R.M.S. - H.M.H.S. Britannic launched this day in history 26th Feb 1914

 R.M.S. Britannic , was one of the last of the White Star Lines "Olympic class" liners to be launched at the Harland and Wolff shipyard Belfast.

The day she was launched, White Star announced that it would begin sailing the Southampton-New York route in the spring of 1915, but the outbreak of World War One changed this and it was converted into a hospital ship with over 3,300 beds. On 8 December she was handed over in International Red Cross livery. The Britannic arrived at Liverpool, from Belfast, on 12 December 1915, but it did not leave on its maiden voyage to Mudros until 23 December.

 The Britannic was the sister ship to the Olympic and Titanic, although it never ran on the North Atlantic. There is a story that it was originally to have been named Gigantic. The White Star Line always denied it but the legend has never been definitely proved or disproved. Its completion was delayed pending the outcome of the court enquiry into the Titanic disaster. As a result of this extra safety features were added.

What of her fate:

On 12 November 1916 the Britannic left Southampton and, after bunkering at Naples on the 17th, on the 21st she ran into a mine field in the Zea Channel, 4 miles west of Port St.Nikolo, Kea. The mines had been laid by a German submarine U-73 and despite the fact that the Channel had been swept the day before some mines obviously still remained. The ship was rattled by an explosion below the bridge and the forward part flooded when the water-tight doors failed to function.

As it settled by the head abandon ship was ordered. Two boats were lowered and slashed by the still rotating propellers killing 30. One hour after the explosion the ship keeled over to starboard and sank. The survivors were picked up by the escorting destroyers Foxhound and Scourge and the armed merchant cruiser Heroic. Two of the survivors had also been aboard the Titanic. The light cruiser HMS Foresight berthed at Port St. Nikolo and the French tug Goliath also assisted in the rescue. Captain Bartlett was the last to leave the ship and only 30 people died from the large number on board.

Fact

The Britannic was the largest ever, 48,158 tons, British Merchant Service war loss.