Exciting development!

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

I like to see Great Eastern in modern day settings…….Using Photo Shop

GE at Holyhead

GE at Liverpool

GE somewhere with the Brixham Trawler

A ghostly GE at the Holyhead Breakwater

Bob

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Birds Eye view of the birthplace of the Great Eastern

River Thames at Millwall………Millenium Dome area

GE was built at the spot….Upper left

Cutty Sark is at lower right

The other picture illustrates how big GE was, compared to the Cutty Sark

Truly awesome

Bob

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

When GE was in the process of cable laying (1865)……….They actually planned for the cable to break occasionally!

They were only two days sailing from New Foundland when the cable snapped for the umpteenth time……..At a depth of 1.25 miles!………"£&**% &$£$&"… said the Captain!

The sea was so rough at the time, they had to abandon the cable repair. The position was marked with a giant red buoy and they sailed home…..With fingers crossed, no doubt?

It`s interesting to note, that the ship was in contact with the UK during the voyage by using the intact cable and Morse Code. The UK also knew when the cable broke too

The ship returned the following year (1866), having raised more funding and re-equipped and sailed nearly 2000 miles and actually found the buoy, in the night by accidentally sailing into it!…………What a miraculous event, there was no SatNav in those days either!………"Capital! and Whizzo!" ……said the Captain

They used a five pronged hook to find the cable, by drifting across it somehow, but the retrieval cable snapped three times before the cable was hauled on board!………more…."%£*&%£" said the Captain

A special contraption was used to splice the cable………Can you imagine the load of 1.25 miles of cable clamped into the splicer, hanging down to the sea bed?

Eventually, they reached Hearts Content in Newfoundland and history was made……..Europe and America were united……."Hello Mum"…..Said the Captain

The pictures show the giant red buoy and winch, note the cable terminals…..And the grappling hook

Bob

Edited By Bob Abell on 28/05/2015 20:39:31

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Great Eastern can be seen here sailing at Etherow club Lifeboat Regatta 2012

**LINK**

Bob

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Found an obscure websight with a few new GE pictures ( To me, anyway )

Hope you find them interesting?

GE at Holyhead during the build of the famous Breakwater

Bob

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

This photo must the infamous explosion that happened on the maiden voyage to Holyhead, near to Hastings

A pipe line exploded and several crew members were killed

There must be many more photos of the Maiden Voyage somewhere, since they had a photographer on board

Bob

[Paul TParticipant @pault84577]

Bob

Why did they need cannon on board?

Paul

Edited By Paul T on 03/08/2015 20:43:09

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Hello Paul

I've seen the cannon pictures many times before but never found the reason for them

I'm really surprised that they have not become common knowledge by now

Bob

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Nice photo of Captain Harrison and fellow officers

Just look at those shroud knots!……..Probably made with the help of a sledge hammer and several good men?

Bob

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Hello Paul

Found this in the archives…

"We have achieved our great object and laid our cable from shore to shore, along which the lightning may now flash messages of peace and goodwill between two kindred nations. Is it wrong that I should have felt as though my heart would burst when that end of our long line touched the shore amid the booming of cannon, the wild half-mad cheers and shouts of men? It seemed more than I could bear"

This refers to the success of reaching Newfoundland in 1866 and means that the ship had cannons in that year at least

Haven`t spotted any cannons on any general views of the ship

I`m guessing they were used as fog signals etc

Photo of Capt Harrison`s daughter close to a cannon and little dog

[Paul TParticipant @pault84577]

Hi Bob

I don't think that they were used for signalling as there are to many of them.

After having a quick search I found that the ship was used as a troop ship in June / July 1861 transporting troops to Quebec so maybe the cannon were added then, the problem with this theory is that the cannon shown in the photos are quite old for the period and you would expect more modern weapons.  

Perhaps they were simply there for defence against pirates.

Paul

Edited By Paul T on 04/08/2015 11:10:55

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Hi Paul

GE went to the Crimea and also Aden and India

It's strange that the cannons don't appear on general shots of the deck?

Bob

[Paul TParticipant @pault84577]

Bob

Perhaps the weapons were added in later life i.e. when she was a troop ship.

Why they were still on-board when the ship was cable laying is a puzzle.

Its a shame that you don't have the model as it could have been refitted as a troop ship.

Paul

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

This looks very interesting?

Prebuild doodles……Can only be Brunel's sketches?

Note the old Man o' War for size comparison?

Bob

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Another exciting never before seen photo of the interior construction?

It looks a bit too small to me, when you compare the size of a man to the hull width?

It could be that the hull is not yet at the finished height?

Nice chunky propshaft……What an engineering marvel?

Bob

[Paul TParticipant @pault84577]

Bob

Your last photo was taken at Birkenhead during the breaking.

Here she is beached before breaking

 

And a few months later [the artist has taken liberties with the paddle wheel]

 

Later still

 

It took two years to break her up

 

Paul

 

 

Edited By Paul T on 05/08/2015 14:27:18

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Well spotted, Paul

It's the breaking up of the ship?…….Never seen a picture of that era before….. I now think, even the website I got the photo off, knew that!

That's why the hull looked a bit shallow

Bob

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Hello Paul

Have checked back to the photo source and it is a photo of the breaking up……Well spotted, P

It appeared in The Engineer 1891

A grand magazine…..Is it still going?

Bob

[Paul TParticipant @pault84577]

Hi Captain

It would be nice to claim an in depth knowledge of the GE but I just read the caption on the photo, the rest of the photos came from the Liverpool library archive.

Paul [did go to specsavers]

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Remarkable technical etching of the GE engines

How was it achieved?………Camera Obscura

Such fine detail

Bob

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

The avid readers of this thread, may recall my epic adventure to Church Bay, Anglesey, about 2011……In search of a legendary cable station on the beach, which I remembered from childhood holiday visits in the 50's

The so called cable station turned out to be a mystery sea water pumping station!…….It was an exciting adventure, though!

However, there is a famous historic cable station at Porth Crugmor, about 2 miles south of Church Bay and in March 2015, the actual cable was uncovered after a violent winter storm

I would dearly love a piece of the action!

Bob

Photo by David Briggs

Edited By Bob Abell on 16/08/2015 08:49:30

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Cross section of the telegraph cable

50mm diameter

Steel on the outside with copper conducting wire core

The brown stuff is Gutta Percha……A plant material grown in India

Bob

Photo by David Briggs

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

What an awesome sight?

Can you imagine working down below on the engines…….with only Carbide or oil lamps

Nice layout

Bob

[mike farrellParticipant @mikefarrell21522]

Hi Bob Forget working down there more <THE MIND WHICH CONCEVED OF THE WHOLE > no computer added stuff in those days . Pen and ink and reams of paper and hours of working outs .I,d love to see some of the old drawings and notes of the concept. Keep the blog going .Loving it.Michael

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Thank you, very much, Mike, for acknowledging the GE postings

We get about 40 views per night, but never a comment

Will continue with the thread as long as I keep finding stuff

All the best, my mate

Bob

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