What Was It Like Aboard The Largest Passenger Ship Of 1850? | SS Great Britain With Dan Snow
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 ก.ย. 2024
- 'Inside The World's First Great Ocean Liner | SS Great Britain With Dan Snow'
Dan Snow steps aboard the SS Great Britain in Bristol to tell the story of one of history's most important ships.
Designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, SS Great Britain is one of the most important historic ships in the world. When she was launched in 1843, she was dubbed by contemporaries as ‘the greatest experiment since the creation’.
SS Great Britain changed history. As well as being built of iron and steam powered, Brunel rejected using conventional paddle wheels to drive his ship. Instead, his revolutionary screw propeller was the newest invention in maritime technology.
Dan also explores how passengers spent their time aboard ship during transatlantic voyages, where they ate and slept, and how the experience of upper class passengers differed from that of the crew.
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#SSGreatBritain #DanSnow #HistoryHit
Rescuing the SS G.B from the Falkland Islands was an incredible engineering accomplishment. They patched her up and pumped the water out, and secured her onto a huge floating pontoon, and slowly towed it from the Southern Atlantic, nine thousand miles ,back to Bristol. Every day, the TV news would report on her travel progress. After halting at Avonmouth Docks to check her over, she was floated and towed up the twisting Avon River, by two Tugs ,one each end, passing under Brunels other famous creation, 'The Clifton Suspension Bridge'', ( which wasn't there when she first passed that way,) and the Duke of Edinburgh greeting her with multi thousands of people, from far and wide, cheering the old gal home. A truly memorable sight, in 1970. I'm glad I postponed my intended visit to London. A real must, if you are interested in film of the original rescue, Watch the BBC 1970 documentary, on the ''CHRONICLE'' series, on YT,
no, there were not any air-inflated rafts. They closed the holes and pumped water out, and lo and behold - she was afloat. Across the Atlatics on the pontoon and in Bristol again afloat until dry-docked.
@@elrond12eleven She WASN'T floated IN the sea, till she reached Avonmouth. A Dutch or German salvage company sank a Raft, and the SS GB was towed over it, they then pumped air into the raft,,which rose up under the ship, and 2 ? tugs towed her home. I've altered the above and added more detail, from the BBC Chronicle Documentary.
@@MrDaiseymay It was a German team, I dont blame 70's Britain for hating Germans but they got the guys do all the leg work and then took over once it was in British waters, the documentary is quite insulting because in the credits, it thanks the people of the Falklands but make no mention of the salvage team. It doesnt take anything away from Brunel or the Industrial revolution, a time when we sent our engineers to Britian to learn from the best.
@@Flozman1982 o
Remember as a child watching the live broadcast of it arriving finally. Even at the age of 11/12 I had a sense of the immense scale of the restoration project required and understood it would probably take decades to complete.
I remember seeing this back in the 1970s when it was still basically a wreck. You weren't allowed on board, in fact there was nothing to see on board as all the interiors had gone. The only surviving woodwork was being sold to raise funds in the shape of souvenir pencils marked "Made with wood from the SS Great Britain" The restoration work had only just begun, I'm glad to see how well it has gone.
I don't think it was in England then.
@@rogersmith7396 Well I was in England then and I saw it there. It was returned to Bristol on the 18 July 1970 to the same dock it was built 127 years to the day from when it was launched. It would have been about 1975 or 1976 when I visited with my parents. My brother and I both had a sliding square puzzle with a picture of the ship, I still have it somewhere, and I became carsick doing it on the way home.
I used to go to parties on it in my younger days. They've done an amazing job restoring it. Absolutely worth a visit.
Had a hour or two before we went to see Genesis in the colston hall around 1973, basically paid 50 pence to look at a load of scaffolding but did walk through ship on said scaffolding. May have been 72 it was a hazy time.
@@pegjames188 It was pretty hazy for me too, I was under 10 years old so I can't remember too many details. I do remember there was an exhibition of some sort with artists mock ups of what it was going to look like when it was restored and I think there was a piece of wooden sculpture, painted and gilded, that had been restored, or it might have been a recreated piece, possibly part of the prow figurehead , We might have been able to get on the deck but I'm not sure about that. I'm pretty sure we couldn't actually go inside, they were possibly working in there at the time or we might have just been unlucky and went on a day it was closed off.
I saw the SS Great Britain in late 1987 on a college trip to Bristol. Even tho none of the fittings Dan shows us were on the ship at the time (no air conditioning for the hull, no bunks, no 1st class, no engine), I still found it utterly fascinating. Great to see this vid and how much work has been done to preserve it & give a sense of its working life. Wonderful!!!
Despite living here, I've not been in that museum for 20 years. Great to see it again!
I suppose familiarity breeds contempt and thus means attractions close by where you live lose interest. I lived close enough to the Smithsonian museums that I could have gone any time I wanted for most of my life, but it wasn’t something I generally did
@@connormclernon26 Most of the people I met in NYC had never been to the Statue of Liberty or the Empire State Building.
@@rogersmith7396 Exactly. Familiarity breeds contempt
I only live down the road in South Wales and and only got around to visiting about 4 years ago(despite travelling to Bristol many times each year.) I have to say that it was one of the best and most interesting attractions I have ever seen.Everything about the ship is so well presented and the museum next door is just as fascinating if you are interested in Brunel or our industrial heritage in general.
i live 30 mins walk from the SS Great Britain went there with the school in the early 80s then took my nephew about 15 years ago huge difference was very impressed with what was achieved
I LOVE Dan Snow as a presenter. I can feel his true enthusiasm and charisma through the screen! and his voice is soothing and strong to boot
I've toured the Great Britain, it is awesome! And it is in the original dry dock where it was built 127 years before!
l take it you wrote that comment in 1972.
Everything Brunel built still stands today. Apart from his great babe obviously. One of history's Great engineer's
Yes too bad about Great Eastern.
@@rogersmith7396 ye man ahead of his time for sure
should of listened to him on broad gage rails
Was a great billboard tho tbh
@@simondamsell5508 should "have listened". Please!
Need more videos on stuff Isambard Kingdom Brunel designed. Ships, bridges, tunnels, bigger ships, even bigger ships, a suspension bridge that works backwards, arch bridges that are so damned flat even he was a little iffy about them.....
Brunel easily gets my vote for greatest engineer of all time.
The Great Eastern and The Monitor for the Union navy were also examples of his design work.
@@bernieschiff5919 I read a wonderfully illustrated book, about the Great Eastern' 50 years ago, I can't find the words to express my incredulity (that'l do) for that MONSTEROUS leviathan. That ship remained the largest in the world, from 1858--1896. There is VERY LITTLE of it remaining. a great loss to history.
@@bernieschiff5919 You are incorrect about Monitor. The ship is John Ericsson, the turret by Theodore Timby.
Definitely. A documentary on his dad, Marc would be good too. How IKB became who he was, his educatio, etc is fascinating.
@@richardsawyer5428 Yeah, his whole life, all the way to times past his death when people were still building stuff he designed, is one hell of a story. One more worthy of a series than a single video. (hence why I said videos)
And like with what you say, it really starts before he was born due to his fathers influence on his own life.
edit: I think the one thing I have every completely agreed with Jeremy Clarkson about, is that Brunel is the greatest Brit of all time.
It is nothing short of a joy that Great Britain, the ancient relic of when we were really beginning to push the limits with technology and further shape our world, is still around today. I was blown away when I saw that the engine still works. Isambard Kingdom Brunel was a brilliant man and one who I look up to perhaps more than anyone else today. While the late SS Great Western technically was the first ocean liner, the Great Britain, all revolutionary bits and pieces of it, saw the start of ocean travel as we know it today, and I hope to see her someday. :D
The engine of course is a modern replica, good to see it faithfully copies the original with the chain drive to increase the speed of the propeller. Not ever run under steam I presume.
What an interesting ship and an undoubtedly important piece of history! Thanks for sharing these amazing details with all of us!
Did school trips and outings to the SS GB in the late 80s/early 90s while they were doing a lot of the work, was pretty cool seeing it come together slowly. Attended a wedding on it as well later on!
That is an absolutely amazing video. Isambard Kingdom Brunel was truly a giant among men.
yep--'The Little Giant'' he was called.
its really nice place to visit i highly recommend it, they used to be available for weddings, parties, meetings quiet a nice venue for meetings found the unique environment meant I was able to remember more of the event.
It's interesting that part of steerage is labelled 'Little Bourke Street'. That is a narrow street in Melbourne that was notorious for overcrowded slums in the 1850s when the SS Great Britain was taking migrants to the Australian gold rush.
In all my time I've lived in Bristol...I've never seen this beautiful as great Britain close up guess now is the time to go visit this beautiful ship
This presenter is great! He is passionate about what he is talking about, which makes these videos enjoyable to watch.
no wonder he had trouble getting onto his bed. Dan is 6'4''. they were ok for Brunel size victorians.
Around ten years ago I went to visit the SS Great Britain. I arrived perhaps just under a hour before the advertised closing time. The woman at the ticket desk told me that I could not enter but suggested that I still buy a ticket. I asked with some bewilderment, "You mean that I can pay to enter but cannot enter?". She relied "Yes". I did not tell her where she could stick her generous offer but perhaps should have.
Not sure if it was the case 10 years ago but now tickets last a year so maybe that’s what she meant for you to do
I remember visiting this ship at Bristol back in 2007. A wonderful piece of craftsmanship.
Great video! One small thing that was worth to mention though, although it's pretty common knowledge, is that even just over 100 years back in time, people were actually shorter compared to today. So those small beds would not be so extremely small as they are for you today, also considering that you seem to be pretty tall even compared to average today.
I visited this ship when it first came back to the UK. It was just a rusty iron hull like the bit Dan showed when he was talking about the bridge construction. It was still interesting as I had a good guide that showed me many of engineering things that wasn't shown here.
This is the most charming, well-thought-out and respectful display i've ever seen for a museum ship. The glass ceiling with the slight ripples of Water giving the impression the old lady is still afloat after all she had been through. An absolute masterpiece of preservation. Gives me a bit of hope for the RMS Queen Mary and the SS United States.
"Australia better be good."
So good, you will never leave.
Even if you want to!
My old cousins went to Australia before WW2. A descendant became an MP and went to jail, says it all really.
That's why so many Aussies are in England :P The joke is that criminals always return to the scene of the crime XD
Choices, choices...ScoMo or BoJo?
I haven't.
My great great great (Not sure how many greats) Grandfather helped build her……… glad to say ship building continues to run the family’s veins almost 200 years later…..
We cannot speak with the dead. But we can see their minds through their inventions. Wonderful stuff! Amazing engineering!
Just an amazing restoration. I remember watching the salvage documentary of this vessel and being overwhelmed by the effort too save this ship. Too see it now completely restored is just unbelievable. What an accomplishment.
The display for the boat alone is beautiful. A Faldo body of water that looks as real as could be. Then you can go underneath it. Beautifully executed.
When I went to see this ship, her Hull was fully exposed to the elements. I'm glad to see they took steps to protect her! She was such a beautiful ship in her day.
my grandad was a salvage diver after being in the navy, he helped salvage this ship and now is featured in the museum. just last year, he and one other salvage diver received a high sheriff award for their service to the SS GB
It should be said that the ship returned to Bristol as an empty hull with a leaky deck and just half a mast standing. All the interior and the engine+boilers are replicas and for reason of weight the engine is made from hollow parts. The impression, though, and the obtical illusion is perfect.
Meanwhile when he is in the bilge talking about the box like structural supports you can see light shining through the the holes in the hull of the ship.
Love the video, fascinated by the technology and the engineering!
He didn't mention it, but I could see sunlight pouring down on the engine. Those first steam ships with the walking beam engine had to go through the deck so the beam was above deck, thus a big rectangular hole was in the roof of the engine room. In foul weather the crashing seas would pour down through this opening so the pumps had to operate continuously.
I have to say, I absolutely love your nautical history documentaries! I hope you'll make some more :)
Do you have Grindr?
SS Great Britain... Bristol Born
Me.... Bristol Born
Like all Bristolians.... Everlasting & Proud
Perhaps it is time to return to a mixture of sail and engine for all seagoing vessels? Certainly for those for which the duration of the voyage is not a critical issue.
Sure would be GREEN!
Well, ships have become much larger in the past century. It might work for smaller ships, but normal cargo ships are probably just too massive for that to be practical. It'd be amazing if that could happen, but I'm sadly skeptical. I'd think it's more likely that hydrogen fuel or other green options will be developed, honestly.
@@Cailus3542 Yes, hydrogen is almost certainly the fuel of the future.
I would speculate the ocean can be used as an electrolyte to drive electric motors. Commercial sail only ended with WWII. As long as it did'nt need to get there fast sail was OK. It was killed by rising labor costs as sail ships needed like 400 men to operate. Modern cargo carriers use about 30, typically from third world countries.
It would certainly mean a saving in fuel.You would never get me up on those yardarms though Lol.
I'm sure the steam engine was balanced very well and was bolted down and the bearings ensuring a smooth running of the engine.
Even modern reciprocating engines will shake themselves apart at high speed.
Steam engines are generally super smooth running. Being in a steam ship is like being in a sailing ship, no vibrations from the engine whatsoever and dead silent.
@@negergreger666 uhm not really, even on much larger ships engine vibrations were know to be felt accross the whole ship.
the world should thank UK for everything
everything? havent other countries made a contribution?
The amount of stuff that the UK actually created is miniscule to what they took from other cultures and what other cultures created. It's just the UK's wealth from colonizing other places that they were able to improve what others created
@@TerMau01 You clearly are utterly clueless about British history over the last 500 years. Every European nation of any size had colonies, most British ex colonies have fared far better than those from France, Spain, Belgium, Italy and Portugal.
@@glynnwright1699 I'm literally Irish. We did not have colonies and many European countries didn't (Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Belarus, Latvia, Estonia, Finland, and many more). The British are notorious for treating their colonies horribly, and I should know because we here in Ireland still feel the effects of them invading us for 800 years. Please learn some history
@@TerMau01 You did have colonies, you were fully integrated with the UK throughout the height of Empire.
Camera spent too much time looking at Snow and not the ship.
I was able to visit this remarkable exhibit in 2018. Although Dan Snow's commentary was interesting, it failed to cover some key elements. The first is the way the SS Great Britain is displayed which, unlike most other maritime exhibits, is shown partly "as found" as well as restored. The unique preservation of the hull and access to the ship is due to the reinforced glass paneling that girds the entire ship and provides the illusion that the vessel is floating in the dock. The dock in which she was originally constructed. The fact that she exists at all is due to being constructed in iron. Wooden hulls would have long disintegrated. Brunel's experience with building iron structures allowed the construction of a ship that set new shipbuilding standards The propulsion screw was indeed unique. Not mentioned was that, under sail and to reduce drag through the water, the screw could be raised clear of the waterline. Brunel designed a "triple expansion" steam engine that uniquely harnessed generated steam through 3 cylinders of expanding diameter as the steam pressure reduced. This allowed every once of pressure to be efficiently extracted from the coal boilers. As the City of Long Beach in California contemplates the fate of the Queen Mary, it is worth considering how this other "state of the art" vessel could still become the historic exhibit she was meant to be.
@@Bob-fk8vd Good catch. I guess Brunel benefited by building the SS Great Britain some 50 years after the USS Constitution was launched. I guess I should have highlighted the fact that a similar wooden vessel, laid-up and facing the elements in the Falkland Islands for 33 years would not have fared so well!
@@Bob-fk8vd Very little of Constitution is original though, including her hull. A lot has been sacrificed to keep her in seagoing condition.
It’s beautiful. And it’s proof of Britain’s glory.
Magnificent museum!
Excellent narration with enthusiasm
Thanks, Dan. Keep up the good work 👏
Wow! How come I had never watched this before!!!
Amazing!!!
Awesome! Love that ship. It had quite a story.
Wow! VERY cool! I got to tour the HMS Victory when I was in Portsmouth on my way to London in 1990. VERY cool pieces of history.
As a small boy I watched this ship being towed up the Bristol Channel bound for Bristol. Even in her dilapidated condition she looked impressive.
History Hit not missing a single shot recently, hit, every time.
GOOD STUFF
absolutely incredible ship
funny thing about the algorithm .. I've been watching videos and reading articles about the coffin ships used to go from Ireland to Canada in 41 days... and here is this magnificent ship that did it in 13 days.
love history, Great video thanks for all the hard working in making it
What amazes me is that the design for these machines was done in someones head and translated to pen and ink drawings.
I have thurly enjoyed this video of the SS Great Britain, & the man that was showing me around made it very interesting indeed, so thanks go to those who made this video - well done 👍.
Great video. The other Bristol item worth a more modern history hit is the Concord in the aviation museum.
I thin k this was one of your most impresssive episodes. Impresssive musuem.
Didn't this fellow do Battlefield Britain program with his dad several years ago? Man that show was really good and I'm not even a war guy.
1000 de felicitari !, Bravo voua , oameni buni si popor integru. toata stima.❤
Great seeing the propeller driven early ship.
3:44 Not just "silver" service. VERMEIL service.
Y'all do restorations well. I was on Warrior when this thing was still sunk. Good luck with Cutty Sark. Only recently found out Turbina still exists. Why no Warspite? Shame. Did Belfast.
'Y'all' Americans do school shootings well
Y'all yanks thanks for commenting HMS Belfast wasn't really" restored" it was maintained through out the years its last battle honour was in Korea war American's love dragging Britain into wars. Lol well they do now since they went alone one time and erm well. Vietnam war not good was it now any war comes up the Americans make sure we are right there. Besides them. Lol. I degress. Yeah so now it's a museum and it is permanently birthed on the Thames Its important role in WW2 was helping the Royal Navy Hunter force catch and destory the German warship Scharnhorst with its superior Radar for the time tit managed to keep Tabs on the Enemy ship in what is known as the battle of North Cape it was a plan by the British admiraitity to lure the Scharnhorst in to attacking the British Artic convoys on there ways to Russia however unbeknown to the Germans there lurked A suprise package a British battleship HMS Duke of York with radar control 14iinch guns battle waggon in the Hunter force finally Scharnhorst took the bait. attacking the convoy the trap was set and 14inch Radsr directed shells raining on A Very surprised Scharnhorst in the middle of night While Making superior speed to get get awayThe German warship received 14inch shells to its engine room knocking out Steam piping enough to slow Down while the British Hunter force caught up enough tie for HMS Duke of York to deliver another accurate heavy salvos On the hapless enemy ship nevertheless Scharnhorst continued to fight Till the end British Destoryers. Along with HMS Belfast joining in helping with the destruction of the mighty Scharnhorst She went down mostly with all hands apart from a handful of rescued German crew apparently during British rescue attempts they scared off with report's of U-boats in the area Y"all take care now have a nice day and thanks for coming 😜
@@soultraveller5027 I was on Belfast in 1991 next to Tower bridge. Still the old docklands I believe. The main thing I remember is the hammocks swung over the engines. Did'nt look very restful. The modern RN had a display showing how accomadations were much better in the 1990s. Apparently afraid they would scare off recruits with the hammocks.
Poor stokers would be wrecks after a few years of such work. Lungs full of coal dust, liver saturated with alcohol, mind affected by the dark and hot inferno, I can't even imagine.
I used to own a tugboat that was built in 1919. It was 90 feet and a very good pulling and handling boat. It had a riveted iron hull and there was no deterioration at all. They last for ever. Believe it or not people were smaller 150 years ago hence the small bunks. I first read about this ship in a book my late brother gave me as a gift. I've always wanted to see it. Thanks.
imagine people shrinking..lol
@@mgn5667 you got it backwards. People got bigger. LOL.
@@johnwright291 hi .. sorry i know your right.... i was just saying imagine if people got smaller.. sorry i should have said it better... still dont know how too put it,,..lol
@@mgn5667 I went aboard an exact replica of the santa Maria and the bunks would have been just right for modern day children. Because of vastly improved nutrition people are much taller today.
@@johnwright291 .. yes it is fact.. i would like too know more about it actually.. and when the home refridgerator came on people really were well off .. im gonna have too find out more the facts of people centuries ago ,,way way back. hope there are good documentaries if any .. thanks a bunch
Excellent, Dan. I wish I was there.
Glad to have found this channel 💪🏻😊✨! Thanks
Welcome!
This is awsome, the content, production and the presenter!
Amazing artifact from the golden age of the industrial revolution.
I like those benches in the dining saloon. Pretty nifty.
Good to see the presentation finished. Last time I saw it was on "What the Victorians Did for Us"
I missed that when we were in England ten years ago
We did see the cutty sark and the victory though 👍👍
My relative designed this ship. Thank you great well made video
What an amazing ship.
Yet another really interesting video. I do however have one question.
At the beginning of the video, there’s a shot of the SS Great Britain flying the White Ensign. My understanding is that the White Ensign is flown by Royal Navy ships and shore establishments and would not be used on merchant vessels that would normally fly the Red Ensign. Am I correct in this understanding or was this not the case back in the 1800’s when SS Great Britain was in operation?
I just Googled that question. The restoration board decided to recreate the flags and Ensigns, as raised on Launch day, July 1843. The used a famous Painting of the scene, as a guide.
But it was a contravertial subject, even back then, with much uncertainty and debating. Take a look.
Imagine the year 5050 all of us are well dead and gone and student looking in to a time capsule of this
Assistant: Should we use 18 foot paddles, or 22 foot paddles?
Brunel: Screw it.
The bunks look small, but you have to remember that people were smaller back then. It would’ve still been not luxurious, but it would’ve been less extreme than what it looked like with you sitting in it
Brilliant restoration considering she was abandoned in the Falkland Islands for decades
happy to sail this if commision again
*In the 1800's the average height of a person was 5.4ft, and could fit in those births easy. The average height of people increased after 1950, even the average Height of Pilots in WWII was 5.4 which is why a Spitfire cockpit is so small.*
Deep Thought and Deep Thought II are dehumidifiers? I thought they were Magrathean super computers!
42
Fantastic video of a vessel I had very little knowledge of.
Super informative video !
Wow, that motor!
I have been on that many times and most of times I just got scared by the realistic props and people lol
Deep Thought? Really nice that one
As a yank, I would really love to join History Hits and though the cost is low, I live on a finite amount of money, but after our raise in Social Security I will see if I can do it.
best wishes Chris. (uk)
Great video
Wonderful!
Amazing ship
Ironwork is always the right call. Wood is good, but steel is always ideal
We want more war stuffs like this can you narrate about fall of liners brennus,blucher and Spanish Armada
SO COOL!
Wow
I can still remember the news reports of her being towed off the coast of the Falkland Islands, where she'd been scuttled, and towed back to the UK.
WOW!
Great. Thanks 👍🏻
At 0:38 you can see the gunwales of the ship have a black square pattern painted down the sides. When I visited UK a few years ago and toured the Great Britain, I asked one of the guides the purpose of this. He replied that it was to deter potential pirates by "disguising" itself as a warship with numerous gun ports down the sides. Perhaps during its life as a transport to Australia this might have been a problem. Or maybe the guide just made it up. 😊. I’m curious if anyone has a different explanation.
how this engine didnt vibrate the whole ship apart...the engineering skills these shipbuilders had
If you ever get to sail in a steam ship or yacht, you'll discover how smooth and un-diesel like they run.
They seem to glide across the water
wonderful would love to visit that
Douglas Adams
would be proud 😎
Sir Jack Hayward ....Legend 🐺🐺🐺
Nice Roman columns in the dining hall
Hi from Russia. Thanks for so nice and interesting video!
My great great great (I'm not sure how many greats) grandfather, Charles Chapman was a captain on that ship, apparently. He was the first officer when Captain Gray went missing.