From the sunken 'Britannic' near Greece 119 years ago, rarities are still being recovered 0 6

After the collision of the 'Titanic' with an iceberg, the White Star Line increased the number of lifeboats on the first liner of the series, the 'Olympic', while the 'Britannic', which was in the early stages of construction, was modified to meet new safety requirements. Even this did not save the ship from tragedy.

Demand for transatlantic voyages peaked in the early 20th century, and when Cunard Line launched the 'Mauritania' and 'Lusitania', their main competitor made its move by creating a series of three liners — 'Olympic', 'Titanic', and 'Britannic'.

Much is known about the terrible fate of the 'Titanic', as the eponymous film by James Cameron became a true hit, winning 11 Oscars. The 'younger brother' of the 'Britannic', which was put into service last of the trio, did not become a legend. The news of its sinking was overshadowed by World War I, and in the annals of history, the 30 casualties on the ship were mixed with the overall number of military losses.

But why did the modified turbo ship fail to avoid catastrophe? Recently, it marked 109 years since the sinking of the 'Britannic', and we discuss which details of the tragedy still raise questions among experts.

Initially, the third liner in the series was to be named 'Gigantic', but after the 'Titanic' collided with an iceberg on the night of April 14 to 15, 1912, the plans of the White Star Line changed. And not just the name — engineers added a bulkhead in the electric engine room, which divided the ship into 17 watertight compartments.

The 'Britannic' was considered the safest liner, capable of surviving with six flooded forward compartments, but the 'Titanic' was also mistakenly dubbed unsinkable at the time... In any case, the 'younger brother' of the ship celebrated by James Cameron was given a solid deck, closing the well between the superstructure and the poop deck, and most importantly — eight pairs of davits, each capable of holding up to six lifeboats.

The new liner also featured a pneumatic mail system from the bridge to the radio room. Improvements in safety conditions, the financial crisis of the Harland and Wolff shipyard, which was fulfilling the order for the White Star Line — all of this slowed down work on the 'Britannic' and postponed its maiden voyage.

It was planned that the ship would operate between Southampton and New York, offering first-class passengers all the attributes of luxury: swimming pools, gyms, an organ in the grand hall. On February 26, 1914, the 'Britannic' was launched, but by July, cruises began to lose relevance — World War I had begun.

As the port of Southampton was requisitioned, the 'Britannic' was first sent to Belfast and then converted into a hospital ship. The luxurious furniture was replaced with 3,309 beds for the wounded, the lounge and dining room were transformed into operating rooms, and the cabins on deck were prepared for surgeons and nurses. The ship was painted white, with a green stripe and red crosses added to guarantee its inviolability. Instead of eight davits, five were installed, so standard pairs with two boats also appeared.

The captain of the liner was appointed experienced Charles Bartlett, known as Iceberg Charlie for his ability to avoid ice — a very logical decision after the tragedy of the 'Titanic'. On December 23, 2015, the 'Britannic' set off on its first voyage as a hospital ship — to the Greek port of Mudros for the wounded. This was followed by four more successful voyages, and it seemed that on November 12, 1916, nothing should go wrong...

On October 28, a German submarine had laid mines in the Kea Strait — between the island of the same name and mainland Greece. On one of the 'traps', the 'Britannic' struck on November 12 at a speed of 20 knots.

The explosion damaged the bow of the ship and ruptured the bulkheads between boilers No. 5 and No. 6, allowing water to flow beyond the four filling compartments. Additionally, portholes on the starboard side were opened for ventilation. Initially, the captain believed he could beach the ship near the island, but due to steering system malfunctions and rapid flooding, he had to abandon this idea and focus on evacuation. The distress signal was intercepted by three cruisers, but although help was close, panic ensued on board: two boats were launched before the captain's command while the ship was still moving. As a result, the lifeboats were sucked under the propeller, and 21 people died. Six died at the site of the immediate breach, and three more were killed by falling pipes.

Thirty people were buried in the sea. Nevertheless, 40 lifeboats were launched in just half an hour, and 1,036 passengers and crew members were saved. In comparison, 20 boats on the 'Titanic' took two hours to launch, as there were no new davits at that time and priority was given to women and children.

The question was different: why did the improved liner sink in 55 minutes, while the same 'Titanic' struggled against the elements for 2 hours and 40 minutes? Historians still debate whether the 'Britannic' struck a mine or whether it was a torpedo. Most believe in the first version, emphasizing that the explosion occurred in a vulnerable place — between the coal boilers. There was also a theory that the ship was secretly transporting weapons, although the Admiralty denied this.

Jacques-Yves Cousteau was the first to dissect the tragedy. Lacking sufficiently good equipment in 1975, he did not get a clear picture of the events, but he accurately determined the coordinates of the wreck and concluded that the ship was sunk due to the explosion of a German mine. Twenty years later, Robert Ballard agreed with his colleague, and scientific confirmation of the theory came in 2003.

Interest in the history of the liner continues: in May 2025, various items were raised from the 'Britannic' for the first time during a research program: the ship's bell, a signal light, a tile from the decoration of a Turkish bath, and a pair of binoculars. All of this was handed over to the National Museum of Underwater Antiquities in Piraeus.