Olympic-class ocean liner so, the "Olympic"-class ships were built to surpass rival Cunard's largest ships, "Lusitania" and "Mauretania", in size and luxury. "Olympic", along with "Titanic" and the soon to be built "Britannic", were intended to be the largest and most luxurious ships to operate on the North Atlantic, but not the fastest, as the White Star Line had already switched from high speed to size and luxury. The three vessels were designed by Thomas Andrews and Alexander Carlisle. Construction of "Olympic" started in December 1908 and "Titanic" in March 1909. The two ships were built side by side. The construction of "Britannic"
RMS Olympic for meals and entertainment. The second-class facilities included a smoking room, a library, a spacious dining room, and a lift. Finally, the third-class passengers enjoyed reasonable accommodation compared to other ships, if not up to the second and first classes. Instead of large dormitories offered by most ships of the time, the third-class passengers of "Olympic" travelled in cabins containing two to ten bunks. Facilities for the third class included a smoking room, a common area, and a dining room. "Olympic" had a cleaner, sleeker look than other ships of the day: rather than fitting her with bulky exterior air