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Photo #  NH 85562-KN:  Lithograph of S.S. Great Eastern


Online Library of Selected Images:
-- CIVILIAN SHIPS --

S.S. Great Eastern (British Steamship, 1859)
Originally named Leviathan

S.S. Great Eastern, a 22,500-ton (displacement) iron steamship designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel was built on the Thames River, England. Intended for the passenger and cargo trade between England and Ceylon, she was by far the largest ship the World had yet seen. She was so far ahead of contemporary commercial requirements, and industrial capabilities, that her length (nearly 700 feet) and tonnage would remain unmatched for four more decades.

Though christened Leviathan during a initial launching attempt in early November 1857, she was thereafter always known as Great Eastern. Nearly three month's costly struggle to get her afloat, and more problems while she was completing, left her original company bankrupt. New owners decided to employ her on the route between Britain and North America. However, insufficient capitalization restricted outfitting to luxury accomodations, thus ignoring the decidedly non-luxurious, but very profitable immigrant trade. The ship financial difficulties continued, compounded by a series of accidents.

In September 1859 Great Eastern's first voyage was cut short by a boiler explosion. Her second company collapsed under the expense of repairs and a new firm took her on. Finally reaching New York in June 1860, for the next two months she was exhibited to the public and made voyages along the U.S. coast. Nearly a year passed before Great Eastern's next westbound trip in May 1861, by which time the American Civil War had begun. During June and July she transported troops to Quebec to reinforce Canada's defenses. In September Great Eastern began another trip to New York, but was disabled by a severe storm. In mid-1862 she made three voyages, but improving commercial prospects abruptly ceased when she struck an uncharted rock entering New York harbor, necessitating more expensive repairs. She did not resume service until mid-1863, making two more trips and bankrupting yet another company.

Sold at auction, Great Eastern was chartered for laying a trans-Atlantic telegraph cable. The ship finally found her niche. In 1866 Great Eastern brought a cable to North America, establishing nearly instantaneous communication between the Old World and the New that has remained unbroken ever since. Following a unfruitful effort by French interests to put her back into passenger service in 1867, Great Eastern returned to cable work. Between 1869 and 1874 she strung six more cables from Europe to America, repaired two earlier ones, and laid another across the Indian Ocean.

Great Eastern was laid up at Milford Haven, Wales in 1874. In 1886 she steamed to Liverpool to become an exhibition ship. This prosaic, but profitable employment continued during visits to London and Scotland later in the year. Sold late in 1887, Great Eastern went back to Liverpool, where she was stripped and slowly broken up during 1888 and 1889.

This page features, and provides links to, all the views we have concerning the steamship Great Eastern of 1859.

For other images related to this ship, see:

  • S.S. Great Eastern -- Contemporary Cartoons inspired by the Ship.


    If you want higher resolution reproductions than the digital images presented here, see: "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions."

    Click on the small photograph to prompt a larger view of the same image.

    Photo #: NH 85562-KN (color)

    S.S. Great Eastern (British Steamship, 1859)

    Lithograph after an artwork by T.G. Dutton, circa 1859.

    Courtesy of the U.S. Navy Art Collection, Washington, D.C. Donation of Norman Rupill.

    U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph.

    Online Image: 107KB; 1200 x 645 pixels

     
    Photo #: NH 91964

    S.S. Great Eastern
    (British Steamship, 1859)

    Photograph of an engraving by Ellis, 51 Jewin St., City of London, England, published circa the later 1850s.
    In addition to the main picture, it features statistics on the ship, including her designed passenger complement, and an inboard profile of her hull.
    A cropped version of this image, emphasizing the inboard profile drawing, is Photo # NH 91964-A.

    Collection of Lieutenant Edward Moale, Jr.

    U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph.

    Online Image: 295KB; 1200 x 1045 pixels

     
    Photo #: NH 60302-KN (Color)

    S.S. Great Eastern (British Steamship, 1859)

    Hand-colored contemporary engraving, depicting the ship laying a cable between the British Isles and North America, circa 1865-1866.
    Note: This illustration shows Great Eastern with her original five smokestacks. However, when converted to a cable layer, her number four smokestack and its two boilers were removed to make space for cable stowage.

    U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph.

    Online Image: 104KB; 740 x 505 pixels

     
    Photo #: NH 91964-A

    S.S. Great Eastern
    (British Steamship, 1859)

    Inboard profile (labeled "Longitudinal Section") of the ship's hull, with related text, cropped from a photograph of an engraving by Ellis, 51 Jewin St., City of London, England, published circa the later 1850s.
    A photograph of the entire engraving is Photo # NH 91964.

    Collection of Lieutenant Edward Moale, Jr.

    U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph.

    Online Image: 111KB; 1200 x 450 pixels

     
    Photo #: NH 91966

    S.S. Great Eastern
    (British Steamship, 1859)

    Hull being plated, while she was under construction on the building ways at Millwall, London, England, 20 July 1855.
    Note the longitudinal framing, double plating and holes for rivets.

    Collection of Lieutenant Edward Moale, Jr.

    U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph.

    Online Image: 101KB; 740 x 610 pixels

     
    Photo #: NH 91965

    S.S. Great Eastern
    (British Steamship, 1859)

    Photograph of an engraving, published circa the later 1850s, depicting the ship fitting out in the Thames River, off Deptford, England, at some point following her 31 January 1858 launching. The ship was originally christened (on 3 November 1857) as "Leviathan", but was thereafter known as Great Eastern.
    The print also features a statistical table and other information concerning the ship.

    Collection of Lieutenant Edward Moale, Jr.

    U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph.

    Online Image: 253KB; 1200 x 1125 pixels

     


    S.S. Great Eastern is partially visible in the left background of the following photograph of another ship:

    Photo #: NH 76929

    HMS Minotaur
    (British Broadside Ironclad, 1868)

    In harbor, prior to her 1887 decommissioning.
    S.S. Great Eastern is partially visible in the left background.

    Courtesy of the Naval Historical Foundation, Washington, D.C.

    U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph.

    Online Image: 62KB; 740 x 510 pixels

     


    For other images related to this ship, see:

  • S.S. Great Eastern -- Contemporary Cartoons inspired by the Ship.


    If you want higher resolution reproductions than the digital images presented here, see: "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions."


    Return to Naval Historical Center home page.

    Page made 12 May 2006
    Text and caption corrected 8 June 2006