Moments later, the lifeboat and thirty of its occupants were severed to pieces, killed upon impact by Britannic's propeller. None succeeded, except for the famous 'Unsinkable' Violet Jessop. The occupants of the lifeboat immediately sealed their fates and were all well aware of it, with some individuals beginning to jump out in order to swim to safety. The lifeboat was set free by one of its occupants, and it gradually lowered into the water, right into the path of Britannic's massive 38 1/2-ton solid bronze propeller. Unbeknownst to them, this area loomed over the starboard propeller. This davit was lowered and people began boarding the lifeboat. Bartlett had originally planned to beach Britannic on the island of Kea, just 5 miles away, although he was not completely sure about the definitive time it would take for Britannic to founder, so he abandoned this idea, and continued to let Britannic's engines operate.įifteen minutes later, at 8:45, thirty-one people attempted to lower a lifeboat from Britannic's starboard side via the aft gantry davit. These suites were completely filled within 20-25 minutes (by approximately 8:32-37 A.M.), and also contributed to the developing starboard list.īy 8:30 that mornning, Britannic's propellers were still churning halfway out of the water, guiding her forward at a speed of approximately 5-10 knots, since the hub of the outboard propellers were exposed, it greatly reduced the effectiveness of the propellers. Unfortunately, two of these doors malfunctioned it is not known exactly which ones, but the two that remained open allowed water to progress through Britannic's superstructure, contributing greatly to the acceleration of the sinking.Īgainst Captain Charles Alfred Bartlett's orders, nurses left the nursing suite portholes open in the E deck nursing suits, and they remained open over the course of Britannic's sinking, which essentially allowed water to pour into the nursing suite cabins. Shortly after the collision with the mine, attempts to close the watertight doors were nearly a complete success. On the morning of November 21, 1916, Britannic was sailing in the Kea Channel when an explosion by a mine rocked the ship after a collision at approximately 8:12 A.M. She was sent to the Britannic never saw passenger service. Britannic was launched just before the start of the First World War in 1914 and was laid up at her builders in Belfast for many months before finally being put to use as a hospital ship after being requisitioned by the Royal Navy in 1915.

Titanic which sank on April 14-15, 1912 after hitting an iceberg. Britannic was one of the Olympic-class ocean liners of White Star Line, with her sisters being the R.M.S.

Britannic, as she appeared in her hospital livery.

Rms brittanic for virtual sailor 7