The White Swan Hotel

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The White Swan Hotel was chosen for our reunion for a very specific reason. Before I get to exactly what it is, I’d like to take you on a bit of a historical journey. So jump back with us to 1908.

Three Sisters

The White Star Line designed a class of ocean liners that would bring luxury to the sea. They were to be the RMS Olympic, RMS Titanic, and RMS Britannic. On 16 December 1908, Olympic’s keel was laid, and the adventure began.

The Olympic and the Titanic were built side-by-side and were near identical. The Titanic was a smidge longer than Olympic but weighed a considerable deal more. They were built from the same core design, but lessons were learned after launching Olympic, and changes were made to Titanic and, later, Britannic. After seeing what areas weren’t used by passengers on board Olympic, they could adjust the later ships to better use the square footage.

Olympic launched on 20 October 1910. Titanic was launched on 31 May 1911. Britannic was launched on 26 February 1914. Titanic ultimately overshadowed her sisters when she sank on her maiden voyage in 1912. Most people know her story, and her sisters are left in the background.

HMHS Britannic

Britannic, the baby sister of the trio, never saw commercial service. She was launched in early 1914 and was scheduled to begin her commercial runs the next year. Fate would intervene. WWI broke out that November and the new ship was requisitioned as a hospital ship the following year instead. HMHS Britannic was on her sixth voyage on 21 November 1916 when she struck a mine off the coast of the island of Kea. She sank within the hour. 30 souls were lost, but miraculously, more than 1030 were rescued.

RMS Olympic

The Olympic had a successful launch and maiden voyage. She sailed smoothly from England to New York and was met with wonder and praise. She had easy success until her 5th voyage in September 1911. While cruising alongside the HMS Hawke, Olympic turned to starboard. The HMS Hawke was caught off guard and couldn’t correct course quickly enough. The ships collided, both taking serious damage. Olympic limped to port under her own power, driving home the ‘unsinkable’ reputation. She was out of commission for the next 8 weeks while being repaired.

After Titanic sank in April 1912, Olympic was again sent to be refitted. This time, extra precautionary measures were taken to avoid the same fate that Titanic suffered should an accident occur. Thankfully, they were never tested by accident at sea.

Olympic During Wartime

Olympic still ran as a commercial liner when WWI broke out. That wasn’t long to last and she ran her last commercial voyage on 21 October 1914. Towards the end of that voyage, she responded to a distress call from HMS Audacious, who had struck a mine off the coast of Tory Island. Olympic took on 250 crewmembers from the floundering ship and worked with other ships in the area to try and attach a tow cable. After the third failed attempt, with water rushing aboard the stricken ship, the rest of the crew of HMS Audacious were evacuated. Shortly after, an explosion was heard, and the doomed ship sank into the depths.

In May 1915, Olympic would be requisitioned to be used as a troopship. She was stripped of her luxuries, fitted with massive guns, and was able to carry 6,000 troops. 1n 1917, she received dazzle colors in brown, dark blue, light blue, and white. These markings made it harder to estimate a ship’s speed and heading. In May 1918, Olympic sunk a U-boat by practically running it over and slicing it with her propellers. Her impeccable service during WWI earned her the nickname ‘Old Reliable”.

Post-War

When the war was over, Olympic was set to return to her commercial liner work. She was sent back to Harland & Wolff in Belfast, and refitting began. She received modern updates, including oil-burning boilers, a shift away from coal. Olympic was the only surviving sister when she took on her first commercial voyage in 1920. She ferried the rich and famous, as well as regular folk, across the Atlantic for nearly 4 years without incident. In March of 1924, she collided with Fort St George, a small liner, in New York. While initially thought she got away with only minor damage, it was later discovered that her sternpost had been fractured and the entire stern frame needed to be replaced.

She carried on through the years, changing and adjusting with the times and the needs of passengers. Old Reliable always adapted. She gave everything she could to make her passengers happy, and she did so for 24 years. Finally, she couldn’t change enough to fit the market. The Great Depression affected every corner of the world, including Olympic. With fewer and fewer passengers, the Olympic was finding it hard to keep up. She was no longer the queen of the sea. There were faster, more up-to-date ships that she simply couldn’t compete with. And then, one final accident marked her downfall.

Nantucket Lightship

On the foggy night of 15 May 1934, Olympic plowed into the Nantucket lightship off the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. The ship was placed there to mark the shoals and safeguard ships away from them. The fog proved too thick, however, and Olympic couldn’t see her. When they collided, the Olympic wreaked massive destruction. The smaller boat was cleaved in half and lost seven crew members when the ship sank.

Just days earlier, the White Star Line and Cunard Line merged. This meant that funds could be put towards building RMS Queen Mary and RMS Queen Elizabeth. These two ships would become the flagships of the express service, and the older ships, including Olympic, were set to retire.

On 5 April 1935, Olympic left New York for the last time. The companies thought about saving her for summer cruises but eventually decided to sell her. She was finally sold to Sir John Jarvis, a member of Parliament. On 11 October 1935, Olympic left Southampton for the last time and headed to Jarrow, where from 1935 to 1937, her superstructure was demolished. In September 1937, her hull was towed to another yard for final demolition. By late 1937, she was no more. When she was taken for the final demolition, the ship’s engineer was quoted as saying, “I could understand the necessity if the ‘Old Lady’ had lost her efficiency, but the engines are as sound as they ever were.”

In her lifetime, she traveled 1.8 million miles, carrying 430,000 passengers on 257 round trips.

Click here for an incredibly moving video of Olympic’s last years and shots from her long life.

All Is Not Lost

Before she was taken to be demolished, many of the Olympic’s fittings were sold at auction. At last, we come to The White Swan Hotel. The owner of The White Swan Hotel made, in our opinion, a very wise purchase. He bought the entirety of the first-class lounge, part of the aft grand staircase, and the revolving door that once led into the lounge. The door is now the entrance to the hotel. The stairs lead up through the floors of The White Swan Hotel. In the Olympic Suite, the paneling, ceiling, mirror, and stained glass windows all came from Olympic. Here, you can marvel at the beauty that these grand ships once were. On our first day there, I remember whispering in awe that this would be the closest I’d ever be to standing on Titanic. It’s an incredible room that, for our group, held so much meaning.

Over the nights that we spent there, I often tried to picture standing in that room and feeling the ocean rocking beneath me. These ships were pure beauty and opulence. We’ll never forget our stay at The White Swan Hotel and the wonderful gift it gave us. We got to appreciate and honor the Olympic while simultaneously honoring Titanic and, for a few nights, imagining what it would have been like to sail these two grand ships.
Cheers,
Lydia and Billy