SS Great Western

Brunel proposed an ocean steamship to connect Bristol with North America and extend the transport ambitions of the Great Western enterprise.

Brunel proposes extending the Great Western transport system from Bristol to New York by steamship.

The Great Western Steamship Company is formed to develop Brunel's transatlantic steamship plan.

Great Western was planned with four masts and sails to supplement her steam propulsion during ocean crossings.

Brunel advocated a direct steamship service from Bristol to New York as an extension of modern British transport networks.

Brunel's design allowed substantial bunker space so the ship could make the Atlantic passage under steam without routine intermediate refuelling.

Brunel designed a large wooden hulled ship propelled by steam powered paddle wheels for Atlantic crossings.

Brunel worked with Bristol investors to establish a company dedicated to regular steamship communication between Britain and New York.

Thomas Guppy joined Brunel and other Bristol promoters in organizing the company that would commission the Great Western.

Brunel's transatlantic vessel was designed with side paddle wheels driven by powerful marine steam engines.

William Patterson's shipbuilding yard began constructing the hull of the pioneering transatlantic paddle steamer Great Western.

The designers adopted a large wooden hull for Great Western while incorporating steam machinery intended for prolonged ocean service.

Patterson's Bristol yard brought the vessel's large oak hull to the launch stage before the ship received her engines.

William Patterson's Bristol yard constructs Brunel's large wooden paddle steamship for the Great Western Steamship Company.

Brunel's large paddle steamship entered the water before machinery fitting and sea trials were completed.

Royal Navy lieutenant James Hosken was appointed to command Great Western before her inaugural Atlantic service.

The London fitting out supplied the large boilers necessary to sustain Great Western's paddle wheel propulsion.

Great Western's exceptionally large dimensions made her one of the most ambitious merchant steamships of her time.

Great Western carried a four masted auxiliary sailing arrangement alongside her steam machinery.

Facilities were built to allow the Great Western Railway to start passenger services before a permanent terminus existed.

The vessel's accommodation was arranged for paying cabin passengers and accompanying servants on the Bristol to New York route.

Great Western received side lever steam engines supplied by the engineering firm Maudslay Sons and Field.

After launching at Bristol, Great Western travelled to London for fitting out with her propulsion machinery.

The wooden paddle steamship SS Great Western is launched at Bristol under Brunel's direction.

Great Western carried letters as well as passengers and freight, contributing to faster communications across the ocean.

Brunel was injured during the response to a fire involving Great Western before the first Atlantic voyage.

Experience gathered under Captain Hosken provided practical evidence about fuel consumption and handling on lengthy steam powered voyages.

The ship returned to Bristol on 22 May after a successful inaugural round trip between Britain and America.

Captain Hosken demonstrated that a large paddle steamer could cross the North Atlantic while relying predominantly on steam propulsion.

Great Western departed New York on 7 May for the first homeward voyage of her scheduled steamship service.

The ship began her inaugural Atlantic voyage with few passengers after the earlier fire discouraged some prospective travellers.

The advertised direct passage under Captain Hosken promised that Great Western would avoid a routine coal stop in Ireland.

Contemporary advertisements under Captain Hosken offered cabin passage to New York with provisions included in the fare.

Great Western reached New York shortly after Sirius despite having left Britain later and having taken much less time at sea.

A fire aboard the vessel shortly before its maiden Atlantic voyage delayed preparations and injured Brunel.

Many booked passengers cancel after the fire, leaving only a small number aboard when Great Western departs for New York.

Following the inaugural arrival, Captain Hosken prepared the ship for her first eastbound passage to Britain.

Great Western's first westbound Atlantic crossing established a leading passage time for early transatlantic steamships.

Great Western reduced her eastbound Atlantic passage time again during the summer of 1838.

During a subsequent 1838 voyage Great Western improved her westbound crossing time as the crew gained ocean steaming experience.

A fire around Great Western's machinery during preparations for her inaugural crossing delayed the beginning of service.

The ship's first arrival allowed operators to advertise and book return accommodation from New York to Bristol.

Public notices identified Lieutenant James Hosken as commander of the steamship's first transatlantic service.

The first public Great Western services operated between Paddington and Maidenhead in June.

Repeated voyages supported the case that steamships could maintain a commercially useful service across the North Atlantic.

Under Captain Hosken, Great Western continued regular North Atlantic crossings following her successful first round trip.

Great Western's four masts provided auxiliary sailing capability alongside the paddle wheels during her early transatlantic operations.

Great Western set an important early benchmark for the speed of eastbound Atlantic steamship travel.

SS Great Western completes an early sea trial before beginning her first Atlantic service.

An engine-room fire breaks out as Great Western prepares for her maiden Atlantic voyage but is extinguished with limited ship damage.

SS Great Western departs Bristol on her first Atlantic voyage to New York.

SS Great Western reaches New York and demonstrates the commercial practicality of regular steamship crossings.

The steamship underwent a programme of alterations intended to provide additional passenger accommodation.

Passengers presented Captain Hosken with a telescope to commemorate an exceptionally rapid westbound crossing in May 1839.

A May crossing by Great Western established a faster westbound Atlantic passage time under Captain Hosken.

Refitting work in the period from 1839 to 1840 lengthened Great Western and increased her accommodation capacity.

Alterations to Great Western during the 1839 to 1840 period expanded the space available for commercial operations.

Great Western continued her transatlantic career after modifications designed to improve carrying capacity.

Railway passengers could travel between Bath and Bristol using the newly opened Great Western section.

Bath's Great Western Railway station commenced operations as the new Bristol to Bath section opened.

The arrival of Cunard steamers created a powerful new competitor for Great Western's North Atlantic passenger service.

The ship's refit produced a longer vessel better suited to carrying additional passengers on Atlantic passages.

Great Western faced faster rival services as Cunard's Columbia displaced her earlier westbound crossing benchmark.

A surviving sailing notice advertised a Great Western departure from Bristol in October 1841 under Captain Hosken.

The company's 1841 advertising offered specified cabin fares and separate charges for some passengers and animals.

The steamship's use of Liverpool as well as Bristol reflected the changing commercial geography of Atlantic passenger traffic.

Great Western reclaimed a leading eastbound Atlantic crossing time in May 1842.

Great Western began alternating her British terminus between Bristol and Liverpool during 1842.

From 1843 Great Western operated her North Atlantic voyages primarily from Liverpool rather than Bristol.

Lloyd's underwriters gave Captain Hosken a gold watch in recognition of his safe navigation of many Atlantic passages aboard Great Western.

Great Western briefly regained a leading westbound Atlantic passage record during May 1843.

Great Western was withdrawn from her original North Atlantic operation after the 1846 season.

The owners faced acute financial strain in connection with the stranding of their other steamship Great Britain.

The Great Western Steamship Company sold its original paddle steamer to the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company in April 1847.

After the sale, Great Western entered Royal Mail Steam Packet Company service linking Britain with the West Indies.

The cost of recovering SS Great Britain after her 1846 grounding placed severe financial pressure on the original Great Western Steamship Company.

The British government employed Great Western as a troop transport during the Crimean War after her civilian mail service.

Great Western was withdrawn and broken up on the Thames in 1856 after nearly two decades of service.

The Great Western became an important early example of using large purpose built steamships for regular Atlantic travel.