January 2008 marks the 150th anniversary of the launch of the SS Great Eastern, Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s last great steamship and for several years the largest ship ever to be built.
She was conceived as a passenger liner which would be capable of taking passengers from England to the Far East and Australia without needing to refuel, and the vast proportions of the ship were designed to allow it to do so. However, the ship was actually too large to fit down the Suez Canal and therefore travelling to the Indian Ocean and beyond was too slow for the needs of many people, who could gain passage on a smaller, faster ship for less money.
The original grandeur of the interior with its elaborate state room and white and gold ‘Grand Saloon’ was removed when the Great Eastern became a cable-laying vessel in 1864, just six years after her original launch. She laid one of the first transatlantic telegraph cables.
The ship was seen by some as cursed due to the large number of disasters and accidents that surrounded her. The shipbuilders went massively overbudget; the launch was a shambles with the ship being dragged a few inches a day for three months after the intended launch date of November 1857; several people died in accidents during the launch; and there is a story that a man fitting rivets to the hull was trapped and that a ghostly hammering continued for years to come. His body was said to have been discovered when the Great Eastern was broken up. The ship also bankrupted several companies that took her on. She ended her career in Liverpool as a floating billboard, before being broken up in 1888.
To commemorate the anniversary, Kate and I have curated a small display of some of the library and manuscript collections relating to ‘the Big Ship’. Highlights include sheet music written especially to commemorate the ship in the early 1860s, a manuscript report from Captain James Walker detailing damage sustained by the ship during a storm off the coast of Ireland in September 1861, and a Great Eastern-themed children’s alphabet book from 1862.
Other Great Eastern items in the collection include:
- An 1857 pamphlet with details of the ship including cross-sectional plans (PBA5283)
- A manuscript diary kept by James Ford, crew member, during a cable laying voyage on board the Great Eastern, 1866 (JOD/227)
- A medical log from the ship kept from 1869-1870 (LOG/M/17)
- A logbook kept by Robert Halpin, commander on a cable-laying voyage to Newfoundland and back, May-Sep 1873 (LOG/M/37)
- A sketch shewing the position of the Great Eastern when trying to recover the end of the Atlantic telegraph cable (MRY298:10/3)
- “Particulars and conditions of sale of the steam ship Great Eastern which will be sold by auction … on the 28th day of October 1885″ (PBC5463)
- Papers relating to the Great Eastern and the first Atlantic cables (TCM/16)
- Journals kept by Norman Scott Russell on the Great Eastern’s maiden voyage (MSS/82/100.0 and MSS/82/100.1)
Tanya (Reader Services Librarian)
Hello,
Those items from the “Great Eastern” sound extremely interresting. I’m doing myself some researches about this ship and collecting everything related to Her since 15 years. Is it possible to have a list of what you have in the museum and maybe have photos of those items ? I have many things about the ship (Original documents, porcelains pieces souvenirs, booklets, guides and original papers from the cable laying trip of 1866…etc)and I’d be happy to share copy of them.
I’d like to have contact with people interrested by this ship and maybe organise an exhibit, here near Paris.
If someone read this message and want to contact me, I’ll be pleased to answer.
Best regards from France
Franck HERVE
Comment by Franck HERVE April 11, 2008 @ 2:42 pm
My Great Grandfather (Henry Madams)was on the Great Eastern when she was laying Cables across the Atlantic, Indian Ocean & Red Sea. He had been trained as an Engine Room Artificer in Sheerness according to a letter he wrote in 1896 and joined her as such.
Have you by any chance any mention of him in your archives I would be most interested.
Regards
Christine
Comment by Christine Hazard September 5, 2008 @ 11:19 am
Dear Tanya,
I am tracing my family history at the moment. My Great Great Grandfather William MILLAR was a master mariner and in his early days as a seaman he worked on the Great Eastern when it was laying the cables across the Atlantic.
Unfortunately, I live in Perth, WA so I am unable to see your wonderful collection but I would like to thank you for this site and all the work you and your team have done in putting the collection together. I am sure many others will enjoy it and it will preserve an important part of early shipping history for future generations.
Are there any future plans to put this information and the collection on the internet? I am sure I am not the only one who cannot get there.
Best regards
Coral Smith
Comment by Coral Smith January 17, 2009 @ 2:00 pm
I am a descendant of Henry Shore who was a soldier in the 30ieth Regiment of Foot. He was one of approx. 2,000 soldiers on a voyage of the Great Eastern from Liverpool to Quebec City 27 June – 6 July 1861, when the ship was chartered as a troop carrier to reinforce the British presence in Canada. I am searching for the passenger list from this voyage. Any leads would be appreciated. I am also very interested in ships and this ship in particular.
Best regards,
Ted Shroe
Comment by Ted Shore March 19, 2009 @ 4:39 am