first | previous | next | last | index   39 of 53  23kb On September 20, 1911, Olympic left Southampton on her fifth crossing. She steamed along the Spithead Channel, between the mainland and the Isle of Wight, on her way to the English Channel. She was still technically under control of the pilot when the Royal Navy cruiser, HMS Hawke rammed into her starboard side. Accounts of the incident vary, some witnesses said that the Captain of the warship, George William Bowyer, was showing off and recklessly maneuvering his vessel; others claimed that Olympic's propellers sucked the cruiser towards her. HMS Hawke punched a large triangular hole in the liner's hull and almost capsized before she could pull free. Olympic's starboard and central engines were damaged and inoperable. The badly crumpled bow of the Hawke left her barely able to navigate. Both ships slowly made their way to the nearest port.