When The First Steamship Reached New York
by Discover how the first steamships raced across the Atlantic to establish the first scheduled commercial shipping service.
From 1838 until 1952 passenger ships sought the coveted Blue Ribbon. Use of the Blue Ribbon as a symbol of excellence dates from the highest order of French chivalry. The Order of the Holy Spirit wore a Maltese Cross suspended from a blue ribbon. In 1935 Harold K. Hales introduced the North Atlantic Blue Riband Challenger Trophy. Until that time the Blue Ribbon was an informal award. At first it was an informal award. The fastest ship would simply tie a Blue Ribbon to the mast or stern.
The origins of this award date back to the 1830s when there was a race to establish the first commercial steamship service across the Atlantic. This was a great commercial prize because as well as reducing sailing time it would remove the vagaries of the weather which affected the sailing ships of the day.
Two protagonists vied with the idea.
Junius Smith, an American lawyer living in London, sailed to New York in 1832. He was frustrated by a voyage that took 54 days compared with the usual 40 days. In November he proposed a regular steamship service between London and New York. He found it hard to attract investors at first but by November 1835 he was publishing in The Times a prospectus for a new company, the British and American Steam Navigation Company.
Isambard Kingdom Brunel was the chief engineer for the Great Western Railway. This company was formed in 1833 to build and operate a railway between Bristol and London. When the great length of the railway was discussed at a Board meeting in 1835 Brunel is reputed to have quipped that he could build a steamship to take the line to New York. A director is said to have muttered under his breath “He will give us the moon yet.” The Great Western Steam Ship Company formed in the following year
Their ship, the Great Western, was launched in Bristol on 19th July 1837.
Before entering service she would have to sail to London to have her engines fitted.
Meanwhile, progress on the British and American ship, the British Queen was far behind. The Board had seen the Great Western design and changed their plans. The management were looking for a larger ship than that detailed in the prospectus. The ultimate result would be a larger, luxurious but underpowered ship. In the meantime, the company that supplied the engines was bankrupt and the British and American project was 18 months behind schedule.
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