SS Great Eastern

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Great Eastern (1858) anchored at Liverpool when used for advertising Lewis's Department Store, Liverpool.
History
United Kingdom
NameGreat Eastern
Port of registryLiverpool, UK
Ordered1853
BuilderJ. Scott Russell & Co., Millwall
Laid down1 May 1854
Launched31 January 1858
CompletedAugust 1859
Maiden voyage30 August 1859
In service1859
Out of service1889
Stricken1889
HomeportLiverpool
Nickname(s)
  • The Great Ship,
  • Leviathan (Original name),
  • Great Babe (As Brunel called her)
FateScrapped 1889–90
NotesStruck rocks on 27 August 1862. No bigger ship in all respects until 1913.
General characteristics
TypePassenger ship
Tonnage18,915 GRT[2]
Displacement32,160 tons
Length692 ft (211 m)
Beam82 ft (25 m)
Decks4 decks
PropulsionTotal power estimated at 8,000 hp (6,000 kW). Rectangular boilers[1]
Speed14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph)[3]
Boats & landing
craft carried		18 lifeboats; after 1860 20 lifeboats
Capacity4,000 passengers
Complement418

The SS Great Eastern (Nicknamed: Leviathan, or Great Babe) was a British ship built during the Victorian Era, which held the title of the largest passenger ship in the world for 4 decades (1859-99).

Remote control model of the Great Eastern (1/150 scale)
Isambard Kingdom Brunel at the Launching of the SS Great Eastern (sometimes called Leviathan) with John Scott Russell and Lord Derby.

It was designed by the engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel, famous for having designed bridges such as the Clifton Suspension Bridge or the Maidenhead Railway Bridge, it was 211 meters long, had a capacity of 4,000 passengers, 17,915 gross tons and was propelled by sail masts, lateral blades and a screw propeller.

References[change | change source]

  1. ↑ Image:Oscillating engine, and boilers, of Great Eastern - gteast.gif224kB.png
  2. ↑ Dawson, Philip S. (2005). The Liner. Chrysalis Books. p. 37. ISBN 978-0-85177-938-6.
  3. ↑ "Ocean Record Breaking". New York Times. 7 July 1895.

Other websites[change | change source]

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