He died in mysterious circumstances, after apparently jumping or falling overboard. 5 microfilm reels ; 35 mm.
8. On a lighter note, the SS Great Britain carried the first England cricket team to contest the Ashes. After covering over a million miles, Brunel’s 155 year old iron hull had stood the test of time superbly.By 1937 the Great Britain’s hull was no longer watertight, and after being towed a short distance from Port Stanley, she was beached and abandoned to the elements.Originally conceived as a paddle steamer, her design was quickly altered to take advantage of the new technology of screw propulsion, and her engines were converted to power a massive sixteen foot iron propeller. Her career in this trade was thus short lived, and after she ran aground on the sands of Dundrum Bay in Northern Ireland in 1846, her engines were so badly damaged that she was sold on.Under Gibbs Bright and Co, the ship prospered. He held a banquet that evening to celebrate. However during her maiden voyage to New York, an encounter with an iceberg on the night of the 14th April 1912 resulted in the loss of 1517 souls…In all the Great Britain had 25 accidents entered in her logs – ranging from collisions with other vessels, running aground, lost spars and mast damage, to losing that eccentric Captain Gray in mysterious circumstances.Between 1854 and 1855 she was chartered by the Government to carry troops to and from the Crimean War, and over the course of the conflict transported over 44,000 troops.Despite spending nearly 100 years suffering in the harsh South Atlantic weather, the Great Britain was able to float up the River Avon herself!
Take a journey of Victorian opulence on board the SS Great Britain in this three-course fine dining experience. John Gray captained the ship from 1854-72 and was extremely popular with crew and passengers alike, but his story ends in tragedy.The oil painting, by John Kemp, was bought by the ship's trust for £17,250 and transported to England from Australia.Travelling on board the steam ship Great Britain meant a voyage in relative comfort and at twice the speed of a vessel reliant only on wind and sails."[He] was not only an excellent captain but very well-liked by passengers and crew. He held a banquet that evening to celebrate.Following the war she was rebuilt yet again before being chartered by the Government for further troop transportation duties, carrying the 17th Lancers and 8th Hussars to the Indian Mutiny.Attempts to rescue her in the late 1930’s and 1960’s failed, but finally in 1970 an epic salvage effort refloated the ship, and she was towed back home across the Atlantic to Bristol.Whilst her first few voyages demonstrated her technological ability, they were not a great financial success, attracting far fewer passengers than anticipated. He was never to be seen again, some say it was suicide, while others claim he was murdered for all the gold stowed away in his cabin. "Captain John Grey (1819-1872) : master of SS Great Britain", / Gerald H. Roberts, 1969. Brunel, but his first to be built of iron. Apparently the marsupial died of ‘pulmonary consumption’ on 25 October 1865, much to the sadness of crew and passengers.One of the ship’s more eccentric captains, Captain Gray, climbed each mast at least once a week and interrupted one voyage to Australia to claim the uninhabited island of St. Martin for the Empire. With a new upper deck added and a new engine fitted, she could now transport 750 passengers in three classes.Believed to be unsinkable, Titanic was the world’s largest passenger steam ship.