Iron Hull

In the early years of ship building, most ships were built out of wood. Then in the early 1800s, ships began to be built out of iron. Other ships had a screw propeller, but until 1845, when SS Great Britain was built out of iron and with a screw propeller

is a museum ship and former passenger steamship that was advanced for her time. The largest passenger ship in the world from 1845 to 1853, she was designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel (1806–1859), for the Great Western Steamship Company’s transatlantic service between Bristol and New York City. While other ships had previously been built of iron or equipped with a screw propeller, Great Britain was the first to combine these features in a large ocean-going ship, making her one of the most technologically advanced ships of her time. She was the first iron steamer to cross the Atlantic Ocean, which she did in 1845, in 14 days.

The ship is 322 feet in length and has a 3,400-ton displacement. She was powered by two inclined two-cylinder engines of the direct-acting type, with twin cylinders 88-inch bore, of 72-inch stroke. She was also provided with secondary masts for sail power. The four decks provided accommodation for a crew of 120, plus 360 passengers who were provided with cabins, and dining and promenade saloons.

When launched in 1843, Great Britain was by far the largest vessel ever built. However, her protracted construction time of six years (1839–1845) and high cost had left her owners in a difficult financial position, and they were forced out of business in 1846, having spent all their remaining funds refloating the ship after she ran aground at Dundrum Bay in County Down near Newcastle in what is now Northern Ireland, after a navigation error. In 1852 she was sold for salvage and then repaired. Great Britain later carried thousands of emigrants to Australia from 1852 until being converted to all-sail in 1881. Three years later, she was retired to the Falkland Islands, where she was used as a warehouse, quarantine ship and coal hulk until she was scuttled in 1937, 98 years after first being put into use.

Finally, in 1970, after being abandoned for 33 years, the Great Britain was salvaged and partially repaired thanks to Sir Jack Arnold Hayward, OBE (1923–2015). Hayward financed the ship’s journey north through the Atlantic, returning it to the Bristol dry dock where it had been built 127 years earlier. Hayward, who was a notable businessman, developer, philanthropist, and owner of Wolverhampton Wanderers football club, played a key role in preserving the vessel. Today, SS Great Britain is part of the National Historic Fleet. The ship serves as a museum ship and popular visitor attraction in Bristol Harbour. The ship draws between 150,000 and 200,000 visitors annually.