Above and below: SS Great Britain, the legendary steamship built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, launched in 1845 and today a museum ship in Bristol.

Brunel design an innovative ship- that was, sadly for investors, too far ahead of its time. The first steamship with iron construction and a propeller, as well as the largest ship built to date, it went far over budget and there weren’t funds to save the ship when it ran around.

But iron construction is a funny thing. Whereas a wooden ship would have broken up, the Great Britain sat intact for 6 years when a salvage company dragged her off the bar and refitted her. She went from a luxury trans-Atlantic vessel to a more modest Australian steamer.

SS Great Britain had a 41 year work life until she was damaged and sold off in the Falklands, where she was used as a floating storehouse and for quarantine. In 1937 she was abandoned and settled on the seafloor. In 1970 she was raised and brought back to Bristol to be a museum.

In the SS Great Britain you have the birth of the modern ship. While experiments w/iron, steam and propellers had been made on other vessels, it was the first to put them all together. The bow of the vessel is undecorated, so you can see the shift from wood to iron construction.

Today SS Great Britain sits in the Bristol drydock where she was built from 1843-1845. The city council was initial against the ship, but it is now the top tourist attraction in Bristol w/200,000 visitors annually. Something for city councils to consider, eg Newport Ship in Wales

The ship is extraordinary and worth a visit by anyone interested in the past. The museum staff @SSGreatBritain are friendly and helpful, and it’s a great museum for kids. Remember to book a ticket online due to Covid and wear a mask. Even Brunel himself wears one.