Britannic was a brilliant ship when first sailing as a liner in 1921. Those interiors could rival that of almost all the great ships before and after combined, imo! Shocking how there weren't many photographs taken of them. I'm thankful to have many photographs of the ship in my personal "Britannic" collection; the pride and joy of which being a signature dresser from the ship, still labeled "S.S. 433". It was removed by a relative of mine back in '39, who also went around the ship filling out his sketchbook with artistic documentation of its beautiful decor, which we still have. Shame about its inevitable sinking as "Resolute". Absolute tragedy, even. Thanks for bringing this important ship to light here :] *(In all seriousness though; my goodness was this video amazing! The quality of the animations and the overall believability of your alternate history stuff is impeccable! Also that ending was creepy as hell and I love it. You're a fantastic content creator and are endlessly talented. Please, don't ever stop doing what you do!👍)*
I remember when James Cameron's expedition found the Britannic wreck while prepping to film Titanic back in 1995. The tie-in features leading up to Titanic's release about the search and discovery were awesome.
Fun fact, Stewardess Violet Jessop, a Titanic survivor, also served on Britannic during her time as a hospital ship. Can only imagine the relief on her face when she found out in Nov 1916 that a mine hit the ship but failed to explode. Imagine surviving Olympic's collision with HMS Hawke, THEN Titanic, THEN the sinking of the Britannic. Lol thatd be crazy
Jesus, these endings are like a punch in the gut. I keep getting so engrossed in the story that I completely forget her actual fate. When Britannic sinks in the story and the big "don't be sad it's ending, be glad that it happened" theme comes out, you sit there with this false sense of joy as Britannic is seen steaming ahead during the peak of her career. Then the transition hits, the music echoes, and reality creeps in. It didn't happen.
Even when we know the outcome it’s still a gut punch because of Mikes storytelling, im a HUGE history and documentary nut and my teenage son is a military history buff so watching these together it so much fun
Thanks for this. The Britannic has special meaning in our family as not one but two sailed on her. My Grandfather was repatriated from Egypt aboard her after WWI, and then in 1942, my Father sailed on her from England to North Africa - all the way around Cape Hope. I cried when Ballard found her in 1991.
@@Uncleapplan18 there was another Britannic built in the 1930s (different design of course) with a sister ship called Georgic, Both of these ships were some of the last ships that White Star operated before they were bankrupt
This has to be one of the greatest maritime what if videos on UA-cam. Crazy to think that 30 deaths in 1916 could have increased to 6,348 in 1942. Anyways, keep it up!
I love how you create fiction that is still so engaging and captures the mind of those who know of her true fate, and those who dont. Britannic deserved a story of success and longevity, even if just a fictional legend.
A great "What if?" story Mike! Sure it's fiction, but who doesn't enjoy a bit of fiction now and then? Especially when there's just a bit of "grain of truth" to make it plausable. Thanks! Loved it!
They probably would have good careers into the 1930's but then as Mike suggested both Olympic and Titanic's obsolete interiors and age (Remember most ships weren't expected to be in service more than 25 years) would have caused their retirement. Brittanic might have held on a bit longer. How White Star might have fared without the loss of Titanic (which they never completely recovered from) is anyone's guess.
Violet Jessup had returned to service in WWII and was reassigned to a special nurses corp in North Africa. She was traveling aboard the Resolute when it was torpedoed. She was actually trapped in an aft section of the ship that quickly went under water, and she had to swim through several of the open water-tight compartments to get to a part of the ship above water. Fortunately she had become a champion swimmer after her three previous close calls on White Star Liners and had amazing breath control. She would jump from the ship and cling to floating debris until brought into a lifeboat with an interesting assortment of passengers. After the war, she took jobs on the Andrea Doria and SS Poseidon. Mike, you are absolutely brilliant. This is a masterpiece. I fear many people will watch and believe this to be actual history. Bravo!!!!
My grandpa once saw the Britannic when he visited New York in 1936. He said it was the most beautiful ship he had ever laid eyes on, often joked he hoped to earn enough money to be on her one day. Sadly, he never got the chance.
@@UA-camman2368 ironic cause you were being one, people in the comment section are simply roleplaying, acting like they're inside the universe shown in the video
I absolutely loved this video! It feels crazy seeing Britannic live a full and proper life. I’d love to see a ‘what if Oceanic was completed?’ video in the future.
Tempting to build a scale "HMS Resolute" as some sort of fan-art. Somehow you've crossed my imagination with realistic and interesting "What -if" stories and I hope to see more of it!
Great video as always! Here's some "what if?" Ideas: What if the entire Olympic class of ships survived What if the queen marry was sunk during WW2 What if Olympic sank instead of Titanic What if Olympic was a hospital ship instead of a troop ship What if the Lusitania survived What if Mauritania sank instead of Lusitania What if Carpathia never sank What if Britannic was a troop ship instead What if white star line took over more of cunard star line instead of cunard What if white star was still around What if Olympic was never scrapped What if Mauritania was never scrapped What if the Olympic class was never built What if the Lusitania class of ships were never built What if Titanic was built before Olympic What if Britannic was built before Olympic and titanic What if Britannic was torpedoed instead of hitting a sea mine What if cunard built the Olympic class and white star built the Lusitania class What if the titanic had enough lifeboats for everyone What if more Olympic class ships were built There's some "what if?" Ideas, these are just suggestions, and you don't have to do these if you want to.
@@stevengaming3689 The "What if Titanic had enough lifeboats for everyone," question is pretty stupid. You'd have to first cover a disaster that was inquired by the British Board of Trade to modify regulations regarding lifeboats, which I can't think up of any, except the La Bourgogne, even though it was a French liner. Even if it was, it was at the time the deadliest disaster on the Atlantic, so maybe.
Fascinating! Bravo, another great video, and I LOVE an alternative ocean liner history. John Maxtone-Graham does this with Normandie with his book "Crossing to Cruising" and imagines if that fire never happened. While here Britannic still meets an untimely and tragic end, it's delayed a few decades. QM and QE were fortunate never to have been sunk while trooping, this is a sobering look at what might have occurred with the sinking of a great troopship.
QM and QE did have the advantage of being able to make 30+ knot speeds so the danger from U-Boots was considered minimal. Brittanic was designed for MAYBE 25 knots at maximum, normal cruising would have been in the 22 to 24 knot range. So Mike's supposition of Brittanic being a U-Boot victim is entirely plausable.
@@wayneantoniazzi2706 Well really, it's any ship that was incapable of making any greater than 18 knots (which is the fastest a U-Boat can travel on the surface, and since they're generally not going to be sailing on the surface where they can be seen, they'll be sailing under water, where they can't go any faster than 8 knots max) that are most vulnerable to U-Boats. So technically speaking, ships like Britannic and Lusitania, with their much higher top speed, should be alright. The only conceivable way a U-Boat could get in line with one of these liners (and even ones which are still larger and faster like the two Queens) and nail a perfect shot is if they are in position in advance and the liner comes within perfect vision of the periscope, as was the case with Britannic in this AU, or Lusitania irl.
@@Kaidhicksii Certainly a U-Boot couldn't catch Britannic either surfaced and definately not submerged, but it wouldn't have to. Follow me on this. Britannic might have gotten away with sailing alone at a high speed during WW1. For a good shot a U-boot would have had to be in point-blank range like the one that got the Lusitania, I think it was about 500 yards from the ship, and if it wasn't that close a U-Boot captain would have had to do the math in his head as to where to aim the sub and fire the torpedoes and then keep his fingers crossed he'd got it right. But by WW2 things were different. Submarines had electro-mechanical computers that when fed the range, bearing, and approximate speed of the target a firing solution would be provided to the captain for a MUCH more accurate shot than a WW1 sub would have. All things considered range from the target wasn't a problem anymore, within reason of course. At any rate it would have been reckless and irresponsible to allow a ship of Britannic's age with 6000+ men on board to sail unescorted during WW2. But this is all fictional anyway so there's no point in getting hung up on the subject.
This was oddly satisfying. It’s kind of nice to imagine Britannic actually getting to serve as a loner instead of as a foot note in the list of ships lost in ww1
This is a fantastic video Mike, you gave this ship an amazing "What if" story. I would like to see a "What if" all three Olympic class liners had survived.
This might be your best one yet, so many beautiful animations and the last few minutes were really heavy. Those metallic sounds always get me. Gorgeous video, Mike well done.
Thanks so much CV! This was a fun one to make because I got to play fast and loose with history and touch on another of my favourite subjects; WW2 history :)
@Oceanliner Designs Mike I have a question that has been itching in the back of my head for a while now. What if cunard never bought white star? Would cunard white star line be a thing and then the companies would separate again or would it remain as the joint cunard-white star line?
I got literal chills when I saw the three of them sailing together at the start of the video! An amazing piece of work Mike, thanks for all the good work.
Mike, another wonderful video, however, when I heard the intro, my first thought: “Wait, is Mike about to kill my grandfather?” (Short answer, no: my grandfather traveled on a liner-turned-troopship to Britain from the US in June or July of 42 - before being sent to Gibraltar in November of 42 to pick up a Spitfire and fly into theater.) It really is amazing what service the great liners gave during the war and that so many troops were safely carried across the oceans. I watched the final moments of this film in horror at what could have easily occurred. And thank you for not killing my grandfather. I’m rather glad to be here to watch your videos.
Damn, Mike, you really went ALL IN with this one. Until the end I thought...YAY, our girl finally gets the ship life she deserved until...that alternate way of her sinking and so many more lives lost. So heartbreaking.
Hi Mike. I've now watched both your alternate histories for Titanic and Britannic, respectively They're both incredibly creative, and imaginative. Your both a great story teller, and and informative historian. I've really enjoyed both of these wonderful presentations... Thank you.
Aquitania was the only four stacker to serve in WW2. I met a veteran who sailed on her from New Zealand to the Middle East. He ended up at the battle for Monte Casino in Italy. I remember him telling me that you didn't want to be anywhere near the USA artillery, not anywhere the USAAF was bombing, because their accuracy was worse than the enemy's.
My gosh, that ending was so emotional, like a dream cut short by the truths of reality. Incredible "what if?" story man! If you're thinking of doing more like this I would so recommend the SS Normandie! That would be fascinating, seeing her actually serve along side the Queens ect
Wait,... What??? A brilliant narrative, very carefully and thoughtfully composed. I would have bought it hook, line, and stinker if I wasn't already a fan of the Olympic class ships. Thanks for a fascinating tale!
The way you convey this exquisite What If scenario made me think twice at the end if it actually didn't happen like this for real! Exceptional quality video once again Mike.
What a great alternate story for Britannic! The one thing that I liked about it that those ugly gantry lifeboats were removed at one point. And your story gave her a spectacular ending. Good work Mike. I would certainly like to see if all three Olympic class ships had a life long career.
I discovered this channel about a week ago and I’ve been watching a lot of your videos. The last one I watched was on the Carpathia and it’s rescue mission (I highly recommend the video, there was a lot of information I didn’t know!) But the transition at the end of this video is insane
This video is everything I love about your channel! You are an incredible story teller, that cold open was perfect, all the details make sense, and I like how you made it all feel so real with the pictures and animations. It was a cool choice to have the ship sink from the rear instead of from the bow was we're familiar with. I wish you didn't have to make its demise such a tragedy, but it's still a plausible choice and I suppose wasn't technically even the Britannic at that point. It really is heartbreaking to think what could've been had history gone differently. The shot you ended on, fading to the actual wreck, was perfect too. I really think you have the best big boat channel on UA-cam 😊
@@cardiffgiant9406 Agreed! Perhaps a better topic would be "What if the three German liners didn't become war reparations?" How would a 4th option to Cunard, WS, and the French Line look after WW1? Would Germany have built their own super liner in the late 30s to match the Queens and Normandy?
@@91_C4_FL All great questions! I am currently building 3 trumpeter kits to be radio control and a tribute to how Ismay visioned the Olympic class sisters.
My grandparents sailed on the Britannic on their honeymoon in 1925 and my grandmother told me how beautiful she was, especially that pipe organ and their suite on B-Deck--it even had a private promenade! This was because her parents were very fond of the White Star Line and they gifted my grandparents with a homeward crossing back to New York. They sailed again on the Britannic in 1928 and they would leave my father to play in that nursery. Sadly, they didn't take any pictures. But my grandmother always remembered how romantic and wonderful both crossings were.
In 1926 the Brittanic had a very eerie terrifying close call only 4 miles from where the Titanic went down. She grazed an iceberg and severely damaged her propellers. The crew tried to calm the passengers down but violence broke out on deck and took nearly 2 hours to quell. When passengers finally realized the ship was not sinking they calmed. Sadly 2 people were trampled by the raging crowd and a young boy fell overboard. Luckily for the boy he could swim very well and it was mid summer. A life jacket was thrown to him and he was rescued by second officer Terry Hawkins. The two people badly injured survived but with serious injuries. 3 men were arrested and sentenced to 3 years in prison for instigating a riot.
Thanks so very much for this alternative history! What a remarkable ship she would have been had she not been so tragically lost during the first world war. Congratulations on the amazing graphics that brought the HMS RESOLUTE so beautifully to life and, ultimately, to her death. Of all your videos, this is my absolute favorite. Well done!
The endings to both this and the what if for Titanic with the transition from the ship sailing to a view of the wreck are simply haunting. Good stuff. Love your work, Mike! Keep it going!
My great grandfather was the main gun operator for brittanic’s stern gun. After the war he moved to the states, and actually saw the majestic ship in New York during 1935. He said it was a bit nicer than he remembered.
23:38 is so sad. Through the whole video it was if the Britannic (As the title suggests) Never Sank in 1916. But that sequence with the Blue Danube playing showing you the glory of the RMS Britannic until the song starts to reverb and the water sound effects start and shows the wreck at the bottom of the Kea Channel, What really happened to the ship. Her whole career you just watched... never happened.
I'd like to think that the Royal Navy would've renamed the Britannic "The Britannia" since the names are similar, and because the Britannic was once the pride and face of the entire British Empire. Love this "What if?" Mike! Can't wait for more to come
I remember my great grandpa talking about the Britannic and the wartime ship it became, the Resolute. My memory is a bit patchy, but I think he said that he and his family saved up enough money to book second class passage aboard the Britannic in 1928, when he was around 12. He met the boy who would become his lifelong best friend, another second class passenger whose name has long since escaped me lol. Anyway, I recall hearing a number of stories about how they both loved ocean liners, stayed in touch after the trip, and both ended up becoming navy men. Great Grandpa Carl passed away when I was just a kid, and my memories of him mostly consist of a lighthearted jovial old man, but one of the only times I recall him being serious was when he brought up the Resolute and finding out what happened to it after the war. My dad and I got him talking one night during one of his infrequent visits, and the conversation eventually got around to that subject. Apparently it hit both he and his friend hard when they found out. I forget how they found out, but they did, and the first chance they got after hearing the news, he and his friend got together at a bar, got rip-roaring drunk, cried their eyes out, and drank multiple tearful toasts to both the Britannic and the Resolute.
In 1984, roughly a year before Titanic was found, Robert Ballard accidently stumbled on Britannic's wreck andmisidentified her at first, though it was quickly corrected. It sparked interest the ship enough that James Cameron made a sequel of sorts to his blockbuster hit Titanic in 2005 with the premise being Rose having a son that served aboard and fell enlove with a stowayay nurse from Germany. Sadly it didn't become as much of a hit, but it's still a great film with lots of period accurate sets!
*MIND BLOWN* Ive had some time to think this video out and its really blown my mind. 1. FOR YEARS, Ive been trying to figure out what role the Brittanic played as the Sister ship and how she got brought into the war. 2. I never knew Olympic was THAT fast.. sure Titanic had power "Id guess"... but we never saw that demonstrated. I didnt know that Olympic wasnt a Red Cross ship... and that Brittanic was. I also never knew about Olympic's Dazzle Paint job. Dude.. HATS off to you. I gotta find some dough to give to you. I definately gotta scounge up some dough for one of your prints for Xmas. Your animations, drawings.. videos are top notch. Factual, interesting... I mean damn. Now, Great GOOGILY MOOGILY!!!! Ya give the Brittannic a, "Get out of The BREAKERS Yard free" card... but ya put her in a line of sight with some NazI U-Boat carrying 7,000 souls?! DAMN. I gotta watch this again... this sounds almost FEASIBLE! P.S Initially.. I thought Cunard (being the one who comes out ahead) and White Star "merged" because Cunard had more ships. Is it even possible for White Star to still be around... even with that scenario? What scenario would have to exist.. for ONE of the Sisters to still be around AND have a lasting effect on society as a whole? Also.. I think it was you or Titanic Honor and Glory who mentioned H and W. I tore through that book like I was ON FIRE. If you look at the blueprints of the property going back to 1930... and you see the mess of consumer shit in the area NOW, its mind blowing. Dude.. you are DAMN ON POINT~! NOICE JOB!
I kept waiting for the story to diverge from history. I didn't know how the Brittanic was lost or when, and the YT app cut off that part of the title so it wasn't until after the U boat had her in its sights that I realized something was up. I totally believed that the mine was a dud and the rich detail had me believing you were still prefacing right up to almost the end. Well done. I have real the actual story now, to avoid further making a fool of myself, but I hope my dive through your channel archive finds the real story too.😮
Man, what a delightful story! I love these videos, and this one's just excellent! I wish that Britannic had gotten a real career. Perhaps not to this extent, but geez. Just a bit of real service would be great. I think the obvious next steps are: "What if Lusitania didn't sink?" "What if the Olympic trio stayed afloat?" "What if British shipping lost no ships in WWI?" And, of course: "What would ocean shipping be like if WWI never happened?" That last one's different because the German liners were taken from Germany; in that scenario, they would stay with Germany, and things would be drastically different.
I know it's been a year and this will probably never be seen, but I've seen NOBODY mention this so I wanted to, I love that in this timeline Britannic (Resolute) sunk in the exact inverse way to Titanic. It was hit on the same side as Titanic, but in the stern instead of the bow, so instead of sinking bow first it sunk stern first.
Interesting that the loss of life was almost identical to the loss on the Lancastria in 1940. The Admiralty kept that real and horrific loss a secret for a long time after the sinking as well.
@@OceanlinerDesigns I was thinking the same thing! It would have been in the realm of possibility that, had it not been for the Britannic's loss in the Great War, that the Lancastria disaster might have befallen her instead. You did a great job weaving the Britannic's alternate history into the real world of European ocean liners in the 1920s and '30s!
This story does sound great! Though, if the ship did survive World War 2 somehow, would it have just been scrapped right away afterwards? I agree with another comment I seen here, I'd like to see a what if video about what if the Titanic and Britannic both survived, so that the Olympic Class ships didn't sink. Though they'd likely have not made it past the 30s, it could be interesting to speculate what would have happened if all 3 did somehow make it past the 1930s.
What if Britannic had survived 1916? Her life would have mirrored that of her older sister, Olympic, and she would not have survived the Cunard/White Star merger, and been retired and scrapped in the late 1930s.
@@michaeldemarco9950 idk man her high number of private state rooms would’ve meant that she would still be a earner. Also she was cheaper to run. Though had she made it into ww2 and survived she would’ve been scrapped by about 1948 after finishing service of transporting war brides.
@@randomuser9883 I think she would probably have been converted to a migrant ship had she survived WWII, as even the most unsuitable ships were pressed into that service.
I feel like, if Britannic had never sunk, she would have had a very similar career to Aquitania, Cunard's response to Britannic and her direct competition. Down to surviving the Cunard-White Star merger and serving in both wars, like the video demonstrates.
You know I'm not even sure how I came up on these boat stories, but God damn it they're the most interesting thing I have found recently. And to be 100% honest the good old timey music you play at the end sends me to a time of simple relaxation and fine brandy haha
One of my coworkers at the Tropical Pacific Line (also known as the Orange Star Line) was descended from an Englishman who survived the Titanic and traveled on Britannic on a regular basis when she was still in operation. I’ll call this coworker Eric as he prefers to remain anonymous, whilst I'll call the other person Robert for sake of consistency. Born in Skelmanthorpe, West Yorkshire, Robert was a gentleman of French, Austrian, and Hungarian descent through his father, while his mother was of Irish and Italian descent. On that fateful day in 1912, Robert alongside his spouse Emma boarded the Titanic as second class passengers. Robert remained awake throughout the first night of the voyage, and on April 14, at 11:40 p.m., he had just gone back into his cabin when he felt a strong jolt. Robert was eventually loaded into Lifeboat No. 12 with Emma, as the ship continued to take on water, knowing that it would carry them down with it. Even though Titanic was sinking slowly, there was still time for the other passengers to board the lifeboat, and they were lowered in time once the boat was full. Following the sinking of the Titanic, Robert and Emma arrived in New York safely on Carpathia. Robert and Emma split up two months later following a divorce brought on by the psychological trauma of the incident. As a result, he moved from New York and decided to permanently settle in the U.S. in the state of Wisconsin. At this point, he started to have doubts about RMS Olympic because it was the sister ship of the Titanic. The ship had already been refitted that October to be much safer, but Robert had already suffered enough. He would never again board an Olympic-class ship; that is, until the 1920s. In the interim, he eventually felt better when he recalled his self-promise that, in the right conditions, no catastrophe would happen on board. Subsequently, Robert soon became part of the thousands of other people who flooded the docks at Southampton on the day of Britannic's maiden voyage who were either excited about taking a transatlantic cruise on her or were hoping for a fresh start in America. Robert had been temporarily staying in England for two years, as he had felt the need to revisit family members and to compensate for the loss of their personal items to the Titanic disaster. However, Robert was lucky as he soon discovered that only a change of clothes and his spare wallet was what he brought when he boarded Titanic. When Robert stepped onto Britannic as a third-class passenger, his expectations were higher than when he stepped onto the Titanic. After all, he felt more confident in sailing on Britannic specifically as she was much more luxurious and safer compared to Titanic. Soon enough, Robert would become a regular traveler on Britannic, making at least four transatlantic voyages to Southampton and back between 1922 and 1926. He later went on to become a prosperous businessman in the 1950s and would become an advocate for maritime safety. Robert would also found the Tropical Pacific Line as a freight-oriented shipping company with his son Daniel as early as 1954 in Ontario. About thirty years later, Carnival became the partner cruise line of Tropical Pacific. Tropical had originally wanted to invest in an ocean liner service, but they did not have the funding or resources to do so. Instead, they approached Carnival in hopes of increasing revenue from passenger and cruise service. By the 1980's the cruise line division of Tropical Pacific was able to commission boats, though ironically enough they were built by Germany as the UK's manufacturing industry dwindled. In the 1990s, Eric began to work at the company. He was originally captain of the SS Bella Dona, but by the 2000s got promoted.
Fantastic tale! I'm a newer subsciber, but I've steamed though a great deal of your show at Full Ahead speed. I hope you continue to Captain the Oceanliner "Designs" for many more voyages to come! (I would gladly see you off on your great Atlantic adventures, but I would remain on firm ground. You see, as a wee lad I watched "A Night to Remember" and have been "scarred" ever since! Oddly enough, I have no problem with Air or Train travel. Well done, Skipper! \m/
I really admire the effort put towards your “What If” videos! Everything you put forward sounds logical and you can tell how much research you put into it to make it sound that way. I also love the fact that you don’t even acknowledge Britannic’s sinking in 1916 and act like this story really happened. Super clever! Hope to see more content like this!
“What if the MV Oceanic III was finished and never abandoned?” I want this to be in a reality in which the Queen Mary was still built, and the two super liners served the Cunard-White Star alongside each other.
I like these, "What ifs," It is nice to have a better ending to the story to ponder. I just watched the alternate story you did of the Titanic, 3 years ago and now this one of the Brittanic from 2 years ago. I don't feel sad like after a regular video about one of these ships B) TY
We could only imagine what would have happened if the Resolute, formerly known as Britannic survived World War 2. Would she have run with Aquitania together as Trans-Atlantic running mates or cruise voyages? Imagine if you made a fiction video about how Queen Mary 2 gets turn into a hospital ship along with others, because of the large scale of Ukraine's war and the lack of electricity and hospital service in Ukraine itself. Or you could make a video about a fiction ship such as Artanic. It has a long lifespan of eight years now, lots of background story to this ship. Still a very great video about Britannic. Its always interesting to work out scenarios about 'What if...', the 'What if Titanic didn't sank' was also a very great video! Thank you!
I love these what if stories of ocean liners! it's so rare to see in the first place. love your work! Heya mike! there's this book called "timewreck titanic" by Rhys B. Davies. it's about a what if scenario; a bunch of ships in an alternate timeline rescue the titanic. don't have to make a video on this, it just sounds like a cool read. i've never seen any video or mention about this, but the concept of the story sounds good. didn't know where else to share this, i don't have much friends interested in ocean liners lol.
it would be nice. like they could have put Olympic somewhere as a museum since it survived where the other two didn't. brittanic was a result of war so that one couldn't be helped. titanic well we know that story
Another excellent "what-if" scenario, Mike. The scenario you came up with for Britannic feels even more plausible than the one from your "What If Titanic Never Sank?" video. Do you plan on uploading the profiles you made of Britannic to your website the way you did with the profiles you made of Titanic and/or making them available for purchase in your store?
It's fascinating to know how a small change in history can bring large changes from Britannic having a brutal death with more lives lost or maybe we not being here if titanic never sank in an alternate universe (video from 10 months ago). Keep it up Mike great job as always 👍
He made a Documentary about the Bismarck and the Titanic. By the way, the Bismarck was in the White Star Line too. So why James Cameron shouldn't make a Britannic documentary.
The Bismarck I know of was a German battleship in WW2, sunk handily by having a critical weak point on its rudder. Still, she did make the HMS Hood explode by detonating her magazine, so her extremely brief time at war was not wholly unproductive for the Nazi regime.
My grandpa told me about how his father served for the 51st during the Second World War, and how he was onboard the Resolute when it sank. I genuinely never knew it was an oceanliner before watching this video.
I’m fascinated by these videos! What do you think would have happened if it was either of the Olympic class survivors docked off California instead of the queen Mary?
Amazing video! I have a suggestion, and it’s What if Oceanic II never sank. It may seem like not much would have changed, but I feel like it may result in White Star being a dominant company during the Cunard merger.
It takes big, BIG money to preserve a ship, especially one almost 900 feet long, and they just weren't thinking that way back in the 1930's. No-one had the money either. A more plausable scenario would have been preserving the bridge as a walk-through museum display of the Olympic class ships and MAYBE one of the engines.
There's no way of knowing if the Olympic would survive service through WW2, but there's no question she would have been taken over for military duty if she were still in existence in 1939.
Britannic was a brilliant ship when first sailing as a liner in 1921. Those interiors could rival that of almost all the great ships before and after combined, imo! Shocking how there weren't many photographs taken of them.
I'm thankful to have many photographs of the ship in my personal "Britannic" collection; the pride and joy of which being a signature dresser from the ship, still labeled "S.S. 433". It was removed by a relative of mine back in '39, who also went around the ship filling out his sketchbook with artistic documentation of its beautiful decor, which we still have.
Shame about its inevitable sinking as "Resolute". Absolute tragedy, even.
Thanks for bringing this important ship to light here :]
*(In all seriousness though; my goodness was this video amazing! The quality of the animations and the overall believability of your alternate history stuff is impeccable! Also that ending was creepy as hell and I love it. You're a fantastic content creator and are endlessly talented. Please, don't ever stop doing what you do!👍)*
Si los interiores son mejores a los de los cruceros de hoy
I remember when James Cameron's expedition found the Britannic wreck while prepping to film Titanic back in 1995. The tie-in features leading up to Titanic's release about the search and discovery were awesome.
@SaphireTheProtogen are you a idiot? He is supposed to play in with this universe
The wreck was discovered on 3 December 1975 by Jacques Cousteau. Cameron visited the wreck in mid 1995.
@SaphireTheProtogen No, Jaques Cousteau found the wreck in 1975 (britannic) and James Cameron visited britannic's wreck in 1995.
Fun fact, Stewardess Violet Jessop, a Titanic survivor, also served on Britannic during her time as a hospital ship. Can only imagine the relief on her face when she found out in Nov 1916 that a mine hit the ship but failed to explode. Imagine surviving Olympic's collision with HMS Hawke, THEN Titanic, THEN the sinking of the Britannic. Lol thatd be crazy
She did in fact survive all 3
@@volpixrossi3589 Pretty sure that's why they wrote it like that, friend ;)
@@thisherehandleIdospout They wrote it that it would be interesting if she did survive all 3.
@@volpixrossi3589 its called playing into the alt history in this video
@@volpixrossi3589 r/woosh
Jesus, these endings are like a punch in the gut.
I keep getting so engrossed in the story that I completely forget her actual fate. When Britannic sinks in the story and the big "don't be sad it's ending, be glad that it happened" theme comes out, you sit there with this false sense of joy as Britannic is seen steaming ahead during the peak of her career.
Then the transition hits, the music echoes, and reality creeps in. It didn't happen.
Her sinking was, fortunately, much less deadly in our reality
Even when we know the outcome it’s still a gut punch because of Mikes storytelling, im a HUGE history and documentary nut and my teenage son is a military history buff so watching these together it so much fun
My grandpa was on the Britannic when it sank in 1942, he said that it was the most horrifying experience he ever had! Man, he went through a lot!
bro it sank it 1916 so your gandpa was 100 years old
@@kenkenyu23squad6he’s joking
Hes prkbably talking about the OTHER britannic
@@kenkenyu23squad6BRO THE TITLE DUMMY
._.
Thanks for this. The Britannic has special meaning in our family as not one but two sailed on her. My Grandfather was repatriated from Egypt aboard her after WWI, and then in 1942, my Father sailed on her from England to North Africa - all the way around Cape Hope. I cried when Ballard found her in 1991.
What the brittanic sank
@@Uncleapplan18 there was another Britannic built in the 1930s (different design of course) with a sister ship called Georgic, Both of these ships were some of the last ships that White Star operated before they were bankrupt
@@Uncleapplan18 did you not watch the video?
@@lylec7755 omg ITS IN THE VIDEO 😭😭😭😭
This has to be one of the greatest maritime what if videos on UA-cam.
Crazy to think that 30 deaths in 1916 could have increased to 6,348 in 1942.
Anyways, keep it up!
hey maritime H! didnt expect to see you here! one day we will beat you on sams stream....
@@pagmonreal Hahaha! I watch Mike's videos too.
@@Maritime_History :)
w e
w i l l
d e f e a t
y o u
m a r i t i m e
@@thestonedabbot9551 : )
I love how you create fiction that is still so engaging and captures the mind of those who know of her true fate, and those who dont. Britannic deserved a story of success and longevity, even if just a fictional legend.
Well-said.
and according to some parts of the multi-verse theory by creating it in our plain it has become a reality in another
Birthday party
A great "What if?" story Mike! Sure it's fiction, but who doesn't enjoy a bit of fiction now and then? Especially when there's just a bit of "grain of truth" to make it plausable.
Thanks! Loved it!
What if the entirety of the Olympic class survived into the 1930s?
None of them would exist in any form today, scrapped in the 30's or at the latest at the outbreak of World War II.
Good idea
Yeah, I’d like to see a world where the Olympic class never sank.
They probably would have good careers into the 1930's but then as Mike suggested both Olympic and Titanic's obsolete interiors and age (Remember most ships weren't expected to be in service more than 25 years) would have caused their retirement. Brittanic might have held on a bit longer. How White Star might have fared without the loss of Titanic (which they never completely recovered from) is anyone's guess.
Always would have loved to see that on UA-cam
My Great Grandparents met on Britannic in 1923. It still chills me to think that had it not been for a broken mine, I might never have been here.
😂 🎉
Bro Don't Know History Of Olympic Class 💀
@@JeffWayneTWOTWFan1322it’s a joke
@@JeffWayneTWOTWFan1322Bro didn't watched the video 💀
@@JeffWayneTWOTWFan1322my man have you watched the video, people are playing into this universe
Violet Jessup had returned to service in WWII and was reassigned to a special nurses corp in North Africa. She was traveling aboard the Resolute when it was torpedoed. She was actually trapped in an aft section of the ship that quickly went under water, and she had to swim through several of the open water-tight compartments to get to a part of the ship above water. Fortunately she had become a champion swimmer after her three previous close calls on White Star Liners and had amazing breath control. She would jump from the ship and cling to floating debris until brought into a lifeboat with an interesting assortment of passengers. After the war, she took jobs on the Andrea Doria and SS Poseidon.
Mike, you are absolutely brilliant. This is a masterpiece. I fear many people will watch and believe this to be actual history. Bravo!!!!
Violet Jessup was the Chuck Norris of her day.
Violet Jessup truly unsinkable
Did she survive the capsizing of the Poseidon?
@@RealValerySablin she did!!!
My grandpa once saw the Britannic when he visited New York in 1936. He said it was the most beautiful ship he had ever laid eyes on, often joked he hoped to earn enough money to be on her one day. Sadly, he never got the chance.
My grandpa rode on titanic in 1940 after he was injured in war.
Bro stop being idiots
Britannic sank in 1916 and Titanic sank in 1912
@@UA-camman2368 ironic cause you were being one, people in the comment section are simply roleplaying, acting like they're inside the universe shown in the video
@UA-camman2368 if anything your the idiot people are simply playing along with this alternate universe
I absolutely loved this video! It feels crazy seeing Britannic live a full and proper life.
I’d love to see a ‘what if Oceanic was completed?’ video in the future.
Watching this that just what I was thinking tpp
These what if videos are great, really makes you wish the Olympic Class had never suffered the way it did.
I agree! A world in which all three sisters survived and sailed alongside each other is almost unimaginable!
And if RMMV Oceanic 3 got built too.
@@OceanlinerDesignsWhat if white star line didn't go bankrupt and have to disappear?
Tempting to build a scale "HMS Resolute" as some sort of fan-art. Somehow you've crossed my imagination with realistic and interesting "What -if" stories and I hope to see more of it!
If he has a full artwork for the Titanic Dazzle paint I’d probably do one as a neat “what might have been” plus the Academy 1/700 kits are cheap
@@johnbeauvais3159 What a display that would be wouldn't it. All 3 sisters in wartime service
@@guitarbro1969 I’m currently doing the 1918 paint scheme for Olympic, it’s beautiful even in miniature
Would LOVE to see that if you ever get around to it!
@@OceanlinerDesigns if the wreck at the end is the resolute then there is a error, she has gantry davets
Great video as always!
Here's some "what if?" Ideas:
What if the entire Olympic class of ships survived
What if the queen marry was sunk during WW2
What if Olympic sank instead of Titanic
What if Olympic was a hospital ship instead of a troop ship
What if the Lusitania survived
What if Mauritania sank instead of Lusitania
What if Carpathia never sank
What if Britannic was a troop ship instead
What if white star line took over more of cunard star line instead of cunard
What if white star was still around
What if Olympic was never scrapped
What if Mauritania was never scrapped
What if the Olympic class was never built
What if the Lusitania class of ships were never built
What if Titanic was built before Olympic
What if Britannic was built before Olympic and titanic
What if Britannic was torpedoed instead of hitting a sea mine
What if cunard built the Olympic class and white star built the Lusitania class
What if the titanic had enough lifeboats for everyone
What if more Olympic class ships were built
There's some "what if?" Ideas, these are just suggestions, and you don't have to do these if you want to.
Some of these don't make sense
@@stevengaming3689 Maybe not, but they'd sure keep Mike busy! Assuming he didn't have a nervous breakdown trying to cover them all!
@@stevengaming3689 The "What if Titanic had enough lifeboats for everyone," question is pretty stupid. You'd have to first cover a disaster that was inquired by the British Board of Trade to modify regulations regarding lifeboats, which I can't think up of any, except the La Bourgogne, even though it was a French liner. Even if it was, it was at the time the deadliest disaster on the Atlantic, so maybe.
One I’d like to see is if Oceanic 3 was built
"Brittannic hits a landmine" sounds about right
Fascinating! Bravo, another great video, and I LOVE an alternative ocean liner history. John Maxtone-Graham does this with Normandie with his book "Crossing to Cruising" and imagines if that fire never happened. While here Britannic still meets an untimely and tragic end, it's delayed a few decades. QM and QE were fortunate never to have been sunk while trooping, this is a sobering look at what might have occurred with the sinking of a great troopship.
QM and QE did have the advantage of being able to make 30+ knot speeds so the danger from U-Boots was considered minimal. Brittanic was designed for MAYBE 25 knots at maximum, normal cruising would have been in the 22 to 24 knot range. So Mike's supposition of Brittanic being a U-Boot victim is entirely plausable.
@@wayneantoniazzi2706 Well really, it's any ship that was incapable of making any greater than 18 knots (which is the fastest a U-Boat can travel on the surface, and since they're generally not going to be sailing on the surface where they can be seen, they'll be sailing under water, where they can't go any faster than 8 knots max) that are most vulnerable to U-Boats. So technically speaking, ships like Britannic and Lusitania, with their much higher top speed, should be alright. The only conceivable way a U-Boat could get in line with one of these liners (and even ones which are still larger and faster like the two Queens) and nail a perfect shot is if they are in position in advance and the liner comes within perfect vision of the periscope, as was the case with Britannic in this AU, or Lusitania irl.
Wait: Crossing to Cruising had an AU? Now THAT I'm definitely going to need to read. :D
@@Kaidhicksii Certainly a U-Boot couldn't catch Britannic either surfaced and definately not submerged, but it wouldn't have to. Follow me on this.
Britannic might have gotten away with sailing alone at a high speed during WW1. For a good shot a U-boot would have had to be in point-blank range like the one that got the Lusitania, I think it was about 500 yards from the ship, and if it wasn't that close a U-Boot captain would have had to do the math in his head as to where to aim the sub and fire the torpedoes and then keep his fingers crossed he'd got it right.
But by WW2 things were different. Submarines had electro-mechanical computers that when fed the range, bearing, and approximate speed of the target a firing solution would be provided to the captain for a MUCH more accurate shot than a WW1 sub would have. All things considered range from the target wasn't a problem anymore, within reason of course.
At any rate it would have been reckless and irresponsible to allow a ship of Britannic's age with 6000+ men on board to sail unescorted during WW2.
But this is all fictional anyway so there's no point in getting hung up on the subject.
This was oddly satisfying. It’s kind of nice to imagine Britannic actually getting to serve as a loner instead of as a foot note in the list of ships lost in ww1
This is a fantastic video Mike, you gave this ship an amazing "What if" story. I would like to see a "What if" all three Olympic class liners had survived.
Id like AT LEAST ONE to make it to present day.,
@@SlidTossedPissed that would be impossible
I think The Olympic Class Ship That will make it to present Day is
Titanic
@@randombelugaman2/3’s of the Olympic class liners are still recognizable, one of them no longer exists
@@pocketmarcy6990 i wish that one was around
This might be your best one yet, so many beautiful animations and the last few minutes were really heavy. Those metallic sounds always get me. Gorgeous video, Mike well done.
Thanks so much CV! This was a fun one to make because I got to play fast and loose with history and touch on another of my favourite subjects; WW2 history :)
@@OceanlinerDesigns make one where Britannic doesn’t sink ok
@Oceanliner Designs Mike I have a question that has been itching in the back of my head for a while now. What if cunard never bought white star? Would cunard white star line be a thing and then the companies would separate again or would it remain as the joint cunard-white star line?
I got literal chills when I saw the three of them sailing together at the start of the video! An amazing piece of work Mike, thanks for all the good work.
Mike, another wonderful video, however, when I heard the intro, my first thought: “Wait, is Mike about to kill my grandfather?” (Short answer, no: my grandfather traveled on a liner-turned-troopship to Britain from the US in June or July of 42 - before being sent to Gibraltar in November of 42 to pick up a Spitfire and fly into theater.) It really is amazing what service the great liners gave during the war and that so many troops were safely carried across the oceans. I watched the final moments of this film in horror at what could have easily occurred.
And thank you for not killing my grandfather. I’m rather glad to be here to watch your videos.
watching what if videos like this makes me feel like I'm in an alternate universe. Great video as always!!
Damn, Mike, you really went ALL IN with this one. Until the end I thought...YAY, our girl finally gets the ship life she deserved until...that alternate way of her sinking and so many more lives lost. So heartbreaking.
Don't mind me. Am just here for the furious comments correcting Mike that Britannic didn't make it through WWI 🤣
Hi Mike.
I've now watched both your alternate histories for Titanic and Britannic, respectively They're both incredibly creative, and imaginative. Your both a great story teller, and and informative historian. I've really enjoyed both of these wonderful presentations... Thank you.
It sucks that RMS Britannic/HMS Resolute never got to live longer than the Aquitania, scrapped in 1950.
Aquitania was the only four stacker to serve in WW2. I met a veteran who sailed on her from New Zealand to the Middle East.
He ended up at the battle for Monte Casino in Italy. I remember him telling me that you didn't want to be anywhere near the USA artillery, not anywhere the USAAF was bombing, because their accuracy was worse than the enemy's.
huh, i thought it was sunk by alien tripods
Alternate history is one of my favorite excursions, especially when it is plausibly tied to world events. Very well done.
My gosh, that ending was so emotional, like a dream cut short by the truths of reality. Incredible "what if?" story man! If you're thinking of doing more like this I would so recommend the SS Normandie! That would be fascinating, seeing her actually serve along side the Queens ect
Wait,... What???
A brilliant narrative, very carefully and thoughtfully composed. I would have bought it hook, line, and stinker if I wasn't already a fan of the Olympic class ships.
Thanks for a fascinating tale!
The way you convey this exquisite What If scenario made me think twice at the end if it actually didn't happen like this for real! Exceptional quality video once again Mike.
What a great alternate story for Britannic! The one thing that I liked about it that those ugly gantry lifeboats were removed at one point. And your story gave her a spectacular ending. Good work Mike. I would certainly like to see if all three Olympic class ships had a life long career.
I love these, rewritings of history. These new time lines, and “cause and effects” are brilliant. Very entertaining. Thanks Mike Brady
I discovered this channel about a week ago and I’ve been watching a lot of your videos.
The last one I watched was on the Carpathia and it’s rescue mission (I highly recommend the video, there was a lot of information I didn’t know!)
But the transition at the end of this video is insane
This video is everything I love about your channel! You are an incredible story teller, that cold open was perfect, all the details make sense, and I like how you made it all feel so real with the pictures and animations. It was a cool choice to have the ship sink from the rear instead of from the bow was we're familiar with. I wish you didn't have to make its demise such a tragedy, but it's still a plausible choice and I suppose wasn't technically even the Britannic at that point. It really is heartbreaking to think what could've been had history gone differently. The shot you ended on, fading to the actual wreck, was perfect too. I really think you have the best big boat channel on UA-cam 😊
I'd love to see a "what if all three Olympic Class liners served a full service life?"
Me too! In my head I just merged his 'What if Titanic hadn't sank' video with this one.
@@cardiffgiant9406 Agreed! Perhaps a better topic would be "What if the three German liners didn't become war reparations?" How would a 4th option to Cunard, WS, and the French Line look after WW1? Would Germany have built their own super liner in the late 30s to match the Queens and Normandy?
@@91_C4_FL All great questions! I am currently building 3 trumpeter kits to be radio control and a tribute to how Ismay visioned the Olympic class sisters.
@@cardiffgiant9406
With these two videos merged, it would be this:
Olympic: 1910-1935
Titanic: 1911-1930
Britannic: 1914-1942
i love this type of alternate history where the narrator talks about it like thats what happened its cool
Watching videos like this is like a glance into an alternate demention
My grandparents sailed on the Britannic on their honeymoon in 1925 and my grandmother told me how beautiful she was, especially that pipe organ and their suite on B-Deck--it even had a private promenade! This was because her parents were very fond of the White Star Line and they gifted my grandparents with a homeward crossing back to New York. They sailed again on the Britannic in 1928 and they would leave my father to play in that nursery. Sadly, they didn't take any pictures. But my grandmother always remembered how romantic and wonderful both crossings were.
Great writing, research, and art! Unbelievable amount of work went into this video. Thank you very much!
I became so involved that when it was over I questioned the title of the video. I had forgotten it was historical fiction. Well done!
In 1926 the Brittanic had a very eerie terrifying close call only 4 miles from where the Titanic went down. She grazed an iceberg and severely damaged her propellers. The crew tried to calm the passengers down but violence broke out on deck and took nearly 2 hours to quell. When passengers finally realized the ship was not sinking they calmed. Sadly 2 people were trampled by the raging crowd and a young boy fell overboard. Luckily for the boy he could swim very well and it was mid summer. A life jacket was thrown to him and he was rescued by second officer Terry Hawkins. The two people badly injured survived but with serious injuries. 3 men were arrested and sentenced to 3 years in prison for instigating a riot.
Thanks so very much for this alternative history! What a remarkable ship she would have been had she not been so tragically lost during the first world war. Congratulations on the amazing graphics that brought the HMS RESOLUTE so beautifully to life and, ultimately, to her death. Of all your videos, this is my absolute favorite. Well done!
The endings to both this and the what if for Titanic with the transition from the ship sailing to a view of the wreck are simply haunting. Good stuff.
Love your work, Mike! Keep it going!
My great grandfather was the main gun operator for brittanic’s stern gun. After the war he moved to the states, and actually saw the majestic ship in New York during 1935. He said it was a bit nicer than he remembered.
probably my favorite video on the channel thus far. great storytelling, always love the "what-if" videos you produce
I really like how immersive this alternate universe is. From the video and the comments, it all feels 100% authentic.
23:38 is so sad. Through the whole video it was if the Britannic (As the title suggests) Never Sank in 1916. But that sequence with the Blue Danube playing showing you the glory of the RMS Britannic until the song starts to reverb and the water sound effects start and shows the wreck at the bottom of the Kea Channel, What really happened to the ship. Her whole career you just watched... never happened.
I love how this video plays the scenario entirely straight. This isn’t alternate history, it’s a UA-cam video from an alternate timeline
I'd like to think that the Royal Navy would've renamed the Britannic "The Britannia" since the names are similar, and because the Britannic was once the pride and face of the entire British Empire. Love this "What if?" Mike! Can't wait for more to come
I remember my great grandpa talking about the Britannic and the wartime ship it became, the Resolute. My memory is a bit patchy, but I think he said that he and his family saved up enough money to book second class passage aboard the Britannic in 1928, when he was around 12. He met the boy who would become his lifelong best friend, another second class passenger whose name has long since escaped me lol. Anyway, I recall hearing a number of stories about how they both loved ocean liners, stayed in touch after the trip, and both ended up becoming navy men. Great Grandpa Carl passed away when I was just a kid, and my memories of him mostly consist of a lighthearted jovial old man, but one of the only times I recall him being serious was when he brought up the Resolute and finding out what happened to it after the war. My dad and I got him talking one night during one of his infrequent visits, and the conversation eventually got around to that subject. Apparently it hit both he and his friend hard when they found out. I forget how they found out, but they did, and the first chance they got after hearing the news, he and his friend got together at a bar, got rip-roaring drunk, cried their eyes out, and drank multiple tearful toasts to both the Britannic and the Resolute.
In 1984, roughly a year before Titanic was found, Robert Ballard accidently stumbled on Britannic's wreck andmisidentified her at first, though it was quickly corrected. It sparked interest the ship enough that James Cameron made a sequel of sorts to his blockbuster hit Titanic in 2005 with the premise being Rose having a son that served aboard and fell enlove with a stowayay nurse from Germany. Sadly it didn't become as much of a hit, but it's still a great film with lots of period accurate sets!
real talk, that would be a great movie though…
*MIND BLOWN*
Ive had some time to think this video out and its really blown my mind.
1. FOR YEARS, Ive been trying to figure out what role the Brittanic played as the Sister ship and how she got brought into the war.
2. I never knew Olympic was THAT fast.. sure Titanic had power "Id guess"... but we never saw that demonstrated. I didnt know that Olympic wasnt a Red Cross ship... and that Brittanic was. I also never knew about Olympic's Dazzle Paint job.
Dude..
HATS off to you. I gotta find some dough to give to you. I definately gotta scounge up some dough for one of your prints for Xmas.
Your animations, drawings.. videos are top notch. Factual, interesting... I mean damn.
Now, Great GOOGILY MOOGILY!!!!
Ya give the Brittannic a, "Get out of The BREAKERS Yard free" card... but ya put her in a line of sight with some NazI U-Boat carrying 7,000 souls?!
DAMN.
I gotta watch this again... this sounds almost FEASIBLE!
P.S
Initially.. I thought Cunard (being the one who comes out ahead) and White Star "merged" because Cunard had more ships. Is it even possible for White Star to still be around... even with that scenario? What scenario would have to exist.. for ONE of the Sisters to still be around AND have a lasting effect on society as a whole?
Also..
I think it was you or Titanic Honor and Glory who mentioned H and W. I tore through that book like I was ON FIRE. If you look at the blueprints of the property going back to 1930... and you see the mess of consumer shit in the area NOW, its mind blowing.
Dude.. you are DAMN ON POINT~! NOICE JOB!
Wonders just a wonder your animations and story telling has improved so much keep the good work up. Also first!!!!
I kept waiting for the story to diverge from history. I didn't know how the Brittanic was lost or when, and the YT app cut off that part of the title so it wasn't until after the U boat had her in its sights that I realized something was up. I totally believed that the mine was a dud and the rich detail had me believing you were still prefacing right up to almost the end. Well done.
I have real the actual story now, to avoid further making a fool of myself, but I hope my dive through your channel archive finds the real story too.😮
Man, what a delightful story! I love these videos, and this one's just excellent!
I wish that Britannic had gotten a real career. Perhaps not to this extent, but geez. Just a bit of real service would be great.
I think the obvious next steps are:
"What if Lusitania didn't sink?"
"What if the Olympic trio stayed afloat?"
"What if British shipping lost no ships in WWI?"
And, of course:
"What would ocean shipping be like if WWI never happened?"
That last one's different because the German liners were taken from Germany; in that scenario, they would stay with Germany, and things would be drastically different.
I know it's been a year and this will probably never be seen, but I've seen NOBODY mention this so I wanted to, I love that in this timeline Britannic (Resolute) sunk in the exact inverse way to Titanic. It was hit on the same side as Titanic, but in the stern instead of the bow, so instead of sinking bow first it sunk stern first.
Interesting that the loss of life was almost identical to the loss on the Lancastria in 1940. The Admiralty kept that real and horrific loss a secret for a long time after the sinking as well.
Quite right cunard61! The Lancastria disaster was a source of creative inspiration for this video.
@@OceanlinerDesigns hey Mike there is a error in the video, if the wreck at the end is the resolute then she has gantry davets
@@OceanlinerDesigns I was thinking the same thing! It would have been in the realm of possibility that, had it not been for the Britannic's loss in the Great War, that the Lancastria disaster might have befallen her instead. You did a great job weaving the Britannic's alternate history into the real world of European ocean liners in the 1920s and '30s!
This story does sound great! Though, if the ship did survive World War 2 somehow, would it have just been scrapped right away afterwards?
I agree with another comment I seen here, I'd like to see a what if video about what if the Titanic and Britannic both survived, so that the Olympic Class ships didn't sink.
Though they'd likely have not made it past the 30s, it could be interesting to speculate what would have happened if all 3 did somehow make it past the 1930s.
aquatania was
What if Britannic had survived 1916?
Her life would have mirrored that of her older sister, Olympic, and she would not have survived the Cunard/White Star merger, and been retired and scrapped in the late 1930s.
That’s not true she will be a hotel
@@michaeldemarco9950 idk man her high number of private state rooms would’ve meant that she would still be a earner. Also she was cheaper to run. Though had she made it into ww2 and survived she would’ve been scrapped by about 1948 after finishing service of transporting war brides.
@@randomuser9883 I think she would probably have been converted to a migrant ship had she survived WWII, as even the most unsuitable ships were pressed into that service.
I feel like, if Britannic had never sunk, she would have had a very similar career to Aquitania, Cunard's response to Britannic and her direct competition. Down to surviving the Cunard-White Star merger and serving in both wars, like the video demonstrates.
Historic fiction is arguably my favorite genre of story telling and this does not disappoint! well done as always
I like historic fiction myself as long as it's kept plausible, not silly like "What if Napoleon had an atomic bomb at Waterloo?"
@@wayneantoniazzi2706 LMAO
I wish we could live in that alternate timeline where Britannic survived…😔
Absolutely love the longer videos Mike! Such a ship as Britannic deserves a story in passenger service
I almost missed the part where she actually sunk because your video is so fluid and well done! I had to do a double take at first!
omg i've been waiting for this ever since your Titanic video!
You know I'm not even sure how I came up on these boat stories, but God damn it they're the most interesting thing I have found recently. And to be 100% honest the good old timey music you play at the end sends me to a time of simple relaxation and fine brandy haha
Cheers to that! 🥃
Amazing video! Keep up the good work and you will reach 100k subs soon! Every video gets better! ❤
One of my coworkers at the Tropical Pacific Line (also known as the Orange Star Line) was descended from an Englishman who survived the Titanic and traveled on Britannic on a regular basis when she was still in operation. I’ll call this coworker Eric as he prefers to remain anonymous, whilst I'll call the other person Robert for sake of consistency.
Born in Skelmanthorpe, West Yorkshire, Robert was a gentleman of French, Austrian, and Hungarian descent through his father, while his mother was of Irish and Italian descent. On that fateful day in 1912, Robert alongside his spouse Emma boarded the Titanic as second class passengers. Robert remained awake throughout the first night of the voyage, and on April 14, at 11:40 p.m., he had just gone back into his cabin when he felt a strong jolt. Robert was eventually loaded into Lifeboat No. 12 with Emma, as the ship continued to take on water, knowing that it would carry them down with it. Even though Titanic was sinking slowly, there was still time for the other passengers to board the lifeboat, and they were lowered in time once the boat was full.
Following the sinking of the Titanic, Robert and Emma arrived in New York safely on Carpathia. Robert and Emma split up two months later following a divorce brought on by the psychological trauma of the incident. As a result, he moved from New York and decided to permanently settle in the U.S. in the state of Wisconsin. At this point, he started to have doubts about RMS Olympic because it was the sister ship of the Titanic. The ship had already been refitted that October to be much safer, but Robert had already suffered enough. He would never again board an Olympic-class ship; that is, until the 1920s. In the interim, he eventually felt better when he recalled his self-promise that, in the right conditions, no catastrophe would happen on board.
Subsequently, Robert soon became part of the thousands of other people who flooded the docks at Southampton on the day of Britannic's maiden voyage who were either excited about taking a transatlantic cruise on her or were hoping for a fresh start in America. Robert had been temporarily staying in England for two years, as he had felt the need to revisit family members and to compensate for the loss of their personal items to the Titanic disaster. However, Robert was lucky as he soon discovered that only a change of clothes and his spare wallet was what he brought when he boarded Titanic.
When Robert stepped onto Britannic as a third-class passenger, his expectations were higher than when he stepped onto the Titanic. After all, he felt more confident in sailing on Britannic specifically as she was much more luxurious and safer compared to Titanic. Soon enough, Robert would become a regular traveler on Britannic, making at least four transatlantic voyages to Southampton and back between 1922 and 1926. He later went on to become a prosperous businessman in the 1950s and would become an advocate for maritime safety. Robert would also found the Tropical Pacific Line as a freight-oriented shipping company with his son Daniel as early as 1954 in Ontario.
About thirty years later, Carnival became the partner cruise line of Tropical Pacific. Tropical had originally wanted to invest in an ocean liner service, but they did not have the funding or resources to do so. Instead, they approached Carnival in hopes of increasing revenue from passenger and cruise service.
By the 1980's the cruise line division of Tropical Pacific was able to commission boats, though ironically enough they were built by Germany as the UK's manufacturing industry dwindled. In the 1990s, Eric began to work at the company. He was originally captain of the SS Bella Dona, but by the 2000s got promoted.
Fantastic tale! I'm a newer subsciber, but I've steamed though a great deal of your show at Full Ahead speed. I hope you continue to Captain the Oceanliner "Designs" for many more voyages to come! (I would gladly see you off on your great Atlantic adventures, but I would remain on firm ground. You see, as a wee lad I watched "A Night to Remember" and have been "scarred" ever since!
Oddly enough, I have no problem with Air or Train travel. Well done, Skipper! \m/
Thanks so much shipmate!
I really admire the effort put towards your “What If” videos! Everything you put forward sounds logical and you can tell how much research you put into it to make it sound that way. I also love the fact that you don’t even acknowledge Britannic’s sinking in 1916 and act like this story really happened. Super clever! Hope to see more content like this!
“What if the MV Oceanic III was finished and never abandoned?” I want this to be in a reality in which the Queen Mary was still built, and the two super liners served the Cunard-White Star alongside each other.
I like these, "What ifs," It is nice to have a better ending to the story to ponder. I just watched the alternate story you did of the Titanic, 3 years ago and now this one of the Brittanic from 2 years ago. I don't feel sad like after a regular video about one of these ships B) TY
We could only imagine what would have happened if the Resolute, formerly known as Britannic survived World War 2. Would she have run with Aquitania together as Trans-Atlantic running mates or cruise voyages?
Imagine if you made a fiction video about how Queen Mary 2 gets turn into a hospital ship along with others, because of the large scale of Ukraine's war and the lack of electricity and hospital service in Ukraine itself. Or you could make a video about a fiction ship such as Artanic. It has a long lifespan of eight years now, lots of background story to this ship. Still a very great video about Britannic. Its always interesting to work out scenarios about 'What if...', the 'What if Titanic didn't sank' was also a very great video! Thank you!
How has youtube only just recommended this channel??? Awesome content lad
I love these what if stories of ocean liners! it's so rare to see in the first place. love your work!
Heya mike! there's this book called "timewreck titanic" by Rhys B. Davies. it's about a what if scenario; a bunch of ships in an alternate timeline rescue the titanic. don't have to make a video on this, it just sounds like a cool read. i've never seen any video or mention about this, but the concept of the story sounds good. didn't know where else to share this, i don't have much friends interested in ocean liners lol.
my brain had to fight this episode nearly every second but still extremely well done sir.
Oh, Mike, you killed her off again! Couldn't she have just ended up as a sea-side attraction in Brighton?
it would be nice. like they could have put Olympic somewhere as a museum since it survived where the other two didn't. brittanic was a result of war so that one couldn't be helped. titanic well we know that story
I'm already a fan, but I must say:
You, sir, are brilliant!
Thank you once again, Mr. Brady.
7:41 Lower Manhattan skyline with the SINGER BUILDING. The detail of this animation is pretty much accurate 👌 ❤
Love these what if videos. Must be a great opportunity to have your own fan fiction
Another excellent "what-if" scenario, Mike. The scenario you came up with for Britannic feels even more plausible than the one from your "What If Titanic Never Sank?" video. Do you plan on uploading the profiles you made of Britannic to your website the way you did with the profiles you made of Titanic and/or making them available for purchase in your store?
I get Goosebumps just listening to this, and it's entirely fictitious.
Great narration.
What if all three Olympic class had long careers?
Wonderful. A realistic story with all the highs and lows. Thank you for making this.
What If Lusitania never sank
The Sydney harbour shot just made me go "Wow!" A very cool picture.
What if scenario:
Olympic is the one that sinks and Titanic and Britannic survive
RMMV Oceanic was built and saved WSL
It's fascinating to know how a small change in history can bring large changes from Britannic having a brutal death with more lives lost or maybe we not being here if titanic never sank in an alternate universe (video from 10 months ago). Keep it up Mike great job as always 👍
*Great videos mate. I'm shocked James Cameron has not dived the Britannic given it's mostly intact*
He made a Documentary about the Bismarck and the Titanic. By the way, the Bismarck was in the White Star Line too. So why James Cameron shouldn't make a Britannic documentary.
The Bismarck I know of was a German battleship in WW2, sunk handily by having a critical weak point on its rudder. Still, she did make the HMS Hood explode by detonating her magazine, so her extremely brief time at war was not wholly unproductive for the Nazi regime.
@@browncoatkevin there was liner called, SS Bismarck, u smartypants
My grandpa told me about how his father served for the 51st during the Second World War, and how he was onboard the Resolute when it sank. I genuinely never knew it was an oceanliner before watching this video.
I’m fascinated by these videos! What do you think would have happened if it was either of the Olympic class survivors docked off California instead of the queen Mary?
Imagine how amazing it would have been if both Britannic and Titanic didn’t sink and all three Olympic ships were able to sail together.
Amazing video! I have a suggestion, and it’s What if Oceanic II never sank. It may seem like not much would have changed, but I feel like it may result in White Star being a dominant company during the Cunard merger.
My great uncle Mick was a steward on board her in the twenties. Always wanted to know more about her. Thank you for the great video!
I wish this was reality
Now we need a what if called “What if the torpedo that struck the Olympic exploded?”
she probably would have survived
*It was a huge mistake scrapping the Olympic. Imagine if you could visit or stay on the Olympic like you can the Queen Mary*
I wish it hadn't happened but then again, it did create jobs during the depression I guess
It takes big, BIG money to preserve a ship, especially one almost 900 feet long, and they just weren't thinking that way back in the 1930's. No-one had the money either.
A more plausable scenario would have been preserving the bridge as a walk-through museum display of the Olympic class ships and MAYBE one of the engines.
There's no way of knowing if the Olympic would survive service through WW2, but there's no question she would have been taken over for military duty if she were still in existence in 1939.
@@cunard61 it be surprising if both Olympic and Mauretania were spared the scrapping to only see service in ww2.
These videos keep getting better every single upload!
Amazing vid Oceanliner Designs. A fascinating what-if vid.
Britannic was such a great ship, she's my favorite liner.
This reminds me of when you are having a wonderful dream, but suddenly wake up and realize it was never real. It’s just depressing.