Pirates & Shipwrecks · Hospital ship, 1916
HMHS Britannic
Kea Channel, Aegean Sea
What happened
Britannic was the younger sister ship of Titanic, and it was turned into a hospital ship during World War I. On 21 November 1916 an explosion hit its hull in the Kea Channel, Greece, and it sank 55 minutes later.
Why it matters
It was the largest ship lost in the First World War. Most of the 1,066 people aboard were rescued, and Britannic had more lifeboats than Titanic.
What came next
Jacques Cousteau's team found the wreck in 1975, about 120 meters deep.
Did you know?
Violet Jessop survived both the Titanic and the Britannic sinkings.
Timeline
- 26 February 1914Britannic is launched in Belfast.
- November 1915It becomes a hospital ship.
- 21 November 1916An explosion hits the ship and it sinks.
- 1975Jacques Cousteau's team finds the wreck.