SS Great Britain
Brunel's Ship, Her Voyages, Passengers and Crew
Published on 15. July 2019
Book
Hardback
288 pages
978-1-4456-8451-2 (ISBN)
Description
In SS Great Britain, Helen Doe provides a narrative account of this famous and historically important ship. Experimental and controversial, Great Britain led the way for iron shipbuilding and screw propulsion. The book charts the ship's brilliant design and construction, and the tribulations of her owners as they battled financial crises to turn Isambard Kingdom Brunel's vision into reality. Brunel was passionate about this ship and was devastated when a navigational error stranded her in Dundrum Bay, Ireland. She was rescued in a great feat of salvage and went on to a long life at sea, carrying passengers to New York, troops to the Crimea and India, and thousands of emigrants to Australia.
Helen Doe highlights the contribution of the many individuals connected to the ship, ranging from crew members to passengers, at least one grand Victorian scandal, and the mysterious disappearance of her long-serving captain. In this way, the ship's life and times are recreated and the history of a technical marvel is given a human face.
The ship was salvaged a second time, when she was rescued from the Falkland Islands and towed home across the Atlantic. She now sits in splendour in her original dock in Bristol and is one of the most visited attractions in Britain. This a compelling account of an iconic ship and of an important moment in industrial history.
Helen Doe highlights the contribution of the many individuals connected to the ship, ranging from crew members to passengers, at least one grand Victorian scandal, and the mysterious disappearance of her long-serving captain. In this way, the ship's life and times are recreated and the history of a technical marvel is given a human face.
The ship was salvaged a second time, when she was rescued from the Falkland Islands and towed home across the Atlantic. She now sits in splendour in her original dock in Bristol and is one of the most visited attractions in Britain. This a compelling account of an iconic ship and of an important moment in industrial history.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Chalford
United Kingdom
Illustrations
16 Plates, color
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 156 mm
Weight
561 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4456-8451-2 (9781445684512)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Helen Doe is a maritime historian who has published extensively on nineteenth-century sail and steam, including co-editing and contributing to the award-winning Maritime History of Cornwall. Her previous book was The First Atlantic Liner: Brunel's Great Western Steamship. Her interests are in the people connected with vessels, whether on land or at sea. She has a PhD from the University of Exeter, where she has been a lecturer for some years. She is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, Vice Chairman of the British Commission for Maritime History, a member of the UK Government's Council of Experts for National Historic Ships and trustee of the SS Great Britain Trust.