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.
On 31st March 1838 the Great Western left London for Bristol ready for the first commercial sailing.
The British and American Board made hasty plans. At the suggestion of their lead investor they found and chartered a small steamship. The SS Sirius had come into service in 1837 and was designed for the London Cork run. This meant that she did not have the fuel efficiency or coal storage space required for the Atlantic passage. The passenger areas were stripped and prepared for stowage.
While sailing out of London the Great Western suffered a fire in her engine room. Brunel was badly injured in a 20ft fall and had to be put ashore at Canvey Island. The sailing from Bristol was delayed. More than 50 passengers cancelled their bookings. When the Great Western finally put to sea she carried only seven passengers.
The delay gave the Sirius a chance. She arrived in New York one day ahead of the Great Western. Her coal supplies were so run down that the crew had resorted to burning the furniture. The Sirius completed one further run into New York then returned to service between London and Cork.
Although delayed, the Great Western was the faster ship. She started out four days after the Sirius and managed to close the lead to just one day.
The British Queen undertook her maiden voyage in 1839 but never matched the speed of the Great Britain. The British and American Company collapsed when their second ship, The President, was lost with all hands in March 1841. The British Queen was sold to the Belgian Government in 1841. She was broken up in 1844. Unias Smith left the shipping business and developed a tea plantation in South Carolina.
Although the term was not used at the time the Sirius is credited as the first winner of the Blue Ribbon at 8.03 knots (14.87 km/h) and Great Western the second at 8.66 knots (16.04 km/h).
The real winner in the race was a passenger on the maiden voyage of the British Queen. Samuel Cunard was awarded the first British transatlantic steamship mail contract in 1839. His steamships would operate fortnightly between Liverpool, Halifax and Boston. Cunard went on to develop the famed Cunard Shipping Line.
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