Olympic launch footage

[Stuart Kelly]

I recently bought the DVD of the TV series "The Liners". At the start of it there is a sequence of several different ships being launched. One is of a large liner with its hull painted white. The camera is looking as it the bow pulls away from the forward part of the gantry. I wonder if this is the Olympic?

Stuart

 

[Joshua Gulch]

Stuart,
It may very well be. I've seen the footage taken of Olympic's launch and it's exactly as you described, with the ship backing away from the camera in the gantry.

Josh.

 

[Mike Bull]

In the UK at least, this footage is available on the so-called 'Lost Film Of The Titanic' video. There is also quite a lot of film of Olympic being built, with her keel being laid, hull plates being swung about etc. It's fascinating to see actual moving FILM of all this, rather than the usual well-known stills. As the video commentator said, if the camera had panned just a little to the left during the Olympic launch sequence, there would have been another ship visible, too...it's wonderful though to see Olympic launched, and to see her bow drop down off the slipway and into the water.

 

[Sally Butler]

The TRMA had a GIF of the Olympic's launch.