H.M.H.S. Britannic, as she appeared in her hospital livery.
The H.M.H.S. Britannic was one of the Olympic-class ocean liners of White Star Line, with her sisters being the R.M.S. Olympic and the infamous liner R.M.S. Titanic which sank on April 14-15, 1912 after hitting an iceberg.
H.M.H.S. 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. She was sent to the Britannic never saw passenger service.
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.
Shortly after the collision with the mine, attempts to close the watertight doors were nearly a complete success. 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.
Against 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. These suites were completely filled within 20-25 minutes (by approximately 8:32-37 A.M.), and also contributed to the developing starboard list.
Britannic in the Kea Channel.
By 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. 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.
Fifteen minutes later, at 8:45, thirty-one people attempted to lower a lifeboat from Britannic's starboard side via the aft gantry davit. This davit was lowered and people began boarding the lifeboat. Unbeknownst to them, this area loomed over the starboard propeller.
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. 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. None succeeded, except for the famous "Unsinkable" Violet Jessop. Moments later, the lifeboat and thirty of its occupants were severed to pieces, killed upon impact by Britannic's propeller. Groups of escapees from Britannic floating in the security of their lifeboats observed in horror at the spectacle, and Bartlett was immediately notified of the occurrence by a crew member. He ceased the engines minutes after.
Depiction of Britannic as she may have appeared while sinking.
Britannic continued to drift continually through the channel at approximately 3-5 knots. Britannic's forward motion allowed an additional amount of water to spill into the superstructure, further intensifying her list. At 9:00, 48 minutes after the collision, seawater was present on both A deck and the boat deck of the Britannic, and the bridge began filling with water as Bartlett sounded Britannic's whistle one last time.
The list Britannic had developed was so severe, that her stern had completely risen out of the water; still propellers exposed in all their might. The power eventually failed due to water shortages, and all lights flickered briefly. By then, Britannic's bow had dug into the seafloor due to the channel's shallow depth, and the flooding water within her began shifting to her starboard side.
Seven minutes later, a horrendous groaning sound emitted from within Britannic, as she violently crashed onto her starboard side and into the sea; funnels collapsing and deck machinery tumbling into the water. Britannic quickly submerged and fell onto the seafloor. All lifeboat occupants observed the second spectacle in bewildered shock, as the 48,000-ton liner they were once aboard, sank into the sea nearly an hour later.
• Edited by Christopher R, [1/9/15].
• © Image provided by Christopher R.
• © Ship model of H.M.H.S. Britannic 1916 is made by M.O.S. Enjoyment.