Isambard Kingdom Brunel,s Great Ships

The s.s. Great Britain

This was Brunel's second ship with 3,676 tonne displacement. Taking four years to build, the iron hull was floated in the Great Western dry dock on 19 July 1843.
On it's first voyage the ship was beached in Dundrum Bay on the Southern Coast of Ireland for almost a year. The value of the iron hull was demonstrated by the ship showing no sign of serious structual damage.

The Great Britain was the first propellor powered ship to cross the Atlantic ocean. It was very successful and remaind in service for 30 years, sailing to San Francisco, journeying regularly to Australia and even serving as a troopship.

The ship was badly damaged off Cape Horn in 1866, managing to make its way to the Falkland Islands. There it lay in Sparrow cove, refusing to rot. It was salvaged by the Great Britain project, which was set up by enthusiasts in 1968. They towed the ship to Montevideo and from there to the Bristol dock where it was made, arriving there on the 19 July 1970, exactly 127 years from the day it was floated out.
Great Western
Great Eastern