The Titanic idea - Lusitania, 1907

1907 postcard of Cunard liner Lusitania.

Olympic and Titanic were built to compete with the Cunard Line's Lusitania and her sister ship, Mauretania. Completed in 1907, these ships were then the largest and fastest in the world. The Cunard ships weighed almost 32,000 tons and were fitted with innovative turbine machinery, which meant they had a maximum speed of over 26 knots.

Lusitania was sunk by a German U-boat on 7 May 1915 off the south coast of Ireland. Mauretania remained in service with Cunard until September 1934.