1854
Great Eastern Side-Launch Method Planned
Because of the ship's enormous length and the narrow Thames, Brunel plans to launch Great Eastern sideways.
Historical place archive
Browse historical events and people recorded at Millwall in Great Britain. The records below are rendered directly from the World History Database into this page's initial HTML.
Because of the ship's enormous length and the narrow Thames, Brunel plans to launch Great Eastern sideways.
The keel of SS Great Eastern is laid at John Scott Russell's shipyard in Millwall.
The giant steamship is designed with five funnels serving its extensive steam machinery.
Work continues after disruption caused by John Scott Russell's financial difficulties and bankruptcy.
Work on SS Great Eastern stops temporarily after John Scott Russell's shipbuilding business becomes bankrupt.
Brunel prepares heavy chains and hydraulic equipment for the difficult sideways launch of the enormous ship.
Robert Howlett photographs Brunel standing before the launching chains of SS Great Eastern.
The first attempt to launch SS Great Eastern sideways ends in failure and the death of a worker.
SS Great Eastern is finally floated after repeated and costly launching attempts.
Provenance
These entries are generated from stored World History Database records whose country and place fields match Great Britain and Millwall. Names, dates, event labels and descriptions are reviewed and normalised as the database develops. Historical place names may not match modern administrative boundaries.
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