Originally developed to be the biggest of the White Star Trio of the Olympic class liners of RMS Olympic, RMS Titanic, and RMS Gigantic, the three were envisioned to be the largest and most luxurious ships ever to sail the oceans. At the time of the Britannic's launch, the ship although the largest of the three Olympians, was not the largest passenger vessel, a distinction going to HAPAG's SS Vaterland.
Unfortunately, with the Titanic disaster came an onslaught of public and regulatory changes. In order to downplay the size of the ship, the name was changed to Britannic. Other design changes were added safety features both visible and inside the ship.
Launched at the beginning of WWI, the ship never saw civil service, spending its career as a hospital ship. In November 1916 off the coast of Greece, the ship hit a German mine and sank, with minimal loss of life. The shipwreck was discovered in 1975 by Jacques Cousteau.
Titanic Inspired Changes
Originally designed to have identical dimensions as the two previous ships, the Britannic utilized many features found on the Titanic, and added to the Olympic during refitting such as enclosed promenade spaces and verandas. However, the disaster of the Titanic also led to increasing the effectiveness of the watertight bulkheads, as well as adding mechanical davits to launch more than the required amount of lifeboats, making the Britannic the safest ship afloat.
HMHS Brittanic During WWI
During the beginning of 1914, the Britannic was nearing completion in Belfast at the Harland and Wolff shipyard, same one that build both sister ships Olympic and Titanic. Although transatlantic service continued, naval contracts at shipyards were given priority treatment in order to help with the war effort. Civil ships such as the Britannic were slowed or stopped. Such was the case for the Britannic.
At first, the British admiralty decided to arm ocean liners to become armed heavy cruisers. Although some success, it was quickly deemed that the large ships were too costly to utilize in this fashion. They quickly decided to instead use these as troop transports, shipping soldiers to wherever needed at the time. After the initial toll the war took on the troops, it was then decided that these large vessels were perfect to transform into hospital ships, providing critical field hospital needs to an ever expanding front line. It also was believed in the rules of war these vessels were immune from attack, with the white, red, and green paint treatment.
Disaster Strikes
The HMHS Britannic successfully completed 5 trips from the Middle East theater back to the UK saving thousands of lives, the hospital ship was en-route to Lenmos, the ship stopped in Naples, Italy to refuel and take on additional supplies. After waiting out a storm, the ship was able to leave port in a break in the storm and managed to continue on around Greece. On the morning of November 21, 1916 an explosion rocked the ship. Knowing that the ship was in trouble, Captain Bartlett decided to attempt to ground the ship and ordered full speed to the nearest shore. Unfortunately, this exacerbated the problem and the call was ordered to abandon ship. Of the 1,065 people on board, 1,035 survived.
The Largest Liner Shipwreck on the OceaN Floor
Located in 400 feet of water, the HMHS Britannic wreck today is accessible to technical divers. However, determined to be a British War Grave, both British and Greek authorities need to provide clearance to visit the wreck.
Seemingly well preserved, the HMHS Britannic wreck has the distinction of the largest passenger vessel on the ocean floor, now that the Costa Concordia has been re-floated for scrapping. Because the ship is almost 900 feet long, and the sea floor was only 400 feet deep, during the sinking, the bow of the ship sank first and hit the sea floor before the stern became submerged, shown in the image to the right, how the prow is severely bent up and the entire bow seems to be ripped off. The damage of the initial explosion is on the opposite side of the ship, buried between the hull and the seabed. Future scientific endeavors may send lidar, sonar, and xray submersibles to scan the shipwreck to determine the full extent of the mine explosion damage.
HMHS Britannic Ship Facts
Tonnage:
Length:
Beam:
Draft:
Number of Decks:
Cruising Speed:
Max Speed:
48,158 GRT
882' - 9"
94' - 0"
34' - 7"
9
21 Knots (24 mph or 39 km/hr)
Line:
Shipyard:
Port of Registry:
Maiden Voyage:
Years in Service:
Current Status:
23 Knots (26mph or 43km/h)
Liverpool
Never entered service as an Ocean Liner
1915-1916 as a hospital ship
November 21, 1916 struck a mine near Greece and sank
HMHS Britannic during WWI
RMS Britannic had WWI not started
HMHS Britannic Frequently Asked Questions
What was the HMHS Britannic?
HMHS Britannic was a British hospital ship and the third and largest of the Olympic-class liners built by Harland and Wolff for the White Star Line. She was built as a passenger liner but was requisitioned in 1915 and served as a hospital ship in the Mediterranean before sinking in 1916. She never carried paying passengers.
Is it Britannic or Brittanic?
The correct spelling is Britannic, with one T and the n-n-i: HMHS Britannic. “Brittanic” is a common misspelling. HMHS stands for His Majesty’s Hospital Ship.
Where is the wreck of the Britannic?
The wreck lies on the seabed of the Kea Channel, in the Aegean Sea near the Greek island of Kea, at a depth of about 122 m (400 ft). She rests on her starboard side. Jacques Cousteau found her on 13 November 1975 using side-scan sonar.
Can you dive the Britannic wreck?
Yes, but only technical divers with specialist training can. The wreck lies at about 122 m (400 ft), and visits require permits. Her owner is the maritime historian Simon Mills, who bought the wreck in 1996. Always check the permit rules with the Greek authorities first.
What happened to the Britannic?
She struck a mine at 8:12 a.m. on 21 November 1916 in the Kea Channel and sank 55 minutes later, at 9:07 a.m. The mine had been laid by the German submarine U-73. She is generally listed as the largest ship lost in World War I.
How many people died on the Britannic?
Thirty of the 1,066 people aboard died, and 1,036 survived. Most of the dead were in two lifeboats that were launched too early and pulled into the ship’s turning propellers. Fishermen from Kea were first on the scene, and the Royal Navy ships HMS Scourge and HMS Heroic picked up hundreds of survivors.
Why did the Britannic sink faster than the Titanic?
She went down in 55 minutes, compared with about 2 hours 40 minutes for the Titanic. The mine blast flooded several compartments, and open portholes on the lower decks and watertight doors that failed to close let in water faster. The Titanic’s iceberg damage was slower to spread.
How was the Britannic different from the Titanic?
She was bigger, at 48,158 gross tons against the Titanic’s 46,329, and about as long (882 ft 9 in). After the Titanic sank, her design added a double hull along the engine and boiler rooms, higher watertight bulkheads and large davits that could launch six lifeboats each. She carried far more lifeboats too.
Was the Britannic a sister ship of the Titanic and the Olympic?
Yes. The three Olympic-class liners were built by Harland and Wolff in Belfast for the White Star Line. The Olympic sailed from 1911 to 1935, the Titanic sank in 1912, and the Britannic sank in 1916.
When was the Britannic launched?
She was launched on 26 February 1914, completed on 12 December 1915 and entered service as a hospital ship on 23 December 1915. Her keel had been laid on 30 November 1911.
How many patients could the Britannic carry as a hospital ship?
She was fitted with 3,309 beds. The Britannic had been designed as a luxury liner, and her first-class dining room and reception room on D Deck were converted into operating rooms. She was painted white with large red crosses and a green stripe.
What was the Britannic’s role in World War I?
She sailed to Mudros on the Greek island of Lemnos to bring back wounded from the Gallipoli campaign. She completed five successful voyages before the sixth, which ended with her sinking.
What was the Gigantic?
Gigantic is a name sometimes linked to the third Olympic-class ship during planning, before she was named Britannic.
Who was Violet Jessop?
She was a stewardess who survived the sinking of the Olympic-class ship Titanic in 1912 and was aboard the Britannic in 1916. She described the final moments of the Britannic in her memoirs.
Last edited: October 2026