Great Western

ship

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Article History

Great Western, earliest regular transatlantic steamer. On its maiden voyage, the Great Western left Bristol, England, on April 8, 1838, and arrived in New York City 15 days later (half the time that sailing ships usually took). Designed by the British engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the Great Western displaced 1,320 tons, was 212 feet (65 metres) long, and carried 148 passengers; it had four masts with reduced rigging and paddles driven by two engines. Its average speed without sails was 9 knots. On some of its final voyages, it carried troops to the Crimean War. The ship was broken up at Vauxhall, London, in 1856.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Michael Ray.