Search results for ""White Star""

A work by the author of "White Star" and "From Empty Harbour to White Ocean".

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SS Nomadic was commissioned by White Star Line to serve the Olympic-class liners Olympic, Titanic and Britannic when they called in Cherbourg. Built in Belfast alongside Titanic, she was made with the same steel, built by the same workers and decorated by the same craftsmen. Because her duties were to serve first- and second-class passengers, she was fitted out far more luxuriously than other tenders of that time and she was considered by the White Star Line as a window into the sumptuous new transatlantic liners. While Titanic is commonly described as the ill-fated White Star Liner, SS Nomadic can without any doubt be qualified as the lucky tender, having survived both world wars and escaped destruction many times. She is now restored to her former glory as a tourist attraction in Belfast.

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An examination of one of the most famous ships of all time, from a refreshingly different angle. Compiled from authentic period sources with nostalgic illustrations. Launched in May 1911, the triple-screw steamer Titanic was the pride of the White Star Line and at that time the largest passenger ship in the world. Built to carry passengers in comfort and luxury on the lucrative transatlantic route, her design, fittings and on-board facilites epitomised the spirit of the age in terms of elegance and style. Titanic: A Passenger's Guide is a unique guide to all aspects of the ship, incorporating authentic period literature – from sources including White Star Line themselves, Harland & Wolff shipyards, and important publications from the time.

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The Titanic is one of the most famous maritime disasters of all time, but did the Titanic really sink on the morning of 15 April 1912? Titanic’s older sister, the nearly identical Olympic, was involved in a serious accident in September 1911 ­– an accident that may have made her a liability to her owners the White Star Line. Since 1912 rumours of a conspiracy to switch the two sisters in an elaborate insurance scam has always loomed behind the tragic story of the Titanic. Could the White Star Line have really switched the Olympic with her near identical sister in a ruse to intentionally sink their mortally damaged flagship in April 1912, in order to cash in on the insurance policy? Laying bare the famous conspiracy theory, world-respected Titanic researchers investigate claims that the sister ships were switched in an insurance scam and provide definitive proof for whether it could - or could not - have happened.

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RMS Majestic's history was shaped by war. Built in Germany for Albert Ballin's HAPAG, she was launched just before the start of the First World War as Bismarck. Following Germany's defeat, she was allocated to the United Kingdom and purchased by the White Star Line from the British government. Renamed Majestic, she earned the affectionate nickname The Magic Stick' during the Roaring Twenties, when she was the largest and one of the most popular liners in the world. The merger of the Cunard and White Star Lines and the Depression of the Thirties led to her withdrawal from service after only fourteen years, after which the British government acquired her as a naval training ship. She became Caledonia and served until fire consumed her in September 1939.RMS Majestic: The Magic Stick' was the first book devoted to her history. This revised and expanded edition is a lavish illustration of her life and times, showcasing many rare or previously unp

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The intensifying competition on the North Atlantic in the early years of the twentieth century led the White Star Line to order three huge liners. While their British rival, the Cunard Line, focused on speed, White Star concentrated on size and luxury. Orders were placed for Olympic and Titanic to be built at Harland & Wolff ’s yard in Belfast, while the third sister ship, Britannic, would follow at a later date. Each ship was subtly different. Lessons learned from the service of Olympic were put into practice for Titanic, as other shipping lines immediately began to plan their response. Following Titanic’s loss on her maiden voyage, radical improvements were made to the third sister ship, improving the watertight subdivision. These changes, however, did not prevent Britannic sinking in less than an hour in the Aegean in 1916, while serving as a hospital ship for the war effort. Illustrated with many rare images of all three ships, including a brand new colour section, this revised and expanded edition brings the story up to date, providing a comprehensive history in one volume.

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'There is no danger that Titanic will sink. The boat is unsinkable and nothing but inconvenience will be suffered by the passengers.' - Phillip Franklin, White Star Line Vice-PresidentOn April 15th, 1912, Titanic, the world's largest passenger ship, sank after colliding with an iceberg, claiming more than 1,500 lives. Walter Lord's classic bestselling history of the voyage, the wreck and the aftermath is a tour de force of detailed investigation and the upstairs/downstairs divide. A Night to Remember provides a vivid, gripping and deeply personal account of the 'unsinkable' Titanic's descent.WITH A NEW FOREWORD BY JULIAN FELLOWES

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Today's Mobil Oil Company is made up of several oil companies that were bought or absorbed over the years. This book shows a little history of Mobil as it evolved to include names like White Eagle, Vacuum Oil, Socony, General Petroleum, Magnolia, Lubrite, Wadhams, Gilmore and White Star. Here is a diverse assortment of Mobil products of both yesterday and today, including cans, signs, automotive care, toys, and other promotional items, all in color photography and with current price information. Collecting petroleum memorabilia is an ever-growing hobby enjoyed by many people of different lifestyles. Whether you collect Mobil or all oil brands, this book is for anyone who can't stop chasing the red horse!

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Starting from its original conception and design by the owners and naval architects at the White Star Line through construction at Harland and Wolff's shipyards in Belfast, Nick Barratt explores the pre-history of the Titanic. He examines the aspirations of the owners, the realities of construction and the anticipation of the first sea-tests, revealing that the seeds of disaster were sown by the failure to implement sealed bulkheads - for which the original plans are now available. Barratt then looks at what it was like to embark on the Titanic's maiden voyage in April 1912. The lives of various passengers are examined in more detail, from the first class aristocrats enjoying all the trappings of privilege, to the families in third-class and steerage who simply sought to leave Britain for a better life in America. Similarly, the stories of representatives from the White Star Line who were present, as well as members of the crew, are told in their own words to give a very different perspective of the voyage.Finally, the book examines the disaster itself, when Titanic struck the iceberg on 14 April and sunk hours later. Survivors from passengers and crew explain what happened, taking you back in time to the full horror of that freezing Atlantic night when up to 1,520 people perished. The tragedy is also examined from the official boards of enquiry, and its aftermath placed in a historic context - the damage to British prestige and pride, and the changes to maritime law to ensure such an event never took place again. The book concludes by looking at the impact on those who escaped, and what became of them in the ensuing years; and includes the words of the last living survivor, Millvina Dean.

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Once, the output of such yards as Harland & Wolff and Workman, Clark was vital business of national and international importance. The Harland & Wolff yard had a long association of building ships for the White Star Line, culminating in the three largest passenger vessels of the Edwardian era, Olympic, Titanic and Britannic, as well as others for the International Mercantile Marine Co.This beautifully illustrated volume from Richard P. de Kerbrech and David L. Williams covers aspects of the construction and the skilled craftsmen that worked on these ships, and many others, from the Edwardian era to the 1920s, revelling in atmospheric views of the boiler shop, foundry, machine shop and slipways, as well as many successful launchings. The rich array of images showcases the labour-intensive heavy engineering and shipyard practices that were once part of Belfast’s major industry, now sadly no more.

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Destined for fame, Surfer Dude is known to many who looked for this colt while crossing the bridge to Assateague Island and the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge. The story of this beloved wild stallion, who cared for his herd of mares over a lifetime on Chincoteague Island, is beautifully illustrated in vivid detail, from his distinctive blue eye to his white star and stripe, silver mane and tail, and chocolatey chestnut coat. His passing at the ripe age of twenty-three in the spring of 2015 touched people from across the United States and beyond. But the spirit of his gentle nature and the way he loved his foals lives on. His spirit lingers in breezes that ruffle the island grasses and in the sunbeams that warm the island ponies, and is celebrated in this story of love and the circle of life.

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At the beginning of the twentieth century, competition between the North Atlantic shipping lines was fierce. While Britain responded to the commercial threat posed by the growing German merchant marine, there was also rivalry between the great Cunard Line and its chief competitor, the White Star Line. Against this backdrop Olympic, Titanic and Britannic were conceived. Designed for passenger comfort, they were intended to provide luxurious surroundings and safe, reliable service rather than record-breaking speed. Ironically, fate decreed that only Olympic would ever complete a single commercial voyage and she went on to serve for a quarter of a century in peace and war. Titanic’s name would become infamous after she sank on her maiden voyage. The third sister, Britannic, saw a brief and commendable career as a hospital ship during the First World War, sinking in the Aegean Sea in 1916.

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Commander Edward John Smith's career had been a remarkable example of how a man from a humble background could get far in the world. Born to a working-class family in the landlocked Staffordshire Potteries, he went to sea at the age of 17 and rose rapidly through the ranks of the merchant navy, serving first in sailing vessels and later in the new steamships of the White Star Line. By 1912, he as White Star's senior commander and regarded by many in the shipping world as the 'millionaire's captain'. In 1912, Smith was given command of the new RMS Titanic for her maiden voyage, but what should have been among the crowning moments of his long career at sea turned rapidly into a nightmare following Titanic's collision with an iceberg. In a matter of hours the supposedly unsinkable ship sank, taking over 1,500 people with her, including Captain Smith.

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When she set sail from Southampton on her maiden voyage to New York on 10 April 1912, RMS Titanic, the pride of the White Star fleet, was the largest ocean liner in the world. Deemed 'practically unsinkable' because of her double-bottomed hull and watertight compartments, she carried over 2,000 passengers and crew, although only sufficient lifeboats for just over half that number. Four days out of Southampton, on the night of 14 April, she struck an iceberg in the North Atlantic and sank within a matter of hours; around 1,500 lives were lost. Logan Marshall interviewed the survivors in the immediate aftermath of the disaster and in this book he recorded the facts as they were known. Well established as part of the canon of Titanic literature, this book is a must-have for anyone with an interest in the ship and her sorrowful fate.

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Deeply moving and rich with vivid detail . . . Timothy Schaffert is an exquisite storyteller. —Lara Prescott, New York Times bestselling author of The Secrets We Kept From the author of The Perfume Thief, a remarkable tale about the life-changing power of books and second chances, following the Titanic librarian who opens a bookshop in Paris where he meets a secret society of survivors.For weeks after the sinking of the Titanic, Yorick spots his own name among the list of those lost at sea. As an apprentice librarian for the White Star Line, his job was to curate the ship’s second-class library. But the day the Titanic set sail he was left stranded at the dock.After the ship’s sinking, Yorick takes this twist of fate as a sign to follow his lifelong dream of owning a bookshop in Paris. Soon after, he receives an invitation to a secret society of survivors where he encounters

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NATIONAL BESTSELLER • From the author of The Perfume Thief, a remarkable tale about the life-changing power of books and second chances, following the Titanic librarian who opens a bookshop in Paris where he meets a secret society of survivors.Deeply moving and rich with vivid detail . . . Timothy Schaffert is an exquisite storyteller.—Lara Prescott, New York Times bestselling author of The Secrets We KeptFor weeks after the sinking of the Titanic, Yorick spots his own name among the list of those lost at sea. As an apprentice librarian for the White Star Line, his job was to curate the ship’s second-class library. But the day the Titanic set sail he was left stranded at the dock.After the ship’s sinking, Yorick takes this twist of fate as a sign to follow his lifelong dream of owning a bookshop in Paris. Soon after, he receives an invitation to a secret society of survivors w

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During the early twentieth century, professional gamblers were such a scourge in the smoking rooms of trans-Atlantic passenger liners that White Star Line warned its passengers about them. In spring 1912 three professional gamblers travelled from the USA to England for the sole purpose of returning to America on the maiden voyage of Titanic. "Kid" Homer, "Harry" Rolmane and "Boy" Bradley (Harry Homer, Charles Romaine and George Brereton) were grifters with a long history of living on the wrong side of the law, who planned to utilize their skills at the card table to relieve fellow passengers of cash. One swiftly fell under suspicion of being a professional "card mechanic", and was excluded from some poker games, but other games continued apace. This new book, the result of years of research by George Behe, reveals the true identities of these gamblers, their individual backgrounds, the ruses they used, and their ultimate fates after tragedy struck, as well as providing an intriguing insight into a bygone age.

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On 15 April 1912, passengers stood on a dimly lit Boat Deck, looking down at the lifeboats they were told to enter. In the freezing air, away from the warmth of the interior, they had to decide whether to enter a boat that would be lowered into darkness or remain on an ‘unsinkable’ ship.RMS Titanic in 50 Objects is a look at the world-famous liner through the objects that tell her story. Sheet music recovered from the body of a musician, a full-sized replica of her First Class Entrance Hall clock, a lifeboat from a fellow White Star Line ship – all of these objects and more come together to tell not only the tragedy of the ship herself, but also that of her passengers and crew. Lavishly illustrated and extensively researched by two of the world’s most foremost Titanic experts, this is her history brought to life like never before.**

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Oceanic was the largest ship in the world when she was launched in 1899. The White Star Line’s ‘Ship of the Century’, she was their last express liner before the Olympic and Titanic and her lavish first-class accommodation became renowned among Atlantic travellers. Serving on the company’s express service for fifteen years, she earned a reputation for running like clockwork. Days after the outbreak of war, she was commissioned into the Royal Navy and converted into an armed merchant cruiser. However, her new-found status was not to last – she grounded on the rocks off Foula, in the Shetlands, within weeks and became a total loss. When she was wrecked, she had on board Charles Lightoller, Titanic’s senior surviving officer. Oceanic: White Star’s ‘Ship of the Century’ is the first book that looks at the entire career of this one-of-a-kind flagship. With human anecdotes, hitherto unpublished material and rare illustrations, Mark Chirnside’s book is a beautiful tribute to a unique ocean liner.

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The largest, most luxurious ship in the world, wrecked on her maiden voyage after colliding with an iceberg mid-Atlantic, has become the stuff of legends. While everyone knows the new White Star liner was glamorous, full of millionaires when she sank, few appreciate just how luxurious she was. Even in Third Class, the accommodation was better than on First Class on many older ships. For the first time, Bruce Beveridge, Steve Hall, Scott Andrews and Daniel Klistorner look at the construction and exterior of the ship itself, and at her interior design and fittings. From cobalt blue Spode china and Elkington plate silverware in the à la carte restaurant to the design of the boilers and fixtures and fittings on board the world’s most luxurious vessel, they tell the story of a liner built at the peak of the race between the British, French and Germans to build bigger and better ships.

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In the early hours of 15 April 1912, the Cunard steamship Carpathia receives a distress call from the new White Star liner Titanic. Captain Arthur Rostron immediately turns Carpathia northwest and sails full speed through the dark night, into waters laden with icebergs, on a rescue mission that will become legendary.Almost a century later, Carpathia's wreck has finally been located. She's over 500 feet down and only a few divers in the world can attain these depths. Among them is Englishman Ric Waring's team. In this captivating and intensively researched story, we follow the dual narratives of Rostron and the daring rescue of the Titanic survivors by Carpathia, and of Waring's team and their dangerous determination to reach the wreck. Rich in history and drama, the true story of Carpathia from her launching to the sensational events of 1912, World War I and beyond is a compelling narrative that moves at the page-turning pace of the very best fiction.

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An extraordinary true story of danger, innovation and deep sea discovery. In 1971 Alec Crawford is determined to make his fortune from ship salvage. Early attempts lead nowhere until he teams up with a new partner, Simon Martin. Diving in Hebridean waters, they explore remains of the Spanish Armada, and the wreck of the SS Politician, the vessel made famous in the Whisky Galore. But money is scarce and irregular, and the work is fraught with danger and disappointment. Until they hear of one of the most incredible wrecks of all time – the White Star Liner Oceanic, which, when built in 1899, was the biggest and most luxurious ship in the world. Widely regarded as an ‘undiveable’ wreck, lying somewhere off the remote island of Foula, they decide to take the challenge. They face unbelievably dangerous waters and appalling weather conditions, and when a large salvage company takes action against them, they also have a huge legal fight on their hands. But if they succeed, the rewards will be enormous…

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The disaster which befell RMS _Titanic_ has become one of the most investigated and analysed maritime tragedies of all time. Yet there is much still to be untangled from the web of mystery which still surrounds this confused, catastrophic event. The people on board were proud to be part of the ship's highly-publicised first voyage, but as the first batch of officers reported for duty in Belfast to prepare her for her trial trip to Southampton and beyond, they could not have imagined the fate which awaited them. _Titanic_ was, after all, unsinkable'. It is exclusively through the eyes of seven unlucky men the small group of officers onboard for that doomed voyage that the author reveals the tragedy as it unfolded that night in April 1912. From their assignment to the White Star liner through to their eventual fates. Each one of these seven men behaved with great courage and discipline in a situation beyond anything they had previously experienced and some of the officers left ac

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Leading scholars address the myriad ways in which America’s attitudes about race informed the production of Hollywood films from the 1920s through the 1960s. From the predominantly white star system to segregated mise-en-scènes, Hollywood films reinforced institutionalized racism. The contributors to this volume examine how assumptions about white superiority and colored inferiority and the politics of segregation and assimilation affected Hollywood’s classic period.Contributors: Eric Avila, UCLA; Aaron Baker, Arizona State U; Karla Rae Fuller, Columbia College; Andrew Gordon, U of Florida; Allison Graham, U of Memphis; Joanne Hershfield, U of North Carolina; Cindy Hing-Yuk Wond, College of Staten Island, CUNY; Arthur Knight, William and Mary; Sarah Madsen Hardy, Bryn Mawr; Gina Marchetti, U of Maryland; Gary W. McDonogh; Chandra Mukerji, UC, San Diego; Martin F. Norden, U of Massachusetts; Brian O'Neil, U of Southern Mississippi; Roberta E. Pearson, Cardiff U; Marguerite H. Rippy, Marymount U; Nicholas Sammond; Beretta E. Smith-Shomade, U of Arizona; Peter Stanfield, Southampton Institute; Kelly Thomas; Hernan Vera, U of Florida; Karen Wallace, U of Wisconsin, Oshkosh; Thomas E. Wartenberg, Mount Holyoke; Geoffrey M. White, U of Hawai’i; and Jane Yi.

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It was an age of evolution, when size and speed were almost the ultimate considerations. ‘Bigger was said to be better’ and ship owners were not exempted from the prevailing mood. While the German four-stackers of 1897-06 and then Cunard's brilliant Mauretania & Lusitania of 1907 led the way to larger and grander liners. White Star Line countered by 1911 with the Olympic, her sister Titanic and a near-sister, the Britannic. The French added the France while Cunard took delivery of the beloved Aquitania. But the Germans won out -- they produced the 52,000-ton Imperator and a near-sister, the Vaterland, the last word in shipbuilding and engineering prior to the First World War. They and their sister, the Bismarck, remained the biggest ships in the world until 1935. But other passenger ships appear in this decade - other Atlantic liners, but also ships serving on more diverse routes: Union Castle to Africa, P&O to India and beyond, the Empress liners on the trans-Pacific run. We look at a grand age of maritime creation, ocean-going superlative, but also sad destruction in the dark days of the First War. It was, in all ways, a fascinating period.

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The largest, most luxurious ship in the world, lost on her maiden voyage after colliding with an iceberg in mid-Atlantic, Titanic has become the stuff of legends. Built at the peak of the race between the British, French and Germans to build bigger and better ships, she was the achievement of 15,000 men in one of the world’s most advanced shipyards. While everyone knows the new White Star liner was the most glamorous and was full of millionaires when she sank, few appreciate just how luxurious she was or how advanced her design was for her day. For the first time, Bruce Beveridge, Scott Andrews, Steve Hall, Daniel Klistorner and Art Braunschweiger look in detail at the ship herself, how she was built and what it was like inside. From the engine rooms to the First Class parlour suites, from the Doulton water closets to the cargo cranes, every area of Titanic is presented in stunning detail. Volume One covers the design and construction of Titanic, with individual chapters detailing such diverse areas as the riveting of the ship, her heating and ventilation systems, funnels, steering and navigation systems and more. Volume Two covers the interior design and fitting out of the ship and presents detailed deck-by-deck information, from the palatial rooms of First Class to areas of the ship seen only by the crew.

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The largest, most luxurious ship in the world, lost on her maiden voyage after colliding with an iceberg in mid-Atlantic, Titanic has become the stuff of legends. Built at the peak of the race between the British, French and Germans to build bigger and better ships, she was the achievement of 15,000 men in one of the world’s most advanced shipyards. While everyone knows the new White Star liner was the most glamorous and was full of millionaires when she sank, few appreciate just how luxurious she was or how advanced her design was for her day. For the first time, Bruce Beveridge, Scott Andrews, Steve Hall, Daniel Klistorner and Art Braunschweiger look in detail at the ship herself, how she was built and what it was like inside. From the engine rooms to the First Class parlour suites, from the Doulton water closets to the cargo cranes, every area of Titanic is presented in stunning detail. Volume One covers the design and construction of Titanic, with individual chapters detailing such diverse areas as the riveting of the ship, her heating and ventilation systems, funnels, steering and navigation systems and more. Volume Two covers the interior design and fitting out of the ship and presents detailed deck-by-deck information, from the palatial rooms of First Class to areas of the ship seen only by the crew.

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As the third and largest sister of the famous Olympic-class trio, Britannic is often and unjustly overlooked in comparison to Olympic and Titanic. Launched on the eve of war in February 1914, Britannic would never see service on the White Star Line’s express service on the North Atlantic mail run for which she was built. After being requisitioned by the Admiralty in November 1915 His Majesty’s Hospital Ship Britannic instead became indispensible to the thousands of injured and sick troops that needed transporting back to Britain from the Mediterranean theatre of war. However, as was the fate of many liners during the conflict, her life was cut tragically short when she was suddenly wracked by a mysterious explosion on 21 November 1916 and sank in less than an hour – three times faster than her sister ship Titanic, and yet thanks to the improvements in safety heralded by the tragedy of her sister 1,032 of 1,062 on board survived. Here Simon Mills brings together previously unseen material, including stunning colour images of Britannic’s wreck in the Aegean Sea, and this poignant story to tell a tale of heroism in the First World War, of an oftoverlooked but key ship to British maritime history and of the unique future that the wreck might still one day enjoy.

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Launched as the pride of British shipbuilding and the largest vessel in the world, Olympic was more than 40 per cent larger than her nearest rivals: almost 900ft long and the first ship to exceed 40,000 tons. She was built for comfort rather than speed and equipped with an array of facilities, including Turkish and electric baths (one of the first ships to have them), a swimming pool, gymnasium, squash court, á la carte restaurant, large first-class staterooms and plush public rooms. Surviving from 1911 until 1935, she was a firm favourite with the travelling public – carrying hundreds of thousands of fare-paying passengers – and retained a style and opulence even into her twilight years. During the First World War, she carried more troops than any other comparable steamship and was the only passenger liner ever to sink an enemy submarine by ramming it. Overshadowed frequently by her sister ships Titanic and Britannic, Olympic’s history deserves more attention than it has received. She was evolutionary in design rather than revolutionary, but marked an ambition for the White Star Line to dominate the North Atlantic express route. Rivals immediately began trying to match her in size and luxury. The optimism that led to her conception was rewarded, whereas her doomed sisters never fulfilled their creators’ dreams. This revised and expanded edition of the critically acclaimed RMS Olympic: Titanic’s Sister uses new images and further original research to tell the story of this remarkable ship 80 years after her career ended.

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'Fantastic' Nick Hornby'Beautifully written' Sunday Times'Truly remarkable' Rolling StoneUnfaithful Music and Disappearing Ink is the long-awaited memoir from Elvis Costello, one of rock and roll's most iconic stars.Born Declan Patrick MacManus, Elvis Costello was raised in London and Liverpool, grandson of a trumpet player on the White Star Line and son of a jazz musician who became a successful radio dance band vocalist. Costello went into the family business and had taken the popular music world by storm before he was twenty-four.Costello continues to add to one of the most intriguing and extensive songbooks of the day. His performances have taken him from a cardboard guitar in his front room to fronting a rock and roll band on your television screen and performing in the world's greatest concert halls in a wild variety of company. Unfaithful Music describes how Costello's career has somehow endured for almost four decades through a combination of dumb luck and animal cunning, even managing the occasional absurd episode of pop stardom.This memoir, written with the same inimitable touch as his lyrics, and including dozens of images from his personal archive, offers his unique view of his unlikely and sometimes comical rise to international success, with diversions through the previously undocumented emotional foundations of some of his best known songs and the hits of tomorrow. The book contains many stories and observations about his renowned co-writers and co-conspirators, though Costello also pauses along the way for considerations on the less appealing side of infamy.Unfaithful Music & Disappearing Ink is destined to be a classic, idiosyncratic memoir of a singular man.

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The Titanic. The Britannic. The Olympic. They are some of the most famous ships in history, but for the wrong reasons. The Olympic Class liners were conceived as the largest, grandest ships ever to set sail. Of the three ships built, the first only lost the record for being the largest because she was beaten by the second, and they were both beaten by the third. The class was meant to secure the White Star Line’s reputation as the greatest shipping company on earth. Instead, with the loss of both the Titanic and the Britannic in their first year of service, it guaranteed White Star’s infamy. This unique book tells the extraordinary story of these three extraordinary ships from the bottom up, starting with their conception and construction (and later their modification) and following their very different careers. Behind the technical details of these magnificent ships lies a tragic human story – not just of the lives lost aboard the Titanic and Britannic, but of the designers pushing the limits beyond what was actually possible, engineers unable to prepare for every twist of fate, and ship owners and crew who truly believed a ship could be unsinkable. This fascinating story is told with rare photographs, new computer-generated recreations of the ships, and unique wreck images that explore how well the ships were designed and built. Simon Mills offers unparalleled access to shipbuilders Harland & Wolff’s specification book for the Olympic Class, including original blueprints and - being made widely available for the first time - large fold-out technical drawings showing how these extensive plans were meant to be seen.

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The story of the Titanic in the words of the hero whose swift action saved the lives of 710 survivors. The Carpathia was on its regular voyage to New York City, when early on 15 April 1912 it received a distress signal from the White Star Line ocean liner Titanic, which had struck an iceberg and was sinking. Rostron was asleep when his wireless operator, Harold Cottam, by chance left his headset on while undressing for bed and so heard the signal. Cottam ran to Rostron's cabin to alert him. Rostron immediately ordered the ship to race towards the Titanic's reported position, posting extra lookouts to help spot and manoeuvre around the ice he knew to be in the area and extracted every bit of speed the ship's engines could muster. Even so, Carpathia, travelling through dangerous ice floes, took about 3A hours to reach the Titanic's radioed position. During this time Rostron turned off heating to ensure the maximum amount of steam for the ship's engines and had the ship prepared for the survivors; including getting blankets, food and drinks ready, and ordering his medical crew to stand by to receive the possibly injured survivors. Altogether, a list of 23 orders from Rostron to his crew was successfully implemented before Carpathia had even arrived at the scene of the disaster. Carpathia began picking up survivors about an hour after the first starburst was seen by those in the lifeboats. The Carpathia would end up rescuing 710 survivors out of the 2,228 passengers and crew on board the Titanic; at least one survivor is said to have died after reaching the ship. Later, Rostron testified about the events the night Titanic sank at both the U.S. Senate inquiry and the British Board of Trade's inquiry into the disaster.

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On the night of 14/15 April 1912, a brandnew, supposedly unsinkable ship, the largest and most luxurious vessel in the world at the time, collided with an iceberg and sank on her maiden voyage. Of the 2,208 people on board, only 712 were saved. The rest either drowned or froze to death in the icy-cold waters of the North Atlantic. How could this ‘unsinkable’ vessel sink and why did so few of those aboard survive? The authors bring the tragedy to life, telling the story of the ship’s design, construction and maiden voyage. The stories of individuals who sailed on her, many previously known only as names on yellowing passenger and crew lists, are brought to light using rarely-seen accounts of the sinking. The stories of passengers of all classes and crewmembers alike, are explored. They tell the dramatic stories of lives lost and people saved, of the rescue ship Carpathia, and of the aftermath of the sinking. Never again would a large passenger liner sail without lifeboats for all. Despite the tragedy, the sinking of the Titanic indirectly led to untold numbers of lives being saved due to new regulations that came into force after the tragedy. Profusely illustrated, including many rare and unique views of the ship and those who sailed on her, this is as accurate and engrossing a telling of the life of the White Star Line’s Titanic and her sinking as you will read anywhere. Made special by the use of so many rare survivor accounts from the eye witnesses to that night to remember, the narrative places the reader in the middle of the maiden voyage, and brings the tragic sinking to life as never before.

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To have sailed on the voyage of the century' aboard White Star Line's RMS Titanic - described at the time as a floating palace' - was like being one of the first passengers to fly on Concorde. On 10 April 1912, people from all walks of life began embarking on Titanic, then the largest ship afloat, for what was to be the trip of a lifetime on the ship's maiden voyage across the north Atlantic. Many were looking forward to starting new lives in the United States. However, just before midnight on Sunday, 14 April 1912, Titanic's crew began to send out distress signals stating, We have struck an iceberg'. The liner had been steaming at speed when it collided with an enormous iceberg which stripped off her bilge under the waterline for more than 100 yards, opened up five of the front compartments and flooded the coal bunker servicing one of the boilers. The damage was fatal, and some three hours after the disaster began to unfold the last visible part of Titanic slipped beneath the waves. There were only sixteen lifeboats and four collapsible dinghies - which was completely insufficient for the number of passengers making the crossing. As a consequence, more than 1,500 passengers and crew died: two out of every three people onboard perished. Much has been written about the Titanic disaster, and it has been the subject matter for several films. The author is well-known for his depth of research and his attention to detail, and in a new style of format, he has selected fifty people involved in the disaster, and by using their specific eyewitness accounts he has managed to make the confusing situation much clearer, making it possible for the reader to experience the dreadful events as they unfolded. The book also includes biographical tributes to the fifty people, who came from all walks of life and geographical regions, telling who they were, their experiences during the disaster, and what happened to those who were fortunate enough to survive.

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The one illustrated book that tells the complete, heart-stopping story of the legendary ship. “A fantastic book... The 882½ answers in this book truly are amazing — both for the scope of information they cover as well as for the depth of details given.” —CM Magazine. “For all trivia lovers this is a great book of questions and answers... and would prove useful to anyone who has an interest in the topic from young readers through to adults.” —Resource Links. It’s all here. The financiers and founders of the White Star Line; the building and launch; the ship’s features; the crew and passengers; the fateful collision; the scramble for lifeboats; the sinking and the survivors; the high-tech discovery of the wreck; the movie.... 882½ Amazing Answers to Your Questions About the Titanic is packed with all of the intriguing details and fascinating facts that tell the true story. It puts myths to rest and confirms the truth. Was the Titanic really unsinkable? Were third-class passengers locked down below? Were there enough lifeboats? Was there a Jack Dawson? Did the Heart of the Ocean diamond really exist? Was there a murderer aboard the ship? It tells of the small tragedies for some survivors. Deceased violinist Jock Hume’s family received a bill for five shillings and fourpence (£40 today) for the cost of his uniform. A baby was kidnapped on board the rescue ship, the Carpathia, by a woman who had lost her child. Jack Thayer, who never got over the death of his son in the water, took his own life thirty years after the sinking. Illustrated with dozens of accurate paintings, diagrams and rare photographs, the book’s special features include the making of James Cameron’s movie Titanic, a true-or-false quiz and the real-life stories of the young people who sailed on the fateful voyage. 882½ Amazing Answers to Your Questions About the Titanic is a must-have purchase for all Titanic enthusiasts.

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For more than 30 years, internationally acclaimed wreck diver and best-selling author, Rod Macdonald, has surveyed and researched shipwrecks around the world. His books such as Dive Scapa Flow and The Darkness Below are household names in the diving world. In Great British Shipwrecks Rod uses his encyclopaedic knowledge and an intimate understanding of shipwrecks, gleaned from a lifetime's diving, to provide a snapshot in time of some of the best known and most revered shipwrecks around the UK. For each of the 37 shipwrecks covered Rod provides a dramatic account of its time afloat and its eventual sinking - with each wreck being beautifully illustrated by renowned marine artist Rob Ward. Rod's journey around the UK starts with the classic recreational diving shipwrecks at Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands from giants such as the German WWI battleships, Markgraf, Konig and Kronprinz Wilhelm, to the legendary WWI British cruiser HMS Hampshire on which Lord Kitchener perished on a voyage to Russia in 1916. Rod then travels to the English Channel where he covers such famous ships as the P&O liners Moldavia and Salsette which were lost during WWI with many others such as the SS Kyarra and the British submarine HMS/M M2 - the first submarine to carry a seaplane for reconnaissance. The reader is then taken to the North Channel of the Irish Sea where the famous technical diving wrecks of the White Star liner Justicia, HMS Audacious, the first British battleship lost during WWI, and the SS Empire Heritage, which was lost with its deck cargo of Sherman tanks on a voyage from New York during WWII, are beautifully illustrated. Returning to Scotland, the famous West Coast shipwrecks such as the Thesis, Hispania, Rondo and Shuna in the Sound of Mull grace the pages, in addition to the renowned wrecks of the SS Breda, lost near Oban, and the WWII minelayer HMS Port Napier off Skye. Lastly, Rod covers some major North Sea shipwrecks, revealing for the first time the haunting remains of HMS Pathfinder, the first Royal Navy warship to be sunk by U-boat torpedo during WWI. This is a beautifully illustrated and definitive guide to the greatest shipwrecks around the UK and will be an enlightening and unmissable book for many.

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The fires on Bataan burned on the evening of April 9, 1942 — illuminating the white flags of surrender against the nighttime sky. Woefully outnumbered, outgunned, and ill-equipped, battered remnants of the American-Philippine army surrendered to the forces of the Rising Sun. Yet amongst the chaos and devastation of the American defeat, Army Captain Donald D. Blackburn refused to lay down his arms.With future SF legend Russell Volckmann, Blackburn escaped from Bataan and fled to the mountainous jungles of North Luzon, where they raised a private army of over 22,000 men against the Japanese. Once there, Blackburn organized a guerrilla regiment from among the native tribes in the Cagayan Valley. “Blackburn’s Headhunters,” as they came to be known, devastated the Japanese 14th Army within the western provinces of North Luzon and destroyed the Japanese naval base at Aparri — the largest enemy anchorage in the Philippines.After the war, Blackburn remained on active duty and played a key role in initiating Special Forces operations in Southeast Asia. In 1958, as commander of the 77th Special Forces Group, he spearheaded Operation White Star in Laos — the first major deployment of American Special Forces to a country with an active insurgency. Seven years later, Blackburn took command of the highly classified Studies and Observations Group (SOG), charged with performing secret missions now that main-force Communist incursions were on the rise.In the wake of the CIA’s disastrous Leaping Lena program, in 1964 Blackburn revitalized the Special Operations campaign in South Vietnam. Sending cross-border reconnaissance teams into Cambodia and North Vietnam, he discovered the clandestine networks and supply nodes of the infamous Ho Chi Minh Trail. Taking this information directly to General Westmoreland, Blackburn received authorization to conduct full-scale operations against the NVA and Viet Cong operating in Laos and Cambodia. In combats large and small, the Communists realized they had met a master of insurgent tactics — and he was on the US side.Following his return to the United States, Blackburn was appointed “Special Assistant for Counterinsurgency and Special Activities,” where he was the architect of the infamous Son Tay Prison Raid. Officially termed Operation Ivory Coast, the Son Tay raid was the largest POW rescue mission — and indeed, the largest Special Forces operation — of the Vietnam War.During a period when United States troops in Southeast Asia faced guerrilla armies on every side, it has been little recognized today that America had a superb covert commander of its own, his guerrilla skills honed in resistance against Japan. This book follows Donald D. Blackburn through both his youthful days of desperate combat against an Empire, and through his days as a commander, imparting his lessons to the newly-realized ranks of America’s own Special Forces.

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The story of the Great Liners begins on the Atlantic route between the Old World and the New, between Europe and the United States. It was the most prestigious, most progressive and certainly most competitive ocean liner run of all time. It was on the North Atlantic that the largest, fastest and indeed grandest passenger ships were created. In this book, William Miller concentrates for the most part on these Atlantic superliners. It has been a race, sometimes fierce, that has continued for well over a century. Smaller passenger ships, even ones of 30,000 and 40,000 tons, are for the most part left to other books. The story begins even earlier, in 1889, when Germany's Kaiser Wilhelm II visited his grandmother, Queen Victoria, and attended the British Naval Review at Spithead. The British were more than pleased to show off not only the mightiest naval vessels afloat, but the biggest passenger ships then afloat, namely the 10,000-ton 'Teutonic' of the White Star Line. These ships caught the Kaiser's royal eye. His enthusiasm, his determination and, assuredly, his jealousies were aroused. Her returned to his homeland determined that Germany should have bigger and better ships.The world must know, he theorized, that Imperial Germany had reached new and higher technological heights. To the Kaiser and other envious Germans, the British had, quite simply, had a monopoly on the biggest ships long enough. British engineers and even shipyard crews were recruited, teaching German shipbuilders the key components of a new generation of larger ships. Shipyards at Bremen, Hamburg and Stettin were soon ready. It would all take eight years, however, before the first big German liner would be completed. She would be large enough and fast enough to be dubbed the world's first "super liner". She would only be the biggest vessel built in Germany, but the biggest afloat. The nation's most prominent shipowners, the Hamburg America Line and the North German Lloyd, were both deeply interested. It was the Lloyd, however, which rose first to the occasion. Enthusiastically and optimistically, the first ship was the first of a successive quartet. The illustrious Vulkan Shipyard at Stettin was given the prized contract. Triumph seemed to be in the air! The Kaiser himself went to the launching, on 3 May 1897, of this new Imperial flagship.Designed with four funnels but grouped in pairs, the 655-ft long ship was named 'Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse', honoring the Emperor's grandfather. With the rattle of chains, the release of the building blocks and then the tumultuous roar as the unfinished hull hit the water, this launching was the beginning of the Atlantic race for supremacy, which would last for some 70 years. Only after the first arrival of the trans-Atlantic jet in October 1958 would the race quiet down. The 'Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse' was the great beginning, the start of a superb fleet of what has been dubbed "ocean greyhounds" and later aptly called the "floating palaces". Worried and cautious, the normally contented British referred to the brand new Kaiser as a "German monster".

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