Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s second great steamship, the Great Britain, was launched in July 1843 to great fanfare. The launching was attended by Prince Albert, husband to Queen Victoria, and the ship was lauded as a technological marvel.
The Great Britain was advanced in two major ways: the ship was built with an iron hull, and instead of the paddle wheels found on all other steamships, the ship was pushed through the water by a propeller. Either one of these advances would have made the Great Britain noteworthy.
On its maiden voyage from Liverpool, the Great Britain reached New York in 14 days, which was very good time (though just short of a record already set by a steamship of the new Cunard Line). But the ship had problems. Passengers complained of seasickness, as the ship was unstable in the rolling North Atlantic.
And the ship had other problems. Its iron hull may have thrown off the captain’s magnetic compass, and a bizarre navigational error led the ship to run aground on the coast of Ireland in late 1846. The Great Britain was stuck for months, and for a time it seemed it would never sail again.
The great ship was finally dragged into deeper water and floated free nearly a year later. But by that time the company operating the ship was in severe financial trouble. The Great Britain was sold, after making only eight Atlantic crossings.
Isambard Kingdom Brunel believed that propeller-driven ships were the way of the future. And while he was correct, the Great Britain was eventually converted to a sailing ship, and spent years taking immigrants to Australia.
The ship was sold for salvage and wound up in South America. After being taken back to England, it was restored and the Great Britain is on display as a tourist attraction.
