Product Description

A celebration of Victorian ingenuity, "The Great Iron Ship" tells the complete story of Brunel's masterpiece and the contribution of John Scott Russell, its revolutionary engineer. A human story and an account of a world-changing enterprise - the Atlantic cable - this book should appeal to all interested in the history of sea travel, invention and the achievements of pioneering Victorians.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #501568 in Books
• Published on: 2003-07-30
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

About the Author
James Dugan, a noted marine historian, is the author of Undersea Explorer and the Great Mutiny. He has also edited many of Jacques Cousteau's books.

Customer Reviews

Triumph and tragedy all the drama of a soap in this one seafaring story
This is a fascinating look at one of the triumphs of the victorian age. The final innovation of I.K. Brunel sadly proved to be the nail in his coffin, but the story is worth reading all the same.
The book informs us of the major errors that stopped the giant being a success, partly, these reasons included the ship being fiananced & built - not by & for a shipping line - but for an unlimited company- which had shareholders and directors,these could not always absorb losses & needed constant successes,sadly, on each voyage another fortune would be swallowed of shareholders money. There was human tragedy throughout from building to the final voyages. it seemed lives constandly would be lost due to tragedy & storm.
The average ship's length in 1851 was less than a third of the G.E. but it was more than her size, it was the ship's design - as incoroproated by the genius of the designers (Brunel and Scott Russell - that was the true triumph. The vessel was well ahead of its time. The project introduced designs and innovations that are seen in today's giant ships;
among these were the iron, double hull. when one remembers that this was over 50 years before the launching & foundering of the infamous Titanic, that fact stands out. Unlike the Titanic, which had a double bottom - protection against flooding by running over rocks - the Victorian ship incorprorated (for safety at sea) a complete double hull throughout, 3 feet was the distance between external/internal hull; as well, it had watertight compartments all the way extending to the top deck.
It is fair to belive that had the ship that struck an iceberg in 1912 in n/w Atlantic been the Great Eastern, the vessel would not only have survived, but been able to limp to a port afer the strike on her own propeller power, albeit with a heavey list due to between hull flooding.
This was a ship that was so well built, and so advanced that it deserves its reputation still today, as a modern wonder of the world.