"At the beginning of the 20th century, White Star Line established an unrivaled standard of luxury in its new Olympic class ships, which were designed to be the biggest and most magnificent in world. The Britannic, Titanic and Olympic were the flagships of the White Star fleet in the heyday of trans-Atlantic travel, and despite the sinking of the Titanic in 1912, the Olympic had a long and successful career before the financial pressures of the depression in the 1930s forced the merger of White Star with its rival Cunard. This book is the fruit of years of research by maritime historian Richard de Kerbrech. He tells the story of the company through all 89 ships that served the shipping line, with detailed technical information and vivid accounts of voyages and incidents. This detailed and comprehensive history of the White Star Line's ships will appeal to all those interested in the history of this most controversial and charismatic shipping line." --from inside jacket flap.