▁ 4 3 ▁years ▁later ▁in ▁ 1 9 0 1 ▁when ▁ ▁( 2 0 , 9 0 4 ▁GT ) ▁was ▁completed . ▁The ▁t onn age ▁then ▁grew ▁prof ound ly : ▁the ▁first ▁lin ers ▁to ▁have ▁a ▁t onn age ▁that ▁exceed ed ▁ 2 0 , 0 0 0 ▁were ▁the ▁Big ▁Four ▁of ▁the ▁White ▁Star ▁Line . ▁The ▁Olympic - class ▁ocean ▁lin ers , ▁first ▁completed ▁in ▁ 1 9 1 1 , ▁were ▁the ▁first ▁to ▁have ▁a ▁t onn age ▁that ▁exceed ed ▁ 4 5 , 0 0 0 . ▁, ▁completed ▁in ▁ 1 9 3 5 , ▁had ▁a ▁t onn age ▁of ▁ 7 9 , 2 8 0 . ▁In ▁ 1 9 4 0 , ▁ ▁raised ▁the ▁record ▁of ▁size ▁to ▁a ▁t onn age ▁of ▁ 8 3 , 6 7 3 . ▁She ▁was ▁the ▁largest ▁passenger ▁ship ▁ever ▁constructed ▁until ▁ 1 9 9 7 . ▁In ▁ 2 0 0 3 , ▁ ▁became ▁the ▁largest , ▁at ▁ 1 4 9 , 2 1 5 ▁GT . ▁ ▁In ▁the ▁early ▁ 1 8 4 0 s , ▁the ▁average ▁speed ▁of ▁lin ers ▁was ▁less ▁than ▁ 1 0 ▁kn ots ▁( a ▁crossing ▁of ▁the ▁Atlantic ▁thus ▁took ▁about ▁ 1 2 ▁days ▁or ▁more ). ▁In ▁the ▁ 1 8 7 0 s , ▁the ▁average ▁speed ▁of ▁lin ers ▁increased ▁to ▁around ▁ 1 5 ▁kn