Final Voyage
Britannic left Southampton for the last time on 12 November 1916, Capt. Charles “Iceberg Charlie” Bartlett in command, bound for Naples. After arriving in Naples on 17 November, she took on more coal and water and departed on 19 November.
At 8.00 a.m. on 21 November, Bartlett set Britannic’s course for the Kea Channel, off the Greek island of Kea. Twelve minutes later, a thunderous explosion reverberated throughout the ship. Immediately realizing that his vessel had suffered some type of major calamity, Bartlett ordered her watertight doors closed.
The Kea Channel
Unknown to Bartlett or anyone else at the time, a major explosion on the ship’s starboard side had ripped the vessel open between cargo holds two and three. The blast’s force also damaged the watertight bulkhead between hold one and the forepeak. Additionally, the firemen’s tunnel connecting the firemen’s quarters in the bow with boiler room six was seriously damaged, meaning that water was flowing into that boiler room.
Britannic was going to sink.
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