 "Olympic", along with "Titanic" and the soon to be built "Gigantic" later renamed the "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.