SS Great Britian
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bristol MMB 43 SS Great Britain.jpg
SS Great Britain in dry dock at Bristol in 2005.
History
Name:SS Great Britain
Owner:Great Western Steamship Company
Builder:William Patterson
Cost:
Projected: £70,000
Actual: £117,000
Laid down:July 1839
Launched:19 July 1843
Completed:1845
Maiden voyage:26 July 1845
In service:1845–1886
Homeport:Bristol, England
General characteristics
Type:Passenger steamship
Displacement:3,674 tons load draught
Length:322 ft (98 m)
Beam:50 ft 6 in (15.39 m)
Draught:16 ft (4.9 m)[1]
Installed power:2 × twin 88-inch (220 cm) cylinder, 6 ft (1.8 m) stroke, 500 hp (370 kW), 18 rpm inclined direct-acting steam engines
Propulsion:Single screw propeller
Sail plan:
Original: Five schooner-rigged and one square-rigged mast
After 1853: Three square-rigged masts
Speed:10 to 11 knots (19 to 20 km/h; 12 to 13 mph)
Capacity:
360 passengers, later increased to 730
1,200 tons of cargo
Complement:130 officers and crew (as completed)
SS Great Britain is a museum ship and former passenger steamship, which was advanced for her time. She was the longest passenger ship in the world from 1845 to 1854. She was designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel for the Great Western Steamship Company's transatlantic service between Bristol and New York. While other ships had been built of iron or equipped with a screw propeller, Great Britain was the first to combine these features in a large ocean-going ship. She was the first iron steamer to cross the Atlantic, which she did in 1845, in the time of 14 days.
The ship is 322 ft (98 m) in length and has a 3,400-ton displacement. She was powered by two inclined 2 cylinder engines of the direct-acting type, with twin 88 in (220 cm) bore, 6-foot (1.8 m) stroke cylinders. She was also provided with secondary sail power. The four decks provided accommodation for a crew of 120, plus 360 passengers who were provided with cabins and dining and promenade saloons.
When launched in 1843, Great Britain was by far the largest vessel afloat. However, her protracted construction and high cost had left her owners in a difficult financial position, and they were forced out of business in 1846 having spent all their funds re-floating the ship after she was run aground at Dundrum Bay after a navigational error. In 1852 she was sold for salvage and repaired. Great Britain carried thousands of immigrants to Australia from 1852 until converted to sail in 1881. Three years later, she was retired to the Falkland Islands where she was used as a warehouse, quarantine ship and coal hulk until scuttled in 1937.[2]
In 1970, following a cash donation by Sir Jack Hayward that paid for the vessel to be towed back to the UK, Great Britain was returned to the Bristol dry dock where she was built. Now listed as part of the National Historic Fleet, she is an award-winning visitor attraction and museum ship in Bristol Harbour, with between 150,000 and 200,000 visitors annually.
SS Great Britian
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bristol MMB 43 SS Great Britain.jpg
SS Great Britain in dry dock at Bristol in 2005.
History
Name:SS Great Britain
Owner:Great Western Steamship Company
Builder:William Patterson
Cost:
Projected: £70,000
Actual: £117,000
Laid down:July 1839
Launched:19 July 1843
Completed:1845
Maiden voyage:26 July 1845
In service:1845–1886
Homeport:Bristol, England
General characteristics
Type:Passenger steamship
Displacement:3,674 tons load draught
Length:322 ft (98 m)
Beam:50 ft 6 in (15.39 m)
Draught:16 ft (4.9 m)[1]
Installed power:2 × twin 88-inch (220 cm) cylinder, 6 ft (1.8 m) stroke, 500 hp (370 kW), 18 rpm inclined direct-acting steam engines
Propulsion:Single screw propeller
Sail plan:
Original: Five schooner-rigged and one square-rigged mast
After 1853: Three square-rigged masts
Speed:10 to 11 knots (19 to 20 km/h; 12 to 13 mph)
Capacity:
360 passengers, later increased to 730
1,200 tons of cargo
Complement:130 officers and crew (as completed)
SS Great Britain is a museum ship and former passenger steamship, which was advanced for her time. She was the longest passenger ship in the world from 1845 to 1854. She was designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel for the Great Western Steamship Company's transatlantic service between Bristol and New York. While other ships had been built of iron or equipped with a screw propeller, Great Britain was the first to combine these features in a large ocean-going ship. She was the first iron steamer to cross the Atlantic, which she did in 1845, in the time of 14 days.
The ship is 322 ft (98 m) in length and has a 3,400-ton displacement. She was powered by two inclined 2 cylinder engines of the direct-acting type, with twin 88 in (220 cm) bore, 6-foot (1.8 m) stroke cylinders. She was also provided with secondary sail power. The four decks provided accommodation for a crew of 120, plus 360 passengers who were provided with cabins and dining and promenade saloons.
When launched in 1843, Great Britain was by far the largest vessel afloat. However, her protracted construction and high cost had left her owners in a difficult financial position, and they were forced out of business in 1846 having spent all their funds re-floating the ship after she was run aground at Dundrum Bay after a navigational error. In 1852 she was sold for salvage and repaired. Great Britain carried thousands of immigrants to Australia from 1852 until converted to sail in 1881. Three years later, she was retired to the Falkland Islands where she was used as a warehouse, quarantine ship and coal hulk until scuttled in 1937.[2]
In 1970, following a cash donation by Sir Jack Hayward that paid for the vessel to be towed back to the UK, Great Britain was returned to the Bristol dry dock where she was built. Now listed as part of the National Historic Fleet, she is an award-winning visitor attraction and museum ship in Bristol Harbour, with between 150,000 and 200,000 visitors annually.