The SS Archimedes was the first Screw-Propelled Steamship and was built in 1839 by Francis Pettit Smith‘s Propeller Steamship Company.  The ship was to exert a great influence on both the Royal Navy, who went on to adopt this mode of propulsion for its ships, and on future commercial ship building.

An Engraving of the SS Archimedes by C. Rosenburg and appears in A Short history of Naval and Marine Engineering, page 70, Edgar C. Smith (1905); printed for Babcock & Wilcox Ltd. by University Press, Cambridge

In 1840, the SS Archimedes visited Bristol.  Brunel was greatly interested in this form of propulsion, as he was always looking for ways to improve a ship’s performance.  He was allowed to subject the SS Archimedes to a series of tests employing a variety of especially built Propellers by Francis Pettit Smith in order to find the most efficient.  Although, a four-bladed model proved to be the most efficient, the new Steamship was fitted with a six-bladed Propeller at the time of launching.

In order to convince his colleagues of the greater efficiency of the Screw Propeller over the Paddle Wheel, he offered the following advantages:

• The Screw Propeller was lighter than a Paddle Wheel and would be more economic to run;
• as it was lower in the Hull, it would lower the ship’s  Centre of Gravity and make ship more stable in bad weather;
• while the depth of a Paddle Wheel depended on the weight of the cargo on board and the movement of the waves, a Propeller remained submerged at all times; and
• a Propeller offered less resistance as it moved through the water.

Brunel’s arguments were persuasive and in December 1840, the Company agreed to his proposals of building the ship with an Iron Hull and with a Screw Propeller.  The changes were not without problems in that they proved both costly and prolonged the completion of the Steamship by nine months.

However, the SS Great Britain became the first ship to combine these features in a large ocean-going ship and was the first iron Steamship to cross the Atlantic in 1845 and with a time of 14 days.

Painting of the SS Great Britain at Bristol in 1845 by Joseph Walter (1783-1856)

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Work began on the construction of the SS Great Britain in July 1839 and was launched in on the 19th July, 1843.  The ship was 322 feet (98 metres) in length, 50 feet 6 inches (15.39 metres) across her beam and with a Draught of 16 feet (4.9 metres).  Propulsion was by one Screw Propeller with six blades and by six masts complete with sails allowing a speed of 10-11 Knots (12-13 mph).  The ship was equipped to carry 360 passengers (which was increased to 730 at a later time) and 130 officers and crew and was able to carry 1,200 tons of cargo.

(Left) Detail of The Launching of the SS Great Britain by Joseph Walter; this picture is the copyright of the Lordprice Collection ; (Right) Engraving of the Launching by Johann Jacob Weber  (1803–1880), which appeared in Illustrirte Zeitung, Nr. 21,18. November 1843

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Engraving of the SS Great Britain leaving Blackwall; (c) National Maritime Museum

The SS Great Britain was to be towed to the River Thames following launching for the remainder of the work to be done.  However, since the necessary modifications to Bristol Harbour had not been completed, the ship could not be floated out.   Adding to the problem was that the Propeller engines had been added prior to the launch, causing the need to widen the ship, which then necessitated a deeper Draught.

As a result, the ship sat for more than a year before the Harbour authorities agreed to the finish the modifications and allow the ship to be floated out.  However, difficulties continued, as the ship was unable to pass through the second set of lock gates.  Through combined skill of the captain and Brunel’s direct intervention in removing the offending lock obstacles, the tug, SS Samson, successfully towed the ship into the River Avon.

SS Great Britain; (c) National Maritime Museum; Supplied by The Public Catalogue Foundation

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SS Great Britain by Keith Alastair Griffin (1927-)

The SS Great Britain made her Maiden Voyage from Liverpool to New York on the 26th July, 1845, which was five years later than planned and with 45 passengers on board.   Unfortunately the transatlantic crossings of the SS Great Britain suffered from a number of problems, which proved costly for the Company.

In 1846, on her third journey to New York, the SS Great Britain ran aground in Dundrum Bay on the northeast coast of Northern Ireland, as a result of a navigational error.  Wooden ships in this location would have been lost, but due to its Iron Hull, the SS Great Britain was able to withstand the winter storms and survive.  Brunel personally supervised the measures to protect the ship until she could be floated free and repaired and returned to service.

SS Great Britain aground in Dundrum Bay

The cost of salvage and the refitting of the SS Great Britain proved too costly for the Company and sent it into bankruptcy.   As a result the ship was sold and then refitted and returned to service between the U.K. and New York.  However after only one round trip, she was sold to Antony Gibbs & Sons. 

SS Great Britain during the First Trip to Australia

The new owners converted the SS Great Britain to a Steam-Powered Clipper and completed a third refit that allowed the number of passengers carried to be increased to 730.  Following this, she entered service between the U.K. to Australia.

In 1852, the SS Great Britain made her first voyage to Melbourne carrying 630 emigrants.  Her arrival caused great interest there and 4,000 people paid one shilling each to inspect her.  Although the ship was not fast, she proved to be efficient and became the favourite Australian Emigrant Ship also bring the first England Cricket Team to tour there in 1861.

The English Cricket First XI that was the first to tour Australia

The SS Great Britain remained in service on the England–Australia route for almost 30 years with short interruptions to become a Troop Ship during the Crimean War and the Indian Mutiny.

In 1882, the SS Great Britain was converted into a Sailing Ship and employed to transport coal, however in 1886 a fire broke out on board and upon arrival at Port Stanley in the Falkland Islands, she was found to be damaged beyond repair.  She was next sold to the Falkland Islands Company and used as a storage bunker for coal and wool until 1937.  As a bunker, she supplied the South Atlantic fleet during the First World War and was scavenged in the Second World War to repair the HMS Exeter.

In 1933, after almost seventy years of service, the remains of the SS Great Britain was towed to Sparrow Cove, 3 1/2 miles from Port Stanley, where she was scuttled and abandoned.

The abandoned remains of the SS Great Britain at Sparrow Cove

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A group of people hit upon the idea to salvage the remains of the SS Great Britain and return her for restoration in the U.K.  This was made possible by several large donations, including from Sir Jack Hayward and the late Sir Paul Getty, and was organised by the SS Great Britain Project and chaired by Richard Goold-Adams.     

  Sir Jack Hayward (1923-2015) & Richard Goold Adams; this photograph appears on the SS Great Britain website

Click here

to watch the video, CHRONICLE -THE GREAT IRON SHIP,

the salvage of the SS Great Britain

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The Hull of the SS Great Britain; this photograph appears with the permission of Paul Townsend

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In 1969, the naval architect Ewan Corlett helped organise a rescue mission to bring the remains of the SS Great Britain back to the U.K.  Inspection of the Hull revealed a large crack on one side, which needed to be repaired before it could be returned home.  A large pontoon, the Mulus 3, was submerged beneath the Hull and then raised thereby bringing it out of the water.   Once this was achieved, the holes and cracks were covered and made water tight with mattresses, which had been donated by Falkland Islanders.

Aboard the Pontoon, Mulus 3, in the Falkland Islands

Once made water tight and secured well, the pontoon and its cargo were towed by Varius II from the Falkland Islands  to Montevideo. and then across the Atlantic to Bristol. which took fours months.  However the pontoon and cargo were not, as yet, home and dry, for another great obstacle was waiting on the River Avon.

The Remains of the SS Great Britain aboard the Mulus 3 being towed

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From The Observer Sunday Magazine, 1970

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to read the full article

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Getting the Hull and pontoon from Avonmouth on the Severn Estuary to the Dry Dock at Bristol Harbour where the Ship had been built, would not prove an easy matter, since it had to be maneuvered around the horseshoe bend of the River Avon, which was a daunting task!

Towing the Pontoon and Cargo around the Horseshoe Bend of the River Avon

The skill of the tug keepers was such that on the 19th July,1970, exactly 127 years after her launching in 1843, the SS Great Britain was returned to the dock where she had been built.

During the Ship’s passage along the River Avon, she passed under the Clifton Suspension Bridge, another Brunel design.

SS Great Britain being towed under the Clifton Suspension Bridge in 1970; this photograph is owned by Popperfoto/Getty Images; awaiting permission to reproduce it here; it appears in The Guardian on the 19th July, 1970

The Ship had to wait for two weeks in the Cumberland Basin for a tide to be high enough to take her through the locks to the dock.  The dock had been abandoned for over one hundred years, but Bristol Borough Council had had it restored in preparation of the return.

  SS  Great   Britain  Restored;   this  photograph  is  credited  to  Mandy   Reynolds,   coutesy  of   the SS Great Britain Trust

Between then and 2005, the SS Great Britain was returned to its original glory and today it is moored sits in its Dry Dock, which is now Grade II* listed.  The Dock and the Ship are now available to the public and many have visited them and will hopefully continue to do so.

Bristol MMB 43 SS Great Britain; this photograph was taken by mattbuck and this file is licensed under the Creative Commons  Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license

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The following photographs of the SS Great Britain at Bristol are credited to Mr. David Noton and appear here through the courtesy of the SS Great Britain Trust.  Special thanks are given to Mr. Dominic Rowe of The Trust for his help and consideration in this matter.

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Click here

to watch the video, Brunel’s SS Great Britain

The SS Great Britain was designated as a Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers  and is only the fourth such designation awarded outside the U.S.   In addition, a number of awards have been bestowed on the SS Great Britain including the IStructE Award for Heritage Buildings (2006), the Gulbenkian Prize (2006) for Museums and Galleries, The Crown Estate Conservation Award (2007),  the European Museum of the Year Award, the Micheletti Prize for Best Industrial or Technology Museum, and in 2008, the Sandford Award for Heritage Education.