Launched Feb. 26th 1914 White Star Line Official Card |
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| H.M. Hospital Ship Britannic (II) Card dated 14 February 1916 |
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| RMS Britannic (II) -- Reproduction of the Souvenir Launch Booklet | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Back to White Star Line Ships | Back to White Star Line home | Return to Luxury Liners Of The Past home | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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