RMS Olympic was the first of White Star Line’s three Olympic-class ocean liners.
Harland and Wolff built Olympic in Belfast, where it was launched in October 1910. Its sister ships were Titanic and Britannic, although Britannic was originally ordered under another name before construction began. The three vessels were designed for size, comfort, and dependable service rather than record-breaking speed.
Olympic entered service in June 1911 and became the only Olympic-class ship to complete a long peacetime career. During the First World War, it served as a troopship and transported soldiers. It later returned to civilian service before being retired and scrapped in the 1930s.
A common mix-up is treating Titanic as the class leader because it is the best-known ship. In fact, Olympic was launched and entered service first, while Titanic followed in 1912.