INTRODUCTION
This is the story of the British ocean liner Britannic. Built and launched after the tragic loss of her sistership -the famous Titanic- as one of the finest vessels of her era, the Britannic never crossed the Atlantic carrying the rich and the poor to the New World. During World War I she was converted into a hospital ship and made six voyages into the Mediterranean, evacuating thousands of wounded soldiers from the Eastern Mediterranean battlefields. Despite being considered more "unsinkable" than the Titanic, she was lost in only 55 minutes. At the time of her sinking the Britannic was the largest ship in the world in active service.
Many will ask why so much attention should be given to a liner that never carried a single paying passenger and remained forgotten for decades. The easiest answer would be the link to her famous sister ship. Without any doubt many people see the Britannic as nothing more than a copy of the Titanic and this similarity attracts them to the wreck and its story. However, this point of view ignores the fact that she was actually one step ahead of the Titanic in terms of safety, despite the similar design. According to a theory, every object produced by man is designed having in mind its destruction by frequent use, by exposure to the elements or by accident. Some examples: a car must be able to pass a crash test, a building must resist earthquakes, a ship must stay afloat in case of collision or bad weather. In all these cases, it was the study of accidents that gave the necessary knowledge for their evolution. The Britannic was the evolution of the Olympic-class design as a direct result of the study of the Titanic tragedy. This was possible because the Britannic could be modified, being at the very initial stages of her construction. The sinking of a ship may help us build better ones in the future, however we come attracted to wrecks for another reason which is equally fascinating. It's the process of reconstructing the image of something by the observation of its remains. The well-preserved Britannic gives us a unique opportunity to discover many details of the Olympic-class which otherwise would remain hidden.
We should not forget that this website is also a tribute to those who served on the ship. The men and women who had the most sacred mission of all: to heal the body and the soul of the wounded soldiers, offering their medical assistance and human comfort during the long journey back to England.
Many will ask why so much attention should be given to a liner that never carried a single paying passenger and remained forgotten for decades. The easiest answer would be the link to her famous sister ship. Without any doubt many people see the Britannic as nothing more than a copy of the Titanic and this similarity attracts them to the wreck and its story. However, this point of view ignores the fact that she was actually one step ahead of the Titanic in terms of safety, despite the similar design. According to a theory, every object produced by man is designed having in mind its destruction by frequent use, by exposure to the elements or by accident. Some examples: a car must be able to pass a crash test, a building must resist earthquakes, a ship must stay afloat in case of collision or bad weather. In all these cases, it was the study of accidents that gave the necessary knowledge for their evolution. The Britannic was the evolution of the Olympic-class design as a direct result of the study of the Titanic tragedy. This was possible because the Britannic could be modified, being at the very initial stages of her construction. The sinking of a ship may help us build better ones in the future, however we come attracted to wrecks for another reason which is equally fascinating. It's the process of reconstructing the image of something by the observation of its remains. The well-preserved Britannic gives us a unique opportunity to discover many details of the Olympic-class which otherwise would remain hidden.
We should not forget that this website is also a tribute to those who served on the ship. The men and women who had the most sacred mission of all: to heal the body and the soul of the wounded soldiers, offering their medical assistance and human comfort during the long journey back to England.
Created
May 7, 2000
Last updated
February 23, 2015
LATEST ADDITIONS: 1) Reorganized the Galleries in categories for easier navigation. 2) Added photo and personal documents of Fireman Sydney Weaver in Galleries>Firemen. 3) Added a photo of an unidentified survivor's letter on Aftermath page. 4) Reorganized Crew Lists page in categories for easier navigation. 5) Uploaded lists of all known names for Nurses and RAMC personnel.
Terms of use
No exclusive contents from this website may be copied, reproduced, republished, posted, transmitted, or distributed in any way. Use of the material for any other purpose except personal use without my express written permission will be regarded as a violation of copyright. Non-exclusive contents that are not considered public domain are property of their respective owners and may also be protected by copyright laws. In this website non-exclusive contents are always used with credit to the source (and almost always under permission) for research purposes only.
This website may provide links to other World Wide Web sites or resources. Because this website has no control over such sites and resources, it is not responsible for the availability of such external sites or resources, and does not endorse and is not responsible or liable for any content, advertising, products, or other materials on or available from such sites or resources. This website shall not be responsible or liable, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with use of or reliance on any such content, goods or services available on or through any such site or resource
This website respects the intellectual property of others and asks from its visitors to do the same. If you believe that your work has been used in a way that constitutes copyright infringement, please notify me immediately in order to remove the material in question.
Contact the webmaster at: mmichai@yahoo.com
This website may provide links to other World Wide Web sites or resources. Because this website has no control over such sites and resources, it is not responsible for the availability of such external sites or resources, and does not endorse and is not responsible or liable for any content, advertising, products, or other materials on or available from such sites or resources. This website shall not be responsible or liable, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with use of or reliance on any such content, goods or services available on or through any such site or resource
This website respects the intellectual property of others and asks from its visitors to do the same. If you believe that your work has been used in a way that constitutes copyright infringement, please notify me immediately in order to remove the material in question.
Contact the webmaster at: mmichai@yahoo.com
Dedicated to the victims of the Britannic and to my father Dimitrios Michailakis [1933-1991]
