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COMMERCIAL SAILING SHIPS had long taken three, sometimes four weeks to make the eastbound crossing of the Atlantic; the westbound route, against the wind, usually took six weeks. The first… Click to show full abstract
COMMERCIAL SAILING SHIPS had long taken three, sometimes four weeks to make the eastbound crossing of the Atlantic; the westbound route, against the wind, usually took six weeks. The first steamship made the eastward crossing only in 1833, when the Quebec-built SS Royal William went to England, after stopping to take on coal in Nova Scotia. It was only in April 1838-180 years ago this month-that steamships pioneered the westward route. It happened in an unexpectedly dramatic way. . Isambard Kingdom Brunel, one of the great 19th-century British engineers, built the SS Great Western for the Great Western Steamship Company's planned Bristol-New York run. The ship was ready on 31 March 1838, but fire damage scared most of its passengers away, delaying departure until 8 April.
Journal Title: IEEE Spectrum
Year Published: 2018
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