Britannic was launched on February 26^th 1914 but completion was delayed by the looming War. On November 13^th 1915 she was requisitioned for use as a hospital ship to assist with the evacuation from the Daranelles campaign carrying 3,009 hospital berths (returning from her first visit with 3,300 casualties). Whilst passing through the Aegean Sea towards Mudros on her sixth voyage with just crew and medical staff on board, she struck a mine laid by U-73 just hours before [please refer to lot 208, 6^th November 1997 Maritime Sale] and sank within an hour. Commodore Bartlett, her master, endeavoured to ground the ship but she foundered in four-hundred feet of water. Tragically one of the lifeboats was drawn into the still turning propeller blades as the stern rose from the water and twenty-nine lives were lost.