The Greatest Iron Ship S.S. Great Eastern

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The Greatest Iron ShipS.S. Great Eastern
Presented By Gerard Murphy
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Conception

• Sailing ships reliant on weather conditions.
• Steam ships now a proven technology.
• Asia and Australia forms the majority of the
  Empires trade.
• Gold Found in Australia.
• Growing demand for transport of People and Cargo.

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Problems Faced

• Main problem is that a steam ship would have to
  re-fuel en route.
• If you double the size Quadruple the volume.
• Construct a ship big enough to carry enough fuel
  for a return trip.
• The longer the ship the higher the speed it could
  reach.

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Specification

• 693 Feet Long.
• 32,000 tons displacement.
• Double Hull.
• Propulsion by screw (24 feet), 2 paddles (52
  feet) and 6 sailing masts.
• Top speed of 14 knots (18 mph).

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Competitor Comparison

• Victoria
• Limited cargo capacity
• 300 passengers
• 60 days
• 12,000 with refuelling stops

• Great Eastern
• Huge cargo capacity 5,000 tons
• 3,000 passengers
• 30 35 days
• 7,200 for return trip

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The Deal

• Proposed TWO ships.
• Cost 50,000 per ship (25 million).
• Construction began May 1854.
• Estimated 18 months to complete.
• At a time when a ship of 1,000 tons was
  considered large the Great Eastern at 22,374 tons
  was truly monstrous!

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Construction
Everything connected with the great ship demanded
new tools, techniques and enlarged facilities of
all kinds.
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Litany of Problems

• Fire at Russell's yard no Insurance.
• Death of major shareholder.
• Brunels insistence of approval on smallest
  details.
• Crimean war labour shortage costs.
• Fall in demand for shipping.

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Launch
After 41 months (23 late), ready to launch. First
ever side-ways launch.
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Launch

• 3rd November 1957.
• Desperate for money company sold tickets.
• At 1230 christened Leviathan and order to launch
  given.
• Chains snap, five men injured one fatally - ship
  has only moved 4 feet.
• Over the next 12 week ship is pushed and pulled
  into the Thames - afloat 30th Jan 1858.
• Launch costs 14,000 -gt 25,000 -gt 100,000 -gt
  170,000.
• Ships cost so far 732,000 (35 million).

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Service Life

• 1858 Sea trials, blocked safety valve causes
  explosion.
• 1860 Maiden voyage Southampton to New York.
• 1861 Caught in severe storm, stranded for 3
  days (60,000).
• 1863 80ft hole ripped in side (70,000).
• 1864 Ship Laid Up, made a total of 9
  transatlantic crossings.
• 1865 Eastern Steam Navigation company declared
  bankrupt.

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Service Life cont.
1866 First Successful transatlantic cable laid.
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Service Life cont.

• 1867 Bought by French Gov, Paris exhibition
  only 191 out of 3,000 berths sold.
• 1869 Resumes cable laying duties 5
  transatlantic cables and 1 to Aden, Bombay and
  Suez.
• 1872 Laid up, replaced by purpose built cable
  layers.
• 1885 Leased by a Mr Lewis floating amusement
  park.
• 1888 Sold for scrap 16,500, 2 years to break
  up, inspiring the invention of the wrecking ball.

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Lessons learned

• Rapid advancement in technology, tools,
  techniques and innovations.
• Failure not just down to bad luck but also
  management.
• Leap in scale appreciated but perhaps not leap in
  risks.

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Conclusion

• First ship ever built that exceeded the
  dimensions of Noahs Ark.
• Six times larger than any ship in existence.
• 50 years before it size was surpassed.
• Influenced the design of every large ship ever
  since.