50th anniversary of the day Brunel’s giant ship rescued
THIS WEEK marks the 50th anniversary of the re-floating of the world’s first great ocean liner.
Designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the SS Great Britain was the first iron-hulled, propeller-driven steamship when she was launched in Bristol on July 19 1843.
She was the largest and most efficient passenger ship in the world, widely referred to as “the greatest experiment since the Creation”.
Brunel was one of the most ingenious and prolific engineers in history, building 25 railway lines, more than 100 bridges and three ships.
The SS Great Britain was the most experimental steam ship of her time and revolutionised travel and set new standards in engineering, reliability and speed.
By 1970 she lay derelict in the Falkland Islands. A recordbreaking salvage operation saw her become the largest ship ever re-floated onto a pontoon and the 8,000-mile journey to the UK was the longest salvage tow ever attempted.
When the SS Great Britain returned to Bristol after 127 years away, thousands of spectators lined the River Avon to see the homecoming. The ship’s return was just the beginning of a restoration project, which now sees the SS Great Britain transformed into a popular tourist attraction in the city.
Diver Lyle Craigie-Halkett, who was a member of the salvage team, recalls: “We always said she wanted to come home. So many things went well where they could easily have gone the other way and been a total disaster.”