SS Great Western
SS Great Western's maiden voyage from Bristol in 1838
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| History | |
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| Name: | SS Great Western |
| Namesake: | Great Western Railway |
| Operator: | Great Western Steamship Company |
| Route: | Bristol-New York |
| Builder: | William Patterson, Bristol |
| Laid down: | 26 June 1836 |
| Launched: | 19 July 1837 |
| Completed: | 31 March 1838 |
| Maiden voyage: |
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| Out of service: | December 1846 in Liverpool |
| Notes: |
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| Operator: | Royal Mail Steam Packet Company |
| Acquired: | 24 April 1847 |
| Notes: | Transatlantic mail service Southampton – West Indies |
| Operator: | British Government |
| Acquired: | 1855 |
| Fate: | Scrapped October 1856 |
| Notes: | Operated as troop transport in the Crimean War |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Oak-hulled paddle-wheel steamship |
| Tonnage: | 1,340 GRT, later 1,700 GRT |
| Displacement: | 2300 ton |
| Length: | 71.6 m (234.91 ft), later 76.8 m (251.97 ft) long |
| Beam: | 17.59 m (57.71 ft) across wheels |
| Installed power: | |
| Propulsion: | Two paddle-wheels |
| Speed: | 8.5 knots |
| Capacity: | 128 passengers in 1st class + 20 servants |
| Crew: | 60 |
| Notes: | |
SS Great Western of 1838, was an oak-hulled paddle-wheel steamship, the first steamship purpose-built for crossing the Atlantic, and the initial unit of the Great Western Steamship Company. She was the largest passenger ship in the world from 1837 to 1839. Designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, Great Western proved satisfactory in service and was the model for all successful wooden Atlantic paddle-steamers. She was capable of making record Blue Riband voyages as late as 1843.Great Western worked to New York for 8 years until her owners went out of business. She was sold to the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company and was scrapped in 1856 after serving as a troop ship during the Crimean War.
In 1836, Isambard Brunel, his friend Thomas Guppy and a group of Bristol investors formed the Great Western Steamship Company to build a line of steamships for the Bristol-New York route. The idea of regular scheduled transatlantic service was under discussion by several groups and the rival British and American Steam Navigation Company was established at the same time.Great Western's design sparked controversy from critics that contended that she was too big. The principle that Brunel understood was that the carrying capacity of a ship increases as the cube of its dimensions, whilst the water resistance only increases as the square of its dimensions. This meant that large ships were more fuel efficient, something very important for long voyages across the Atlantic.
Great Western was an iron-strapped, wooden, side-wheel paddle steamer, with four masts to hoist the auxiliary sails. The sails were not just to provide auxiliary propulsion, but also were used in rough seas to keep the ship on an even keel and ensure that both paddle wheels remained in the water, driving the ship in a straight line. The hull was built of oak by traditional methods. She was the largest steamship for one year, until the British and American's British Queen went into service. Built at the shipyard of Patterson & Mercer in Bristol, Great Western was launched on 19 July 1837 and then sailed to London, where she was fitted with two side-lever steam engines from the firm of Maudslay, Sons & Field, producing 750 indicated horsepower between them.
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