Industrial Wonders: The long, financially draining struggle to build the SS Great Eastern, largest ship put into water in 19th century
Industrial Wonders: The long, financially draining struggle to build the SS Great Eastern, largest ship put into water in 19th century At the time of her making, she was the biggest ship ever built in London and able to carry up to 4,000 passengers. The ship was so powerful that it could travel all the way to Australia from England without needing to be refueled. Following the design of Isambard Kingdom Brunel, who has been described as “One of the most ingenious and prolific figures in engineering history,” the SS Great Eastern was born. It was constructed by Millwall Iron Works on the waters of the River Thames. The project began with a sketch that Brunel drew in his journal on March 25, 1852. His idea was, according to what he wrote under the sketch, for the ship to be around 590 feet long and 65 feet wide. Compared with the ships already afloat, the plans were for a ship that would be six times bigger than any ship that had ever previously been built. It would be the biggest vesse