White Star Line naval mine, while in service as a hospital ship. "Britannic" was the largest loss for the company, and also the largest ship sunk during the conflict. 1916 also saw the loss of the liner "Cymric" which was torpedoed off the Irish coast in May, and also of the cargo ship "Georgic", which was scuttled in December with its cargo of 1,200 horses still on board, after being intercepted in the Atlantic by the German merchant raider . 1917 saw the loss of the liner "Laurentic" in January which struck a mine off the Irish coast and sank with the loss
Sinking of the RMS Titanic reduced the rudder's effectiveness, therefore impairing the turning ability of the ship. Had Murdoch turned the ship while maintaining her forward speed, "Titanic" might have missed the iceberg with feet to spare. In 2010, Louise Patten asserted that her grandfather Charles Lightoller claimed that the helmsman Robert Hichens initially panicked and turned the rudder in the wrong direction and that subsequently Bruce Ismay ordered the boat to continue "Slow Ahead" in the belief that "Titanic" was unsinkable. This, allegedly, had never been revealed because of the insurance implications. In the event, "Titanic"s heading changed just in time to avoid a