Ocean liners operating in the early twentieth century heavily competed to provide the most extravagant, utterly unnecessary luxury amenities possible for their elite, upper-class passengers.

A closer look

Ocean liners operating in the early twentieth century heavily competed to provide the most extravagant, utterly unnecessary luxury amenities possible for their elite, upper-class passengers. The tragic HMS Titanic famously boasted a heated, saltwater swimming pool that was exclusively reserved for first-class ticket holders, representing the absolute pinnacle of maritime engineering and arrogant opulence. When the supposedly unsinkable ship struck that infamous iceberg and plunged over twelve thousand feet to the bottom of the freezing Atlantic Ocean, the pool was entirely preserved within the submerged wreckage. As internet historians frequently and darkly joke, the Titanic's exclusive first-class swimming pool is technically still fully operational and filled with water today. It is a grimly cynical reminder that no amount of expensive Edwardian luxury or heated saltwater can ever save you from a massive chunk of ice and catastrophic corporate hubris