The SS Great Western is a wooden-hulled paddle steamer designed by the engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel and built in Bristol, England, entering service in 1838 as the first steamship purpose-built for regular scheduled transatlantic passenger crossings between Europe and North America. Brunel designed the ship as an extension of his Great Western Railway, intending passengers to travel by rail from London to Bristol and then continue their journey to New York by steamship, and the Great Western's successful maiden crossing helped prove that a large steam-powered vessel could carry enough coal to cross the Atlantic reliably, a question that had been seriously doubted beforehand. The ship remained in transatlantic and later other passenger service for over a decade before being broken up in the 1850s.
Facts
Partially Attested
YearLaunched 19 July 1837; the maiden voyage to New York followed in 1838. Value gives the maiden-voyage year, which matches the entity description. SignificanceThe first steamship purpose-built for crossing the Atlantic, and the largest passenger ship in the world from 1837 to 1839. 1 Manufacturer or Builder Sources
1. SS Great Western (Wikipedia)
Development and design, builder
Built at the shipyard of Patterson & Mercer in Bristol, England
Service history, maiden voyage
On 31 March, Great Western sailed for Avonmouth (Bristol) to start her maiden voyage to New York
Opening paragraph
the first steamship purpose-built for crossing the Atlantic
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