February 11, 1809 American Robert Fulton patented his invention - the first steam-powered ship. Soon steamboats came to replace sailing ships and were the main water transport until the middle of the 20th century. Here are the 10 most famous steamships

Steamboat Claremont

Claremont became the first officially patented steam-powered ship in the history of shipbuilding. The American Robert Fulton, having learned that the French engineer Jacques Perrier had successfully tested the first steam-powered ship on the Seine, decided to bring this idea to life. In 1907, Fulton surprised the New York public by launching a ship with a large pipe and huge paddle wheels on the Hudson. Onlookers were quite surprised that this creation of Fulton's engineering thought was able to budge at all. But the Claremont not only went down the Hudson, but was able to move against the current without the help of wind and sails. Fulton received a patent for his invention and within a few years he improved the ship and organized regular river trips on the Claremont along the Hudson River from New York to Albany. The speed of the first steamer was 9 km/h.

Steamboat "Clairmont"

The first Russian steamship "Elizaveta"

The steamer "Elizaveta", built for Russia by the Scottish mechanic Charles Byrd, entered service in 1815. The ship's hull was wooden. A metal pipe with a diameter of about 30 cm and a height of 7.6 m, with a fair wind, served instead of a mast for setting sails. The 16 horsepower steamer had 2 paddle wheels. The steamship made its first voyage on November 3, 1815 from St. Petersburg to Kronstadt. To test the speed of the steamer, the port commander ordered his best rowboat to compete with him. Since the speed of the "Elizabeth" reached 10.7 km / h, the rowers, strenuously leaning on the oars, sometimes managed to overtake the steamer. By the way, the Russian word "steamboat" was introduced by naval officer P.I. Rikord, a participant in this voyage. Subsequently, the ship was used to transport passengers and tow barges to Kronstadt. And by 1820, the Russian fleet already numbered about 15 steamships, by 1835 - about 52.

The first Russian steamship "Elizaveta"

Steamboat "Savannah"

The steamer Savannah was the first steamer to cross the Atlantic Ocean. He made a flight from the American city of Savannah to English Liverpool in 29 days. It should be noted that the steamer sailed almost the entire way, and only when the wind subsided did they turn on the steam engine so that the ship could move in calm. At the beginning of the era of steamship building, sails were left on ships making long voyages. Sailors did not yet fully trust the power of steam: there was a great risk that the steam engine would break down in the middle of the ocean or there would not be enough fuel to reach the destination port.

Steamboat "Savannah"

Steamboat "Sirius"

They risked abandoning the use of sails only 19 years after transatlantic flight"Savannas". The Sirius paddle steamer left the English port of Cork on April 4, 1838 with 40 passengers and reached New York 18 days and 10 hours later. Sirius was the first to cross the Atlantic Ocean without hoisting sails, only with the help of a steam engine. This ship opened a permanent commercial steamship line across the Atlantic. "Sirius" moved at a speed of 15 km / h and spent monstrously a large number of fuel - 1 ton per hour. The ship was overloaded with coal - 450 tons. But even this stock was not enough for the flight. "Sirius" with a sin in half got to New York. In order for the ship to continue moving, ship gear, masts, wooden decking for bridges, handrails and even furniture had to be thrown into the firebox.

Steamboat "Sirius"

Steamboat "Archimedes"

One of the first propeller-driven steamships was built by the English inventor Francis Smith. The Englishman decided to use the discovery of the ancient Greek scientist Archimedes, which had been known for a thousand years, but was used only to supply water for irrigation, - the screw. Smith had the idea to use it to propel the ship. The first steamship called the Archimedes was built in 1838. It was propelled by a propeller with a diameter of 2.1 m, which was powered by two steam engines with a capacity of 45 horsepower each. The ship had a carrying capacity of 237 tons. Archimedes developed top speed about 18 km/h. Archimedes did not make long-distance flights. After passing successful trials on the Thames, the ship continued to operate on domestic coastal lines.

The first screw steamer "Stockton" to cross the Atlantic

Steamboat "Stockton"

The Stockton became the first screw steamer to sail across the Atlantic Ocean from Great Britain to America. The history of its inventor, the Swede John Erickson, is very dramatic. He decided to use the propeller for the movement of a steam ship at the same time as the Englishman Smith. Erickson decided to sell his invention to the British Navy, for which he built a screw steamer with his own money. The military department did not appreciate the innovations of the Swede, Erickson ended up in prison for debts. The inventor was saved by the Americans, who were very interested in a maneuverable steam ship, in which the propulsion mechanism was hidden below the waterline, and the pipe could be lowered. That was the 70-horsepower steamship Stockton that Erickson built for the Americans and named after his new friend, a naval officer. On his ship in 1838, Erickson left for America forever, where he gained fame as a great engineer and became rich.

Steamship "Amazon"

In 1951, the Amazon was described by newspapers as the largest wooden steamship ever built in Britain. This passenger transport class "luxury" could lift on board more than 2000 tons and was equipped with a steam engine with a capacity of 80 horsepower. Although steamships made of metal had been leaving the shipyards for 10 years, the British built their giant from wood, because the conservative British Admiralty was prejudiced against innovations. On January 2, 1852, the Amazon, with a crew of 110 of the best British sailors, sailed for the West Indies, taking on board 50 passengers (including the Lord of the Admiralty). At the beginning of the journey, the ship was attacked by a strong and prolonged storm, in order to continue moving on, it was necessary to start the steam engine at full power. The machine with overheated bearings worked without stopping for 36 hours. And on January 4, the officer on duty saw that from the hatch engine room flames erupt. Within 10 minutes, the fire engulfed the deck. It was not possible to put out the fire in a stormy wind. The Amazon continued to move through the waves at a speed of 24 km / h, and it was not possible to launch lifeboats. Passengers rushed about the deck in a panic. It was only when the steam boiler had exhausted all the water that people were put into lifeboats. After some time, those who sailed away in lifeboats heard explosions - it was the gunpowder stored in the holds of the Amazon that exploded, and the ship sank along with the captain and part of the crew. Of the 162 people who set sail, only 58 escaped. Of these, seven died on the shore, and 11 people went crazy from the experience. The sinking of the Amazon was a cruel lesson for the Lords of the Admiralty, who did not want to admit the danger of combining the ship's wooden hull with a steam engine.

Steamer "Amazon"

Steamboat "Great East"

The ship "Great East" - the predecessor of the "Titanic". This steel giant, launched in 1860, was 210 meters long and for forty years was considered the most big ship in the world. The Great East was equipped with both paddle wheels and propellers. The ship was the last masterpiece of one of the famous engineers of the XIX century, Isambard Kingdom Brunel. The huge ship was built to carry passengers from England to distant India and Australia, without entering the ports for refueling. Brunel conceived his offspring as the safest ship in the world - the "Great East" had a double hull that protected it from flooding. When at one time the ship received a hole larger than the Titanic, it not only remained afloat, but was able to continue the voyage. The technology for building such large ships at that time had not yet been worked out, and the construction of the "Great East" was overshadowed by the many deaths of workers who worked at the dock. The floating colossus was launched for two whole months - winches broke, several workers were injured. The catastrophe also occurred when the engine was started - the steam boiler exploded, scalding several people with boiling water. Engineer Brunel died upon learning of this. Infamous before her launch, the 4,000-person "Great East" set off on its maiden voyage on June 17, 1860, with only 43 passengers and 418 crew members on board. And in the future, there were few who wanted to sail across the ocean on an "unlucky" ship. In 1888, it was decided to dismantle the ship for scrap.

Steamboat "Great East"

Steamboat "Great Britain"

The first screw steamer with a metal hull "Great Britain" left the stocks on July 19, 1943. Its designer, Izombard Brunel, was the first to combine the latest achievements on one big ship. Brunel set the task of turning the long and dangerous transatlantic Passenger Transportation to fast and luxurious sea voyages. The huge steam engines of the steamer "Great Britain" consumed 70 tons of coal per hour, produced 686 horsepower and occupied three decks. Immediately after its launch, the steamship became the largest propeller-driven iron ship in the world, ushering in the era of steam liners. But even on this metal giant, just in case, there were sails. On July 26, 1845, the steamship Great Britain set off on its maiden voyage across the Atlantic with 60 passengers on board and 600 tons of cargo. The steamer moved at a speed of about 17 km / h and after 14 days and 21 hours entered the port of New York. After three years of successful flights, "Great Britain" failed. On September 22, 1846, the steamer, crossing the Irish Sea, was dangerously close to the coast, and the rising tide brought the ship to land. The disaster did not happen - when the tide came, the passengers were lowered from the side to the ground and carried in carriages. A year later, "Great Britain" was rescued from captivity by breaking through the canal, and the ship was back on the water.

Huge transatlantic steam liner "Titanic" that claimed the lives of more than a thousand passengers

Steamer "Titanic"

The infamous Titanic was the largest passenger liner in the world at the time of its construction. This city-steamer weighed 46,000 tons and was 880 feet long. In addition to cabins, the superliner had gyms, swimming pools, oriental baths and cafes. The Titanic, which set sail from the English coast on April 12, could accommodate up to 3,000 passengers and about 800 crew members and traveled at a maximum speed of 42 km / h. On the fateful night of April 14-15, a collision with an iceberg, the Titanic was traveling at exactly that speed - the captain was trying to break the world record for ocean steamers. There were 1,309 passengers and 898 crew members on board at the time of the shipwreck. Only 712 people were saved, 1495 died. There were not enough lifeboats for everyone, most of the passengers remained on the ship with no hope of rescue. On April 15, at 2:20 a.m., a giant passenger ship on its maiden voyage sank. The survivors were picked up by the ship "Carpathia". But even on it, not all the rescued were delivered to New York safe and sound - some of the passengers of the Titanic died on the way, some lost their minds.

December 1, 1930 The keel-laying ceremony took place at the John Brown shipyard in Clydebank "Queen Mary"- one of the grandest passenger ships. For this significant date, we have prepared an overview of the most interesting ships that have left their mark on the history of shipbuilding.

Royal William

Royal William became one of the first passenger ships to cross the Atlantic Ocean. She was launched on April 27, 1831 in Quebec. The ship sailed several times between Quebec and the Atlantic colonies until the route was closed due to a cholera epidemic in 1832. Later, Royal William was sold to the Spanish Navy, where he served for quite a long time.

Great Eastern

Great Eastern (Leviathan) was launched in 1858. The 211-meter steamer was considered the largest ship until 1899. She reached a speed of 14 knots, had a displacement of 32,000 tons, and her engines produced 8,000 hp. From 1864 the ship was converted into a transatlantic cable layer, and in 1888 it was sold for scrap for £16,000.

Servia

The world's first steel liner Servia made its maiden voyage in 1881. Due to some innovative technology (such as electric lighting), many historians call it the first "modern" liner. The 10,300-horsepower ship reached a speed of 17 knots. The designers focused specifically on passenger transportation, reducing the volume cargo compartment and offering customers incredibly comfortable conditions of stay on the ship. In 1902, the ship was withdrawn due to a breakdown.

Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse

The first four-tube liner, the Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse, was launched on 4 May 1897. It marked the beginning of the era of new, more modern and powerful passenger ships. The liner won Germany's first Blue Ribbon of the Atlantic for the fastest voyage from Europe to America. During the First World War, she was converted into a warship. Kaiser Wilhelm was sunk in 1914.

Titanic

The legendary liner Titanic was launched on April 10, 1912. He developed a maximum speed of 24 knots. The displacement of the 269-meter giant was 52 thousand tons. However, the fate of the liner was tragically cut short on the maiden voyage: the Titanic sank on April 14 after colliding with an iceberg.

normandie

The transatlantic liner Normandie began its maiden voyage on May 29, 1935. The ship, which displaced 71,000 tons, is still considered the most powerful turbo-electric ship ever built. With its innovative case design, sophisticated interior and impressive technical specifications, many experts recognized him as the most best liner. On February 9, 1942, the liner caught fire from a spark in one of the cabins. It was later sold for scrap.

Queen Mary

September 26, 1934 the legendary liner Queen Mary was launched. However, only 18 months later, the 160,000-horsepower car went on its first flight. The liner crossed the Atlantic in 3 days 23 hours 57 minutes at an average speed of 30.63 knots, and in one of the subsequent flights won the Blue Ribbon of the Atlantic. On March 1, 1940, an order was given to prepare the liner for military service. After the war, he returned to the transatlantic route, but was far from being as profitable. On December 10, 1967, the liner took its place in Long Beach and is now a museum.

Voyager of the Seas

Cruise ship Voyager of the Seas often referred to as a "floating hotel" because of the amount of entertainment that it can offer customers: cabins for every taste, shops, restaurants, sports fields, a climbing wall, an ice rink and much more. Its length is 311 meters, power - 75.6 MW, speed - 22 knots, and the maximum capacity - 3840 passengers.

Queen Mary 2

In 2003, the Queen Mary 2 became the largest liner in the world. The 17-deck machine is capable of speeds up to 30 knots and can accommodate 2,620 passengers. In tribute to modern standards, the ship is equipped with a huge number of shops, restaurants and entertainment centers.

Allure of the Seas

Allure of the Seas, which went on its first voyage three years ago - December 1, 2010, is still the largest cruise ship. It offers its 6,296 passengers the most incredible variety of services, including a theatre, carousels and an ice rink. The liner is equipped with folding (telescopic) tubes, allowing it to pass under low bridges. The average speed of the machine reaches 27 knots. The reliable security system has proven itself several times, successfully extinguishing small fires.

More than a century ago, the fastest and most elegant passenger ships were created to sail in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, and it was here that the fierce struggle for the Blue Riband was born and developed - at first a symbolic prize, and later a silver cup awarded to the one who won the marathon distances between Europe and North America. In this uncompromising struggle, the liners collided with other ships, landed on rocks, and crashed against icebergs, as in a fierce race the captains could not slow down or bypass the dangerous area. Therefore, the history of the Blue Ribbon is a mournful list of people who found their death in the depths of the Atlantic Ocean.

To start telling your tale of fate steamer « Britannia"Perhaps it would be correct to mention the name of its creator Samuel Cunard.

In the city of Halifax North America Samuel Cunard was born in a poor hut by the sea in 1787. To earn a living, he early years sold coffee, spices, and delivered mail. After saving some money, Cunard bought his first sailing schooner « Waite Auk”And since 1808 he began to make coastal flights on it. Things went smoothly and by 1812 Samuel already owned a whole fleet of 40 sailboats.

Samuel Cunard

With a fair amount of capital, Samuel Cunard began to invest in any enterprise that promised to bring profit: in forestry, coal mining, brick production, etc. Excellent commercial skills, an amazing sense of the market, natural intelligence and good judgment - all this fruit. By the age of fifty, Samuel Cunard was a multimillionaire, the happy father of seven daughters and two sons. It seemed that everyone could retire and enjoy life without tempting fate with unnecessary risks. But then he wouldn't be Samuel Cunard. His seething energy urgently demanded an outlet, and he began to look for a new big deal.

In 1831, during the launching of the next steamer Samuel Cunard uttered the words that became his motto, or rather the slogan of his company: “ Steam-powered ships, well built and well-crewed, could leave and arrive with as much precision as land-based trains.". And now, eight years later, having reached the heights in his business, Samuel Cunard boards a steamship and goes to Europe, to London, to convince the Lords of the Admiralty that he is Samuel Cunard, he can organize regular mail from Europe to America and back.

In London, in Piccadilly Circus, this inflexible man, who was called the "Napoleon of Business", rented an office and offered to build ocean-going ones with a power machine capacity of at least 300 hp. s., to transport mail from England to Halifax twice a month, the first of which will be built on May 1, 1840. Samuel Cunard also invited the best steam engine builder of the time, Robert Napier, to participate. His machines were of excellent quality and the most reliable in the world.

Two steam navigation enthusiasts easily found a common language and achieved a complete understanding. Robert Napier undertook to supply Samuel Cunard with steam engines for three passenger ships at a price of £32,000 per car. But with all the wealth of Samuel Cunard and the pliancy of Robert Napier, the new venture needed additional capital. Their friends George Burns and David MacIvera were involved in the case. The total investment was £325,000. In 1839, the newly created company entered into a contract with the government of England to transport mail across the Atlantic Ocean, for which the Admiralty undertook to pay the company 60,000 pounds a year.

Samuel Cunard thought he would need all three steamers to make two voyages a month, but the Admiralty insisted on building four ships, increasing the company's annual subsidy to £80,000.

February 5, 1840 at the shipyard " Robert Duncan & Company» in Scotland, a solemn launching of the first-born postal company took place - steamer, named " Britannia". This was followed by the construction of similar steamships « Acadia», « Caledonia" and " Columbia". Steamboats of the company ” were intended to sail from Liverpool to Boston with a stop at Halifax, delivering passengers and Her Majesty’s mail. So on July 4, 1840, a significant event took place - the first Transatlantic steamship line was born, which to this day is celebrated annually on both sides of the Atlantic.

And in maritime history the name of Samuel Cunard is forever inscribed - the man who believed in the steamship and made it an obedient means for regular communication between Europe and America. In 1859, for outstanding service to the development transatlantic shipping Samuel Cunard received a knighthood, and after his death in 1865 the company became known as " Cunard Line” and under this name it exists today.

Owner of company " British & North American Royal Mail Steam Packet Company"Radically changed the atmosphere on their own. On the steamships « Britannia», « Acadia», « Caledonia" and " Columbia»Captains were categorically forbidden to use corporal punishment. They were staffed by highly disciplined and highly trained sailors. Navigators had to navigate their ships at high speed, but with maximum precautions.

steamer « Britannia' was small. However, in all of Liverpool there was no suitable berth for mooring the ship, and passengers had to be boarded in the roadstead, from a boat.

In the tradition of sailing packet boats steamer « Britannia» was two-deck. On the upper deck were the officers' quarters, a galley, a bakery, a tiny smoking room and... a cow stall. On the main deck passenger cabins were located: in the stern - first class, spacious, well ventilated; in the bow - second class, as well as two dining salons. A third of the ship's length was occupied by a steam engine and boilers.

So, July 4, 1840 at 2:00 pm on a windy overcast day steamer « Britannia"left Liverpool along the Mersey River on its maiden voyage, heading for the open sea. On board, in addition to the mail cargo, there were 63 passengers. Among them was Samuel Cunard himself with his daughter Anna. It was a subtle move - a wise businessman showed by personal example that swimming on steamboat « Britannia» is so safe that the life of the owner and his beloved daughter is entrusted to the ship.

The captain of the ship, Henry Woodruff, following the will of Samuel Cunard, steered the ship with the utmost care, not daring to start the steam engine at full power. And accordingly, the result of the transition was rather modest 14 days 8 hours, including a seven-hour stop in Halifax. However, in Boston steamer greeted with enthusiasm. There was a festival, a procession of mayors, foreign consuls and politicians, bands thundered. A five-hour banquet was held in honor of the founder of the new transatlantic line.

The company was compared to a pendulum, which invariably worked like a clock, and this was the reason that the company " Cunard Line” turned out to be the only organization that, in the conditions of fierce competition, managed not only to survive, but also to convey its traditions to the present day.

Returning from Boston to Liverpool, the captain and the owner of the ship felt incomparably more confident. steamer « Britannia"Went at a full speed of 10.98 knots and immediately beat all the previous achievements of the courts, covering the distance in 9 days, 21 hours, 44 minutes. This record was broken on May 11, 1842 steamer « Great Western».

first transatlantic liner - steamer Britannia

"Britannia" in the ice

The world was deeply shocked, and the name of Samuel Cunard thundered in Europe and America. In January 1842 on board steamer « Britannia»was visited by a young English journalist and future writer Charles Dickens, who in his stories about America, described his impressions on sea ​​vessel: his luggage was squeezed into the cabin, like a giraffe in a flower pot, and he compared the dining room to a hearse with windows.

Just like on transatlantic, meat and milk were taken for steamer « Britannia” in its original form: in roughly knocked together wooden boxes, randomly piled up on the deck. Chickens clucked all over the ship, ducks, geese, turkeys screamed, rabbits darted from corner to corner. Sheep bleated in the paddock and pigs grunted, doomed to be eaten while swimming. Nearby, a cow, a supplier of milk for children and the sick, phlegmatically chewed its cud. During a storm, when the waves were walking on the deck, many representatives of the "ship fauna" choked, and they were sent to the galley out of turn. Fresh vegetables were stored under the overturned boats. Having received a complete impression of the ship, the journalist returned back already on a typical sailing packet boat - one voyage on a steam ship was enough for the future writer for a long time.

in destiny steamer « Britannia” there is a place of one story that happened to him in Boston in the winter of 1844. In that year, winter just broke the brakes. The water area of ​​the port was covered with ice, the thickness of which reached 2 meters. The ice was so thick and strong that cotton and other goods were hauled across the ice in carts.

1st of February steamer « Britannia”was supposed to go on another voyage to the port of Liverpool, but this was out of the question. And then the townspeople came to the rescue steamer. Initially, two furrows 20 cm deep were cut with horse-drawn plows, and then slabs 20 by 30 m in size were cut out with saws. These “icebergs” were hooked with hooks and driven under the ice cover with the help of horses. When there were not enough horses, people harnessed 50 people to one ice floe.

The people of Boston worked like crazy and in two days and two nights cut a canal 7 miles long and 30 meters wide. steamer « Britannia” came out on time, and when a considerable amount of money was offered to the participants in this colossal work, they proudly refused, saying that they did this to maintain the prestige and prosperity of their city.

For the first stage of his marine life" Britannia" made 40 flights across the Atlantic Ocean, after which in March 1849 it was sold to new owners " German Federation Navy". Entitled " barbarossa"And already with nine guns on board in 1852, the ship became part of the Prussian navy, where it served until 1880. ended the fate of the steamer « Britannia"as a floating target for torpedoes, which were then only being developed.

And who knows, maybe thanks to the first steamer « Britannia» companies « Cunard"German torpedoes gained sufficient destructive power and accuracy, which allowed German submarines to sink many peaceful ships during the First World War, including" Lusitania».

Technical data of the steamer "Britannia":
Length - 62 m;
Width - 10 m;
Draft - 6.4 m;
Displacement - 1135 tons;
Power point- one two-cylinder Robert Napier steam engine;
Speed ​​- 9 knots;
Power - 740 l. with.;
Paddle wheel - 2;
Number of masts - 3;
Number of passengers - 115 people;
Crew - 82 people;