Maritime treasure saved
A. NARAYANAN
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After centuries of service the S.S. Great Britain has been restored to its former glory and is a great tourist attraction.
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S.S. GREAT BRITAIN: Brunel's masterpiece.
Railway and marine engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel's masterpiece was launched from a dry dock in Bristol, western England where it was once again restored to its formed glory. The S.S. Great Britain was the world's first ocean liner and the prototype for virtually every modern ship. At the time of her launch in 1843 she was by far the largest vessel on the planet and first crew-propelled, wrought-iron ship.
Since being rescued from dereliction in the Falklands Islands (in the South Atlantic) in 1970 and towed back to the U.K. on a pontoon, the steamship has lain in the Great Western Dockyard in Bristol that Isambard Brunel had specially built for her construction.
First of its kind
Iron corrosion is a major threat to the survival of the ship, the only remaining 19th Century example of her type. Conservation experts have worked to treat the iron plates in the upper part of the hull and protect it. A flat glass-plate roof has been specially designed and will be installed at the level of the ship's waterline. This will form a moisture-tight seal between the ship and the dry dock.
When the seal is in place, machinery will be installed to dry the inside and outside of the vessel. The dry atmosphere will stop the corrosion.
The S.S. Great Britain carried 120 first-class and 132 second-class passengers as well as 130 officers and crew. At one time she served as a troopship, carrying 45,000 soldiers to and from the Crimean war.
She circumnavigated the globe 32 times in over 40 years at sea and as one of the most luxurious clipper ships, she carried about 16,000 emigrants to Australia.
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