Britannic—Titanic’s little sister. The third Olympic-class liner, she suffered the same fate as her older sibling and sank near the Greek island of Kea on November 21, 1916. There was a (highly fictionalized) TV movie in 2000, but Britannic has still been largely overshadowed by Titanic in popular culture. But ship nerds (I use that term affectionately) know the ship and her story. I still remember my mom telling me about the Britannic when I was a kid, and I’ve been fascinated with Britannic ever since.

Inside the Britannic by Simon Mills tells the story of this lost Olympic-class liner, and takes readers deep inside her wreck. Per the book’s description:

Simon Mills bought the wreck of the Britannic in 1996 and has spent more time exploring it than anyone else. Inside the Britannic is the sum of decades of work covering every inch of the shipwreck as he searches for answers to century-old questions, and discovers new mysteries to solve. Simon takes a forensic approach but this book is more than just the autopsy report of a ship; it is a fascinating survey supported by stunning, never-before-seen photos from inside the wreck, archival blueprints and original technical schematics of specific areas, and specially recreated digital images of how the ship would have looked.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Osprey Publishing for providing an advance copy of this book to read and review.

Book Summary

Inside the Britannic tells the story of Titanic’s equally ill-fated sister ship. Still under construction at Harland & Wolff in April 1912, the builders modified Britannic’s design in the wake of the disaster. While externally very similar to the earlier Olympic and Titanic, this new ship was very different internally. With a double hull and extended watertight bulkheads—plus massive Armstrong gantry davits to hold more lifeboats—the Britannic was the pinnacle of British marine engineering and shipbuilding.

Pressed into service as a hospital ship during World War I, the third Olympic-class liner never fulfilled her intended purpose to carry passengers across the Atlantic in unparalleled luxury. Britannic struck a mine on November 21, 1916 and sank in just 55 minutes—much quicker than it took Titanic to sink. How was this possible? That’s what Simon Mills wants to find out.

Over the course of nearly three decades, Mills has exhaustively researched and investigated the wreck. Experienced divers have gone down to the Britannic and thoroughly documented her saddle oyster-encrusted hulk. Looking for clues, they’ve penetrated deep into the ship—a feat made significantly easier given that she’s laying on her starboard side. Mills and his teams document the Britannic’s interiors from stem to stern and make some rather interesting discoveries along the way.

My Thoughts

This is an incredible book. Full stop.

Simon Mills does a great job of covering the history of the Britannic—from her construction and short career to her afterlife as a Mediterranean shipwreck. He details the changes Harland & Wolff made to the ship following the Titanic disaster to make her safer and early explorations of the wreck following its 1975 discovery by Jacques Cousteau. Inside the Britannic is an incredible resource for all those interested in the last Olympic-class liner.

I found Mills’ descriptions of the various diving expeditions to the Britannic fascinating. His approach is scientific, methodical, and thorough. The book also reads like a sort of adventure travelogue, which in some ways I suppose this is. I found myself sharing Mills’ successes and disappointments as he and his various teams penetrated the wreck over the decades. The result is a thorough documentation of many of Britannic’s interior spaces. The divers were the first people to see these since November 21, 1916.

As with pretty much every Osprey publication, this book is beautifully illustrated (tabletop wargamers know what I’m talking about). There are enough historic photographs, diagrams, and schematics throughout to make any ship nerd happy. But the Britannic wreck photos are undeniably the highlight of this book. There are many high-quality, full-color photographs throughout that show the ship’s interior in stunning detail. My jaw actually dropped several times when coming across a particularly awesome set of photos (like the Turkish Baths and Reciprocating Engine Room).

Conclusion

Inside the Britannic is a must-read for any ship nerd. Mills’ account of the wreck’s exploration is vivid and engaging, and the photos are incredible. His passion for the ship and her history is clear.

Another thing is also clear—while Britannic is well preserved in some areas, she is rapidly deteriorating in others. No one knows how long it’ll be until the ship collapses in on herself. Inside the Britannic captures the ship as she is now—a largely complete and intact shipwreck frozen in time for over 100 years.

I would be hard pressed to find any human who knows more about the Britannic than this author. This is not just a compilation of photographs of the wreck itself, but also a comprehensive history of the sister ship of the Titanic.

I would consider this a must have for any shipwreck buff, or maritime history enthusiasts.

Thanks to Simon Mills, Osprey Publishing, and NetGalley for access to the Advanced Reader Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book provides a detailed and comprehensive view of the wreck of the Britannic, the cause of her sinking, and the details of why a second “unsinkable” ship sank – even after applying the lessons learned from her sister ship Titanic.

I found the description fascinating and certainly very detailed. As always with books about shipwrecks I would have liked even more pictures, but there are plenty of pictures and diagrams to augment the description. The author provides frequent comparisons to the Titanic to help us understand similarities and differences to that ship and her sinking.

Overall, an interesting account of the shipwreck. Great for shipwreck enthusiasts, Titanic / Britannic enthusiasts, World War I enthusiasts, and those just interested in a good non-fiction book.

"Inside the Britannic" is a fascinating record of efforts to explore the inside of the Britannic wreck. In doing so, the book attempts to highlight what has been lesser noted in Titanic literature--Titanic's sister went into hospital service looking very different from her ornate sister. Britannic was significantly stripped back in decor (the look being nearly unfinished at points) and the arrangement of her rooms was quite distinct, too, as fitting the ship's intended use as a hospital ship. What's good: The careful use of maps to point out where specific rooms were, the room-by-room flow of the analysis, the completely exceptional photography showing the state of different rooms. What's iffier: I can't say anything is. This is a truly fascinating book for anyone who loves ships, history, and "Titanic."

The Britannic was drafted for military service as a hospital ship before it had a chance to be a civilian ship; before it was even finished. A mine field in Greece sent it to a shallow bottom. The author holds the UK government’s former legal title and wants to formulate a conservation plan as the ship continues to deteriorate. Lots of comparisons to its sister ship Titanic. Lots of clear photos, although much is unrecognizable with wood and fabrics mostly gone, a thick covering of saddle oysters, and damage from the force of water sweeping through the Britannic as it sank and from striking the bottom. Over one hundred years after it sank, this is an interesting look at a once proud ship.

An intriguing and good story about the Britannic, her short history and the exploration of the ship many decades later. The author does a great job of telling her story and the aftermath. This is definitely a good read for the nautical person.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.