Abstract
IN connexion with the centenary of the inauguration of regular steam passages between Great Britain and the United States by the four steamers Sirius, Great Western, Royal William and Liverpool, which all crossed and recrossed the Atlantic in 1838, a special exhibition has been arranged at the Science Museum to illustrate "One Hundred Years of Transatlantic Steam Navigation". The central feature of the exhibition is the magnificent model of the Queen Mary, the model being 22 ft. long. The gallery also contains models of the Normandie, the Conte di Savoia and other notable vessels of recent years. Of greater historic interest, however, are the newly made models of the Sirius and Great Western. The former ship was of only 703 tons gross and was never intended for work in the Atlantic, but she was the first steamer ever to cross the ocean from east to west using her engines as the main motive power. Her voyage began on April 4, when she left Cork, and ended on April 23, when she tied up in New York harbour. The Great Western, designed by the famous engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunei, was of 1,340 tons and it was she which demonstrated in unmistakable manner the possibilities of steam on the ocean. The original drawings of the ship are shown beside the model, and also various interesting documents. Other ships shown are the Great Britain and the Great Eastern, the Britannia, first of Cunard vessels, the Scotia, the last of the paddle vessels on the Atlantic, the Servia, the first steel liner, and the Philadelphia, the first large twin-screw ship on the Atlantic. The exhibition was opened on March 16, and will remain open until the middle of September. An illustrated handbook has been prepared by Mr. H. P. Spratt, the Museum officer who has arranged the exhibition.
Article PDF
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Transatlantic Steam Navigation. Nature 141, 505 (1938). https://doi.org/10.1038/141505b0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/141505b0