RMS Olympic to Belfast where the passengers disembarked. Following "Olympic"s return to Britain, the White Star Line intended to lay her up in Belfast until the war was over, but in May 1915 she was requisitioned by the Admiralty, to be used as a troop transport, along with the Cunard liners and . The Admiralty had initially been reluctant to use large ocean liners as troop transports because of their vulnerability to enemy attack, however a shortage of ships gave them little choice. At the same time, "Olympic"s other sister ship "Britannic", which had not yet been completed, was requisitioned as a
RMS Olympic September 1911, when she collided with the British cruiser . The collision took place as "Olympic" and "Hawke" were running parallel to each other through the Solent. As "Olympic" turned to starboard, the wide radius of her turn took the commander of "Hawke" by surprise, and he was unable to take sufficient avoiding action. "Hawke"s bow, which had been designed to sink ships by ramming them, collided with "Olympic"s starboard side near the stern, tearing two large holes in "Olympic"s hull, above and below the waterline, resulting in the flooding of two of her watertight compartments and a twisted propeller