evidence: The Titanic, which sank in the North Atlantic on April 15, 1912, had two sister ships almost identical in size and luxury: the Olympic and the Britannic. The White Star Line hoped to conquer its rivals in the booming transatlantic passenger trade with this state-of-the-art trio. [...] The RMS Olympic launched on October 20, 1910, and was the oldest of the three ships. Like the Titanic, it held a contract with the British government to carry mail ("RMS" stands for royal mail ship), and it would follow the same route from Southampton, UK, to Cherbourg, France; Queenstown (now Cobh), Ireland; and New York City. The Olympic could carry more than 2300 passengers at the very height of luxury. Its first voyage took place on June 14, 1911, without incident. The Titanic’s shocking sinking on April 15, 1912, suggested that the Olympic could suffer the same fate. White Star executives brought the ship back to the yard for extensive safety modifications, including raising the height of the watertight compartments and adding more lifeboats. The Olympic resumed transatlantic service a year after the Titanic disaster.