|
The story of the SS Great Britain is a story of a symbol of the Industrial Revolution. Such was the message in the very interesting, well illustrated,talk about the first iron liner.
The story began in 1835 with the Great Western Railway Board of Directors looking for new projects to carry them on beyond the completion of the railway from London to Bristol. Their young, 23 years of age at the time, engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel suggesting that they consider the idea of extending their service from London to New York. What was needed was a fast, reliable and comfortable service across the Atlantic to match the expected rail service.
Given the go ahead he designed a paddle steamer which showed What could be done even using traditional materials.
The need for something bigger sent him to the drawing board again. With a team of able helpers he started to consider What might be possible. The need for a large dry dock to be built for the venture gave time for investigation and the appearance of a small iron boat in the docks made him think of using iron instead of the traditional oak, of which there was a shortage. The research indicated that a ship built with iron would be lighter than a wooden ship of the same size. In addition it would give a much large space for cargo or passengers as well as being less expensive.
Once it was established that then would work in iron the means of propulsion had to be considered. The steam driven ships at the time were all driven by side-paddles. Again a chance visit to Bristol of a small revolutionary craft, the "Archemides" that had a propeller made Brunel think hard and he decided on the new ship having such a device.
So the first iron built, screw powered ship was conceived. A child of the new technological age.
Of course,because no one had ever designed or built such a ship every one, including the workmen who put everything together had to learn as they went along.
What was produced was unique vessel. It was 322 feet long, with a maximum width of 55 feet. It had a huge engine with four pistons which drove a large wheel that projected above the deck. Brunel mad a virtue of this by having a roofing with glass sides so that passengers could see the wheel working. The wheel in turn powered the drive shaft through gears which turned the screw and so the ship was propelled through the water.
The keel was started 19th July 1839 and the launch took place in 1843. The cost was just over £117,000. Prince Albert journeyed by train to see the launch taking just four hours to complete the journey from London. In Bristol the crowds were huge, more 200,000 are thought to have turned out.
After the fitting out of the interior and the installation of the engine that took fourteen months the whole thing was eased through lock gates that were barely wide enough into the Bristol Channel.
So a new ace of ocean travel was born. The remainder of the story was of her life afterwards which is as fascinating as the conception and birth.
After a highly successful maiden voyage to New York that was not with out incident, the captain having managed to run onto the Nantucket Sands damaging the propeller, in 14 days 21 hours. Even with a patched screw and having to travel the final miles into Liverpool by sail the return journey still only took 13 days. The Liverpool to New York service only lasted for six voyages but with increasing passenger numbers. A mistake in missing and then not recognising lighthouses caused the ship to end up beached on the Irish shore.
Sold and refitted she went on the route to Australia for the next 23 years. In between times she was requisitioned as a troopship for the Crimean War. The first English cricket touring team that went to Australia traveled on her. Eventually she went out of passenger service and carried coal to the west coast of the USA. Bad weather round the Horn finally saw her withdrawn from voyages and turned into a floating warehouse in Stanley harbour on the Falklands. Even this ended in 1937 when the hulk was towed along the coast to be sunk. Luckily she only partially submerged and in 1970 a rescue mission was mounted which saw the old lady was towed back to Bristol entering the port on 19th July 1970.
Since then she has been restored to much of her glory particularly the First Class dining room which so impressed Queen Victoria that she is reported to have sat for twenty minutes absorbing the elegant beauty.
More information can be had from http://www.ss-great-britain.com/
|
