All aboard – ss Great Britain

An interesting post. 😉

A Shimmering of Northern Light

Launched on the 19^th July 1843 the ss Great Britian was described as ‘the greatest experiment since the Creation’.

Conceived by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, a visionary engineer of the Victorian era, with an iron hull designed by Thomas Patterson and rigging and engines by Thomas Guppy the ss Great Britain in 1843 was the biggest, strongest ship ever built and transformed the technology of sea travel.

Built as a ‘sail assist steam ship’ with 6 masts carrying special ‘schooner rig sails’ the ship was fitted with a revolutionary steam driven screw propeller instead of the more conventional paddle wheels.

This allowed the ship to operate more efficiently in rough seas, cutting down journey times to complete the crossing from Liverpool to New York in 14 days and 21 hours.

Between 1852 and 1875 the ss Great Britain was an elegant emigrant steam clipper making the journey from Liverpool to…

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