Lesson 9 -- History and Genealogy Resources—Ancestry Library, Heritage Quest and Sanborn Maps

Advanced Challenge
1. You have heard that the Titanic had a sister ship or two and want more information, including a picture, if possible. 

I started out by clicking on the link, "Immigration and Travel". Then I went to, "Ships and Descriptions", followed by, "Passenger Ships and Images", and found that the Titanic had two sister ships.

Ship Name: Majestic Years in service: 1890-1914 Funnels: 2 Masts: 3 Shipping line: White Star Ship description: Built by Harland & Wolff, Ltd., Belfast, Ireland. Tonnage: 9,861. Dimensions: 566' x 57' (582' o.l.). Twin-screw, 20 knots. Triple expansion engines. Three masts and two funnels. History: Launched, June 29, 1889. Cost $2,000,000 to build. Maiden voyage: Liverpool-New York, April 2, 1890. Broke the trans-Atlantic speed record. Her power plant contained 16 boilers and were heated by 76 furnaces, which enabled the engines to develop 17,500 indicated horse-power. Main and mizzen masts were removed in 1902, and an intermediate mast installed instead. She was retired from active service in 1912. However due to the tragic loss of the Titanic in April of that year, she was put back in service as a replacement. Broken up for scrap at Morecambe in 1914. Sister ship: Teutonic.

View ship image(s) Ship Name: Olympic Years in service: 1911-1934 Funnels: 4 Masts: 2 Shipping line: White Star Ship description: Built by Harland & Wolff, Ltd., Belfast, Ireland. Tonnage: 45,324. Dimensions: 852' x 92' (882' o.l.). Triple-screw, 23 knots. Triple expansion engines and one low pressure steam turbine. Two masts and four funnels. History: Laid down on December 16, 1908. Launched, October 20, 1910. Note: From keel to top of funnels 175 feet. Navigating bridge was 104 feet above keel. Displacement of 60,000 tons. Draft of 34 1/2 feet. The promenade deck had an extreme breadth of 94 feet. The bower anchors weighed 7 3/4 tons each. The centre anchor weighed 15 1/2 tons. Cost $7,500,000 to build. Passengers: 1,054 first, 510 second, 1,020 third. The crew numbered 860. Maiden voyage: Southampton-New York, June 14, 1911. Rammed and holed by the British cruiser Hawke, September 20, 1911, but was not seriously damaged. After the sinking of the Titanic, her construction was altered. The changes increased her tonnage to 46,439. Served as a troopship in World War I. Thoroughly reconditioned in 1921, including conversion to burning oil fuel. She rammed and sunk the well-known lightship Nantucket off the New England coast, May 16, 1934, during a thick fog. The seven members of the lightship crew were lost. The great liner was withdrawn from service in March 1935 and sold to British shipbreakers later in the year. The scrapped hulk was finally dismantled in 1937. Sister ship:Titanic. View ship image(s)