This film is part of Free
S.S. Olympic
The construction and launch of the S.S. Olympic, the sister ship of the Titanic.
Overview
SS Olympic was the sister ship of Titanic, and at the time of her launch on 20 October 1910 she was the largest vessel ever built.
This film from Kineto company captures the sheer scale of endeavour involved in building the Olympic-class ships - the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast had to be upgraded to accommodate Olympic and her sister ships, Titanic and Brittanic. The White Star company, for whom these three ships were built, intended them to surpass, in size and luxury, the largest ships of their chief rival Cunard, Lusitania and Mauretania. Immediately following the launch ceremony, the film negative was sent from Belfast to London where it arrived at 8am the following morning. It was developed, printed and released in cinemas later in the same day - a feat of speediness commented on admiringly by the film trade press at the time. Olympic's maiden voyage was to New York in 1911 and, unlike both her sisters, she served a long and illustrious career until 1935, both as a liner and as a troopship during World War I, when she earned the nickname 'Old Reliable'. Olympic was broken up in Jarrow in 1935 - providing much-needed work there during the Depression - and her fittings auctioned.
Related
Ship is Launched Ship is Launched
Industry sponsored film 1957 7 mins Location: Newcastle upon Tyne
The famous Swan Hunter shipyards on the Tyne grease the slipway for another stirring launch in the prosperous 1950s.
Building and Launch of the "Crepath" at Barnstaple Building and Launch of the "Crepath" at Barnstaple
Non-Fiction 1918 5 mins Silent Location: Barnstaple
Barnstaple's experimental concrete-hulled ship gets a visit from a jolly Italian admiral.
City of Ships City of Ships
Industry sponsored film 1940 34 mins Location: Royal Albert Dock
There’s breathtaking footage of the London’s docks at their bustling peak in this informative film celebrating the work of the Port Of London Authority.
Shipyard Shipyard
1935 25 mins Location: Barrow-In-Furness
Paul Rotha’s brilliant film of the building and launch of SS Orion from the shipyards of Barrow-in-Furness.
Topical Budget 34-1 Topical Budget 34-1
Non-Fiction 1912 2 mins Silent Location: Southampton
Two of the earliest surviving editions of the Topical Budget newsreel, released in the aftermath of the Titanic disaster.
RMS Queen Mary Leaves the Clyde RMS Queen Mary Leaves the Clyde
1936 2 mins Silent
The iconic Cunard White Star liner leaves the shipyard of her birth and ventures seawards for the first time.
Khichdi Khichdi
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2023 16 mins
The interwoven stories of four best friends who reunite in the UK, thirty-five years after training together as nurses during their teens in Ferozepur, Punjab.
Every Moment Counts Every Moment Counts
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2023 9 mins
A short animation that offers a window into the world of children’s palliative care.
Dr XYZ: A Medical Drag Transthology Dr XYZ: A Medical Drag Transthology
2023 15 mins
A satirical take on the healthcare service announcements of the 1960s and 70s.
Police Story: Panel Discussion Police Story: Panel Discussion
Inside Film 2024 24 mins
Panel discussion on Jackie Chan's 1985 action classic Police Story, with Chase Armitage, Sam Mak and Jadey Duffield.
China O'Brien: The Reunion China O'Brien: The Reunion
Documentary 2024 60 mins
Cynthia Rothrock, Richard Norton and Keith Cooke reunite three decades on from the groundbreaking martial arts classic.
Women in Action Panel Discussion Women in Action Panel Discussion
Inside Film 2024 28 mins
Action Xtreme - the UK's leading action film studio - hosts this panel discussion with four leading women in action cinema - Soo Cole, Jo Rolison, Jadey Duffield and Ioanna Karavela.