The Twentieth Century swept in on a tide of Progress - with great advances in communications and transport. Society was still class-ridden, and at that time, Britain was still building 50% of the world's merchant ships. In the quest for speed, Cunard had built the largest and fastest liners in Lusitania and Mauritania. But The White Star Company opted for safety and comfort. They planned a new breed of huge liners which would be the safest and most luxurious afloat. The Olympic was first and the Titanic followed. Modifications gave here a greater tonnage than her sister. She was a floating palace, the biggest and - it seemed - the safest ship in the world. Her tragic maiden voyage was to bring about key changes in the law and mode of sea travel. This was not just another shipwreck - it was an End of an Era!
