Description of the attraction
Museum Ship Great Britain was once an ocean liner that cruised between New York and Bristol. This passenger steamer is one of the most perfect for its time. His project was created by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, a talented engineer, the author of the famous suspension bridge in Bristol. At that time there were steamboats with a metal hull, there were also steamers with a screw engine - "Great Britain" was the first to have both. This is the first metal steamer to cross the ocean - in 1845 it took her only 14 days.
"Great Britain" was launched in 1843 at the shipyards of Bristol. British shipbuilders at that time appreciated all the advantages of the metal hull of the ship - it was not afraid of rot or wood-boring bugs, the hull was lighter and more maneuverable. In addition, wood in Britain was becoming more and more expensive, while metal, on the contrary, became cheaper. Prince Albert was present at the ceremonial launching of the ship.
The two upper decks of the ship were passenger, the lower one was cargo. The length of the ship is 98 meters, the displacement is 3400 tons.
The steamer made several voyages to New York, but each voyage was accompanied by a series of breakdowns. In 1846, due to a navigational error, the ship ran aground off the coast of Ireland. The shipping company suffered heavy losses and the ship was sold. Since 1851, "Great Britain" made regular flights to Australia, carrying thousands and thousands of emigrants on board.
She then served as a floating coal storage facility in the Falkland Islands.
In 1970, the ship on a pontoon returned to Bristol, where, after restoration, it became a museum. The ship is now in dry dock, at the waterline level, the hull is covered with glass, under which the minimum humidity is maintained to avoid further corrosion.
