Brunel’s great iron ship, the ss Great Britain, then the largest in the world, was launched in 1843. She had a long and varied career: Passenger liner between Britain and the U.S.A, clipper delivering emigrants to Australia, troop ship (Crimean War and Indian Mutiny), cargo ship, and coal store. She returned to Britain in 1970 and serves as a museum in her retirement at Bristol.
“The Great Britain arrives at Cowes on Saturday, having made the passage from the mouth of the Thames in fourteen hours. Previous to getting the ship under weigh, an interesting experiment was made to sink one of the life-boats. It was lowered into the water, and the valves so arranged as to give free ingress and egress to the water. To fill her more rapidly, a number of sailors were sent into her with buckets, and she was soon filled up to that height at which the water flowed out as fast as it was baled in. About thirty men were sent into her to stand on the thwarts, when from the height she still floated out of the water it was very evident that she could, when full of water, sustain from 50 to 60 persons without the probability of her sinking. THe Great Britain is provided with four such boats, two on each quarter, and with one very large similar life-boat on deck, capable of carrying 140 people, besides two wooden loats of 16 each. In all she has boat room for 380 persons.”
The Stamford Mercury, 27th June, 1845.