Great Eastern: Isambard Kingdom Brunel's Great Babe

[@TheGreatBigMove]

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[@corieellis6801]

Thanks for the video I've been looking for some great eastern info

[@CrazyPetez]

@@corieellis6801 Don’t use this video for your sources.

[@Tuberuser187]

For me I have always thought laying the trans Atlantic cable was much more important than anything she could have done, even her intended role. She could have sailed back and forth between the UK and Australia for 25 years and it still wouldn't be impactful as the first near instant trans Atlantic communication system, that paved the way for the very internet we used in time.

[@Kaidhicksii]

Quite true actually. She might've been a bust as a passenger liner, but she made up for it by helping establish what has now become a necessity when travelling between continents.

[@panner11]

Yeah being able to reliably and instantly communicate across oceans is such an important event in human history. Being part of that is great for the legacy of the ship looking back.

[@Tuberuser187]

@@panner11 I came across a story the other day, not long after the cable was installed a Man Murdered his wealthy business owner friend in the US and was escaping back across the Atlantic to the UK and then on to his native Switzerland. A Telegram was sent and of course it arrived long before he did, he was arrested when his Ship made port and after some back and forth, a US Marshal was sent with evidence to convince British Courts to extradite him and he was sent back and convicted. Just one small bit of important Justice, making it harder for serious international criminals to slink away and vanish.

[@jarednealeigh1553]

The birth of the Victorian Internet (global telegraph network)

[@aimee-lynndonovan6077]

Ah, but have you never been on an Ocean Liner? I have. Nothing like it.🤩

[@admiraltiberius1989]

Imagine if this monster had survived to become a museum ship. That is the stuff of dreams. Fantastic video as always sir.

[@TheGreatBigMove]

Thank you!

[@connorpusey5912]

Like her mother SS Great Britain

[@admiraltiberius1989]

@@connorpusey5912 I prefer to think of them as half Siblings. Still...talk about an amazing exhibit.

[@DerpyPossum]

@@AnthropoidOne how could a ship be involved with White Supremacy?

[@MoreUngaMoreBunga]

@@AnthropoidOne Why?

[@Eshanas]

Became a advertising board but wasn’t overtaken in all regards for nearly half a century. The great.

[@someone-xc1lj]

And the ship that did was a white star ship that deserved it

[@harrietharlow9929]

@@someone-xc1lj Yes, the Oceanic of 1899 was indeed a White Star ship and exceeded the Great Eastern by 12 feet.

[@jamesreader9801]

@@harrietharlow9929 they are bigger due to weight no length or height

[@jamesreader9801]

@@harrietharlow9929 and was actually the Celtic

[@andredeketeleastutecomplex]

The great piece of crap that had outdated technology at it's conception.

[@steffenschiller3189]

Isambard Kingdom Brunel was the closest thing engineering has to a superhero. Plus he has a kickass name and he can wear a enormous top hat and still lock cool! But than, there was Joseph Bazalgette - he even makes sewers awesome!

[@darthstarkiller1912]

At least his "Great Britain" has been restored to her prime and is in England for a new generation to experience.

[@MoreUngaMoreBunga]

“The ship rolled a lot” Limperator: Hold my terrible stability.

[@10gamer64]

Ship nerd meme

[@harrietharlow9929]

The Limperator was a notoriously unstable ship--topheavy as well.

[@InflatablePlane]

Hold my Frahm anti rolling tanks

[@Cruz474]

Rolling Mary: “Allow me to introduce myself.”

[@CJODell12]

@@Cruz474 SS Andrea Doria: Am I a joke to you?

[@sergeysmirnov1062]

*Engineer 1:* "Soo... what kind of propulsion should we put into her? There are many possibilities each with their own advantages. Sails? Paddlewheels maybe? One of those new screws?" *Engineer 2:* "Yes" *Engineer 1:* "Wha? What do you mean yes, which of those should we take?" *Engineer 2:* "I SAID YES!"

[@harrietharlow9929]

I noticed that the Great Britain had a single screw. I wonder why Brunel went with paddlewheels and one propeller on the Great Eastern. It is an interesting concept--maybe the thought she needed both given her size. 692 feet was a monster of a ship for the time. From what I can tell, the Great Eastern was one of the safest ships built up to that time. At one point she was holed and accounting for her length compared to the Titanic, the damage was equivalent to the damage that sank the Titanic, but the Great Eastern stayed afloat. It's so sad that that the Great Eastern never had a great career. Brunel was truly a man born at least 50 years too early. I've been reading up on him and am in awe of his talent and innovative ideas.

[@johnbockelie3899]

How could you get her to Austrailia , with out going around South Africa, or South America.?. Really rough waters.

[@harrietharlow9929]

@@johnbockelie3899 By Brunel's time sailing ships regularly plied the waters around both the Cape of Good Hope, and Cape Horn so I'm reasonably sure that he would have designed for that. Personally, of the two, I would have routed her Liverpool-Capetown-Sydney/Melbourne. The waters off the Cape of Good Hope are indeed rough, but Cape Horn is worse--much worse. The main issue would have been coal, but Brunel had already designed in enough bunker space for her to go from the UK to Australia non-stop.

[@cpufreak101]

@@harrietharlow9929 regarding why the hybrid paddle-screw arrangement, I remember another video mentioned that due to the size it was deemed a 2nd engine was necessary, however twin screw technology was was still experimental at the time, so it was decided to go with a more "tried and true" setup of paddle wheels versus a 2nd screw.

[@harrietharlow9929]

@@cpufreak101 Thank you for posting. It sounds like Brunel was a chap who liked to plan for all contingencies.

[@AndyHappyGuy]

“Well, largest aside from the now scrapped Great Eastern” -Tom Lynskey Aside from jokes, this ship was a great ship. I just wished that it was used in better ways.

[@elissachristopherson5782]

"Well largest aside from the now Billboard great Eastern . . . They were using it as a Billboard. . . cause they didn't know what else to do with it" - Tom Lynskey

[@17thRepublic]

In order, Expect the now Laid up Great Eastern Apart from the now rotting great eastern They were the biggest ships in the world, now expect from the now billboard great Eastern. They were using it as a billboard, because they did not know what to do with it. Well largest aside from the now Scrapped Great Eastern Well, apart you know from the forgotten Great Eastern

[@peternurlan2793]

And we can now stop backhandedly insulting other ships by comparing them to an outdated paddle steamer

[@Warui88]

I was waiting for comments like this. That poor ship.

[@harrietharlow9929]

@@peternurlan2793 Who's insulting other ships? Most ships were still using paddlewheels at the time the Great Eastern was built. By that time, it was a mature, proven technology, but then so were propellers, having been around since 1829.

[@daqt6079]

That passenger who was lowered by ropes to replace that 10 rudder pin was some brave and extremely capable man. Such a pin must have been quite heavy. And to not lose it while getting the old one out and installing it is quite a feat. And all in a tremendous storm! A Hero!

[@matthewbowen5841]

Imagine. Now a Royal Caribbean customer will demand a full refund and free future cruise if their buffet pizza is 3 degrees too cold.

[@darlac10155]

My 2nd Great Uncle, Capt. John F. Clooney began his ship-building career in Boston, MA. and later was employed on the "SS Great Eastern", which helped lay the first telegraph cable beneath the Atlantic Ocean. He later had his own ship-building company in Moss Bluff, Louisiana and became one of the most prominent ship-builders of the area. He was well known to the traders all along the Gulf and Atlantic coast and was praised for his workmanship. (Quoted - In the Lake Charles Echo 1883) - There are few - More Experienced Shipbuilders in any Country. He was among the Most Conscientious, Skilled & Rapid Workman in his line of Shipbuilding Carpentry. He may not have been as Great as Brunel, but i am Still Proud of Him. He was presented with a piece of the Trans Atlantic cable as a souvenir, which he always treasured. He has an island on the Calcasieu River and a street named in his honor in Lake Charles, LA. .

[@NMCAR2006]

Ah yes The sail-paddle-steamer that we all know and love. (Criminally underrated, this thing is)

[@CovBert]

Well ik her but i dont love her sorry to say

[@NMCAR2006]

@@CovBert That’s fine

[@omarbaba9892]

Hello yoda

[@NMCAR2006]

@@omarbaba9892 pffft Good one.

[@CovBert]

Well now that i watch this again i do kind of love her. But the SS United States will alwas be my favorite ship

[@FreedomLovingLoyalist]

7:16 Honestly I'm very amazed she didn't sink but thanks to Brunel's fine engineering no one was severely hurt.

[@Hammerandhearth]

When Great Eastern became stuck on her slip way, newly developed hydraulic rams and jacks were brought in to inch the ship into the water. The rams, provided by Sir Richard Tangye, would repeatedly burst under the strain and need replacing. After the launch was ultimately completed, Tangye went on to start a machine tool firm. Their slogan: "We launched the Great Eastern and the Great Eastern Launched Us"

[@paulhorn2665]

Just some remarks, I do not think where explained in the video: 1.) The screw and paddle wheels: The main reason of this design was that when the Eastern was empty she was high in the water, so the screw-propellor was like many ships today half out the water! So Brunel and the other engeneers thought its a good idea to have paddle-wheels also. A bonus was also, that the screw made a good stream for the rudder blade also, so the eastern was good at manouvrebility, better than only with wheels. 2.) The explosion of the boiler was not, as far I read, NOT a boiler explosion. It was a expolsion of a water tank, which was arranged around the funnel, to pre-heat water with the exhoust heat. Someone forgot to open a tap for the feed line system to the boiler replentishment of water, so the water in the tank heated to much and the tank became a pressure wessel and blown up. I cannot say for sure if this is the whole truth. 3.) Another often overseen FIRST of the eastern was, that after some years service a steering engine was installed. From 1859-1866, the eastern was steered by pure manual labour from the aft by her 4 steering wheels in a row ( like the Great Britain was). But the eastern was too big for that, to hard to just turn the rudder by crewman at the steering wheels. So in 1866, Jules Verne explaines that in his novel "A floating city", a "steering engine" developed by Mr. Gray built by George Forrester and Co. was installed in the aft to steer the rudder.It had 25 HP. A bonus was that the helm went from aft to midships on the " ships bridge" between the paddle wheels and captain and helmsmen had a better view. Yes the ships bridge was born :-) ALSO, the eastern, was by that the first objeckt with a "power steering" which is used by all big ships and many boats and cars!! 4.) The sails. The sails and engine combination where a good thing, its even today a good idea! The sails where not only for emergency or a bonus for the propulsion, but also a way to give stability in rough seas, as Jules Verne explains. The ship is mainly a schooner as you see, only small squares at the first foremost masts and more schooner rigged sails at the rest of the masts, to give stability while the ship is rolling, when winds come from the side. A big discussion was at that time, if sails and screw-propellers match and how the sailing quality of those steamers where. The captain of the Great Western said, the sailing with the steamer was very good, although she had little sails (square feet!)compared to a ship of the line. The captain said, the screw was just a little brake in the water, he presumed 15-20%. Another point was the sailors view, up in the mast while smoked like salmon from the chimneys, the sailors did not like that.

[@asylumlover]

The most horribly underappreciated ship of all time!!!!!!!!!!!!! The truly close to Unsinkable vessel of Genius isambard Kingdom Brunel!!!!!!!!!!!!! Despite the absurd popular notion that this ship was under a curse, the truth is far from it!!!!!!!! She survived events that would have destroyed any other ship of her day!!!!!!!!!! LONG LIVE THE MEMORY OF ISAMBARD KINGDOM BRUNEL AND THE MIGHTY GREAT EASTERN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@RWMoortgat]

I think she's a beautiful ship, and a classic example of a concept ahead of its time - technically, though not practically feasible.

[@darthstarkiller1912]

Just found out a few days ago that Jules Verne, the author of "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" and "Around the World in 80 Days" actually wrote a novel set on the "Great Eastern" called "A Floating City". Fascinating video, and it's kinda sad that the ship never reached its full potential. She was decades ahead of her time, and deserved more recognition back then. Apparently there's a list called the Seven Wonders of the Industrial World that includes her along with Hoover Dam, the Panama Canal, and the Brooklyn Bridge.

[@JW4REnvironment]

An amazing advance in ship-building. My great-grandfather was born in 1863 and wrote about seeing this ship on the Thames River a few years later before moving to the States. His autobiography was written over 70 years after he saw the Great Eastern. Now I understand why it made such an impression on a young boy.

[@no_more_free_nicks]

The photos are spectacular, the old analog cameras with large negatives really did it well.

[@hezekiah8765]

I always loved the great eastern, i don't know what it is but i love the way the funnels look, they're really nice looking because theyre thin but tall, I love the paddles, and in general its just my favorite ship

[@franl155]

Found this by accident, very enjoyable and educational, thanks very much!

[@theclockperson1046]

I love the Barn owl in your profile picture

[@franl155]

@@theclockperson1046 - thank you! The Barn Owl has always been my very favourite bird, and when I found this picture online I grabbed it with both hands. sadly I can't remember where and when that was, or I'd give the photographer a credit.

[@uniquely.mediocre1865]

I've been looking forward to this video for a long time, some interesting what ifs surround this magnificent ship, like "what if she had been on the Australian route?" Or "what if she had sank in 1861?" Or the other one "what if the rocks the gouged her outer skin also punctured her inner skin and sunk in 1862?" Or "what if her boiler didn't explode?" And "what if she had been restored to a liner like planned?" And my personal favorite "What if she survived as a museum ship today?"

[@harrietharlow9929]

I watched this again and loved it. Isambard Kingdom Brunel truly rocked and ruled when it came to engineering. GO, Brunel! And I absolutely LOVE his nickname for the Great Eastern: "The Great Babe". He truly was a man ahead of his time, especially when it came to ship design. I did get teary-eyed over the Great Eastern's fate. The cable laying gigs were fine, but then to end up as a floating billboard--that's beyondd sad. It's just as well that Brunel didn't live to see his Great Babe's sad ending. I read someplace that the Great Eastern once got a couple of holes torn in her hull equivalent to a rupture of ten feet wide and eighty feet long--and she stayed afloat. That's pretty awesome. As nearly as I can figure out, she came closer to being unsinkable than any other ship. It's really too bad that she wasn't made into a museum ship, but they just didn't think that way back then.

[@paulhorn2665]

A great video! You can read the Novel from Jules Verne "A floating city", he wrote about the G.E and there he describes the life on board, the manouvres at anchor and so on. A fascinating read. Also Jules Verne gave an insight in an often forgotten topic. Before wireless there was no ship to ship communication beside shouting, so captain and passengers identified the other ships via the funnel color (And this is the reason why the many funnel colors developed, like Cunard red and white star cream buff and black). In a distance they could while travel with the eastern see other ships, like cunard line ships and twin screw steamers from inman line and so on. Then they riddled which ship it was exactly...And the captains had to report after ariving in port which ship they saw. Dont forget this was before wireless and the ships where on week long yourneys...

[@aimee-lynndonovan6077]

Should have been using flags!😳

[@paulhudson8321]

I was looking forward to your coverage of this colossal achievement. You showed photos of the ship I’ve never seen. I read somewhere that some of the massive timber’s that she rested on are still located where she was built. Fascinating story regardless of its demise. Great video.

[@paulhorn2665]

Yes you can see some timbers in the thames today, at low tide.

[@BlackNovember_94]

The 1st time I’ve heard of this ship was in 2005 when my mother gave me a present from my grandfather who passed 8 years ago, it was the DVD of “7 wonders of the Industrial World” the 1st episode was about the Great Eastern with actor Ron Cook playing as his hero Brunel. I think the ship was designed very well but was too far ahead of it’s time. There’s also an urban legend when the ship was being scrap 1 or 2 skeletons were found in the double hull they were accidentally sealed inside when the ship was being built. When the ship was about to fail its launch the company who owned the ship wanted to rename it to Leviathan but Brunel replied “I’ll call her Tom Thumb if you like” which I think was hilarious.

[@MaDreameuse]

Sting wrote a song about that first legend! kzbin.info/www/bejne/mnmXZZqleLakebc

[@tbamagic]

Good video. Some inaccuracies. Great ship. She was a "moon mission" in her day.

[@who-gives-a-toss_Bear]

8:00 "A passenger was roped down over the stern" Not a ships engineer or one of the crew but a passenger.

[@markportwood4045]

There are so few videos of Brunel’s Great Babe on KZbin. Thank you so much!

[@historytank5673]

Imagine if Brunel was able to live long enough to correct all his ships errors and she some how become a commercial success?

[@johnpotter8039]

I'd like to share a Brunel story. There is a wonderful steakhouse, The Angus Barn, near the Raleigh-Durham Airport. I have been a patron for years and enjoyed their cigar bar (now closed, of course). I had had a superb meal with a dear friend, and, responded to the waiter's question about the meal that "I missed being able to enjoy an after-dinner cigar." "Do you know about 'The Meat Locker'"? He winked and led us into the kitchens, down a corridor and next to an insulated refrigerator door. I was intrigued by the number of cigar boxes on an adjacent shelf. Inside was a semi-private club for patrons to smoke and drink. I immediately noticed a mural, a copy of the photo of Brunel, cigar in his mouth, up against the braking mechanism. The artist had given him a bit of a conspiratorial wink. I laughed aloud at the sight, and the server asked "Do you know who that is? People ask all the time." I delivered a brief lecture and left written notes. We enjoyed two house cigars, two snifters of cognac and pleasant conversation. I made a return trip and was invited back, this time to see my Brunel biography printed out and posted. I was delighted.

[@andrealexandresoares3912]

Se o Titanic foi o navio ícone do século XX, o Great Eastern foi do XIX. Fantástica sua história. Parabéns ao canal!

[@MizNomer22]

Still hoping for part 2 of airship series...I’ve rewatched them first one line 20 times! Great work as always!!!! Love love love your videos! ❤️

[@TheGreatBigMove]

Airships part 2 is coming, I just don’t know when. Glad you enjoyed the video!

[@cristianroth8524]

Great Eastern has blessed and doomed at the same time. But if you ask me, her contribution far outweighs her flaws. Not only did she provide the first transatlantic cable, but also invaluable lessons for shipbuilding.

[@NihilsineDeo1866.]

My favorite ship of Victorian Era, nice work mate :)

[@superomegamkiii2313]

Olympic in 1911, "I can carry 3,000 people"! Great Eastern, "Is this your first time"?

[@winniethepooh3800]

Is it just me or is this ship looking kinda... THICCCC

[@imeldaloviano334]

Hi

[@ewelinanajgebauer8862]

I mean, she kinda was. Brunel was quite an odd lad lol.

[@ferenzzoos2298]

Lol

[@jimtaylor294]

#GreatEasternIsBestGirl ;-)

[@DerpyPossum]

more like: *L Ö N G*

[@TSL73]

I love this channel so much. 19th and 20th century ships are very interesting things to learn about.

[@TheGreatBigMove]

I agree. The 19th century ships are more interesting that many people first realize.

[@TSL73]

@@TheGreatBigMove Oh for sure especially the first steam powered ones and the civil war Ironclads.

[@Paddy3443]

Great video! I read "The great iron ship" by James Dugan a few years ago. It is almost frustrating the number of times it was almost a success but set back by an accident or turning a profit too late to save whoever owned her. Too big for the time. Also interesting how it was thought she could capture most or all eastern trade for her original purpose. Gives some idea in the change of scale of the global economy over the last 170 years.

[@jetsons101]

Isambard Kingdom Brunel, Robert Stephenson and Joseph Bazalgette are the some of the best of Britain. It looks like the Great Eastern went from five smoke stacks to four at some point from the images used in the video. Great job, thanks for posting.....

[@damonrobus-clarke533]

Think they removed one to make room for the cable.

[@hallamhal]

Please do the SS Great Britain next, it's the pride of Bristol!

[@markbattista6857]

Good morning , the story of the passenger slash engineer who devised a stop gap fix when the rudder broke was dedicated a full chapter in the book , The Great Eastern , a must read for anyone who would enjoy a fantastic read . Thanks so much for a great channel .

[@darkwarrior6465]

Fun fact They tested Brunel's propeller design on a computer and it was found that it was only 5% less efficient than a modern day one

[@sddsddean]

There is a piece of the Geat Eastern remaining. When she was broken up in Liverpool, her flagstaff (for the ensign at the stern of the ship) is now the flagpole beside the "You'll never walk alone" gates at Liverpool FC's Anfield stadium.

[@FreedomLovingLoyalist]

Brunel, The greatest man Britain has ever had. 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧

[@scurly0792]

"GBGBGB"

[@FreedomLovingLoyalist]

@@scurly0792 Why in quotation marks?

[@scurly0792]

@@FreedomLovingLoyalist because that's what you wrote at the end of your comment

[@scurly0792]

@@mcbigweener a *what*

[@FreedomLovingLoyalist]

@@mcbigweener lmao

[@jeffcampbell1555]

The combination of paddle wheels and screw propeller was Brunel's solution to a problem of her intended passenger route. The screw was good at sea, but her Indian port was Calcutta on the shallow Hoogly river. The paddle wheels propelled her in any shallow coastal waters. The combination also provided a bonus which made her perfect for laying cable: She could rotate on a stationary center by running her paddle wheels in opposite directions while putting the rudder hard over behind the screw, which pushed the stern right around.

[@wubber33_23]

Great video! Love the detail and descriptions you give in these videos.

[@KJ-vu4yp]

Bully to you and your channel for this phenomenal content. I always get excited when I see your new video is up! Keep up the great work!

[@ryanfranklinbrown8790]

Amazing video! Please keep up the amazing work. And also do you think you could do more videos on the Age of Sail? From pirate ships like Queen Ann’s Revenge of military ships like HMS Victory or Uss Constitution.

[@TheGreatBigMove]

Yes, I want to cover some sailing vessels/topics.

[@christophernewman5027]

A book that explores this in more depth is "The Great Iron Ship" by James Dugan. Well worth a read.

[@wildnugget1675]

been looking forward to this, cheers

[@BHuang92]

Both the Great Eastern and the Airbus A380 have something in common. Mega vehicles that under-performed commercially.

[@jimtaylor294]

Kind of. Hub Airports were what the A380 was designed for. At the time she entered service they were still the norm', though this changed shortly after. The Great Eastern was designed to circumnavigate the planet because there was no known coal deposits in Australia, and to capitalize on a gold rush there that ended before she was ready.

[@DevilSurvivor69]

I honestly don't think that's a good comparison because the A380 has been doing what it was designed for about 15 years and probably will for decades to come. Airbus has sold around 250 of them thus far.

[@deesnutz951]

I have watched your video about coaling/bunkering ships. Your comment about ships having to refuel on the way to Australia had me think. What did the passengers do during this refueling? Did they transfer to a different ship? Were they ferried to an onshore hotel for a couple days?

[@danielsteger8456]

They were left on board I think, and they could leave if they wanted maybe

[@tbamagic]

Really great video, but I think its a bit too critical of Brunel's amazing accomplishment. Her economic failure was primarily due to extremely poor management. But certainly- she was ahead of her time and a lot of lessons were learned the hard way. Propulsion, logistics, navigation, and general marketing had to catch up to her. This ship and its technology blazed the way for the evolution of the huge ocean liners to follow. As for rolling- even the greatest, huge liners of the early to mid 20th century often rolled like crazy. The colossal Queen Mary nearly capsized once. And the Imperator and many others were notorious heavy rollers. However, the passengers of those times expected heavy rolling. It was not until the advent of active and passive roll stabilization systems in the 1950s that rolling was finally minimized. Today's ships look like beachfront hi-rise resort hotels...purely a triumph of function over form. They are almost unrecognizable as ships.

[@JOYOUSONEX]

Excellent and informative video. Thanks.

[@whitecompany18]

There is still some of it remaining outside my house , it's about 100 feet out on the site of the old new ferry pier at the bottom of new ferry road , at low tide you can walk out and find some huge metal plates with big rivets in. Time team have been down before.

[@nicholaskelly6375]

The Ship "That Built The Modern World" Thanks to her size and the fact that she had both independent screw and paddle engines meant that she could hold a position (I can only think of one other vessel that had both a screw and paddles that was the 'BEE' but in her case she had a single engine for both means of propulsion) Sir Daniel Gooch who owed his position as CME to the Great Western Railway to I K.Brunel realised that this would allow her to lay the trans oceanic submarine cables. Sure she was a commercial failure as a liner. But her contribution as a cable layer had a prefound impact on international communications. She also probably prevented an American invasion of Canada in the 1860's. As her vast size allowed the British Government used her to send large numbers of troops over the Atlantic to prevent any ideas that Washington might have had concerning a Canadian Adventure! Some years ago I visited Brombourgh Dock where she was broken up. It is still possible to find her remains in the mud. A few relics do survive. Part of one of her funnels was used as a water tank in a waterworks near Weymouth.

[@my_negative_world]

I totally fallen in love with your videos. Great as always!

[@markportwood4045]

Thank you for making this; there are so few videos about Brunel’s Great Babe on KZbin. And your closing comment is quite beautiful.

[@foxstarline4997]

Amazing Content as always!!!!

[@TheGreatBigMove]

Thanks, Fox!

[@DarthMeteos]

I always tell this story to people like this: _A long time ago, there was a man named Brunel who had a dream. He dreamed of building a ship that could travel from Europe to Australia in one journey without refueling. A ship twice as long as the next biggest ship, and five times larger._ _People came to Brunel and said,_ "You're daft, man, it's 1852!" _but Brunel would not be dissuaded. And by the end of the decade, that dream became real. Unfortunately, a boiler exploded on her maiden voyage, and Brunel had a stroke, and he died._ "What's the point of this story?" "I like stories."

[@adamestes5227]

You know, I read this in Sir Patrick Stewart’s voice.

[@DanielReyes-nm3lw]

LOL

[@harrietharlow9929]

@@adamestes5227 LOL

[@omarbaba9892]

Hope you hit 100k by the end of the year

[@nightlock-cf3br]

Great video! Always loved the great eastern. Are you planning on doing a video on the HMHS(RMS) Britannic?

[@TheGreatBigMove]

Yes, definitely.

[@charlesthepaperman]

I like the story of the riveters getting accidently riveted into the hull with their skeletons only discovered decades later at scrapping the ship. The story is considered false if i recall it correctly but I like the thrill such a story gives one... P.s.: Brunel comes at 2nd (at best) after Sir Elton.

[@DerpyPossum]

i’ve heard people saying that story was about the Titanic... ...the lack of intelligence that those sensationalists have, smh...

[@harrietharlow9929]

Just a very quick correction. The first ship to exceed the Great Eastern in length was actually White Star's Oceanic II (1899), the latter exceeding the former by 12 feet.

[@CJODell12]

True but Celtic II (1901) exceeded Great Eastern in both length and more significantly, gross tonnage (20,904 GRT vs 18,915 GRT)

[@pedenharley6266]

Thank you! Amazing how ahead of it's time this ship was.

[@detcordxxxi]

Many maritime historians believe that the Great Eastern was a flop. But she wasn't. She was just stuck in a period of transition where engineers were afraid to let go of the old ways (paddle wheels and sails) and fully embrace the technology of their future (steam engines and propellers). As stated many times, many of her innovations that were unfeasible during her time later became standard on modern ocean liners.

[@stekra3159]

I wish we could have preserved this piece of engendering

[@Micahswf]

Really love your videos

[@aledandrian]

I was not expecting this story to be the ship equivalent of bimbofication

[@ewelinanajgebauer8862]

Wut is 'Bimbofication'-

[@jimtaylor294]

@@ewelinanajgebauer8862 Basically a subset of Rule 34... the less you know the better XD.

[@DanielReyes-nm3lw]

Wut

[@Kaidhicksii]

So that's why she never ran to Australia. Pretty sad honestly: your last line especially hit me in the feels which I most definitely didn't expect. Still though, the fact she lasted 30 years when she was a commercial failure speaks volumes about Brunel and the quality with which she was built (even if that one North Atlantic passage begs to differ with her quality). I'm sure you are aware of Clive Palmer and his attempt to build Titanic II. More and more I'm hoping that he also replicates (though with a LOT of obvious changes) the Great Eastern so she can have the life she never had. That would be nice. :)

[@nw8000]

I was informed when I was there at the SS Great Britain Museum in Bristol that they are collecting monies to build a full size replica! They have bought the dock and the land needed already!

[@jacklawson2597]

What is crazy is that a lot of people said that ship was cursed because of the constant issues, and mishaps on board. Many passengers claimed the ship was haunted, and were frightened when on board. Although most of these claims can be dismissed, what is odd is that when the ship was being broken up they discovered bodies within her double hull. Whilst the ship was being built some workers (men and children) were unknowingly sealed in the double hull and many people at the time claimed this is why the ship was cursed. You can choose to not believe in this kind of thing but it is a spooky coincidence

[@theobserver706]

Do you happen to have the link to the drawing of the SS Great Eastern and the Halifax boat? Would be a nice wallpaper.

[@TheGreatBigMove]

If you email me, I’ll send it to you. Email is on my channel page.

[@theobserver706]

@@TheGreatBigMove On its way, thx.

[@TalenGryphon]

In an alternate universe The Great Eastern was used in her intended role and became the stuff of legend

[@peterdavy6110]

Only one part of her remains. The flagpole at Anfield - the home of Liverpool Football Club - is the Great Eastern's old ensign staff from her stern.

[@thomasackerman5399]

Exceeding in size by the RMS Celtic? Depends on what you're defining that as. The RMS Oceanic of 1899 was the first to exceed her in length, but was slightly narrower of beam, hence Oceanic fell just approximately 2,000 GRT shy of Great Eastern. The displacement tonnage is harder to gauge, but the Oceanic was about the same displacement tonnage when all loading condition factors are taken into account.

[@TheGreatBigMove]

It’s based on GRT.

[@CJODell12]

@@TheGreatBigMove Celtic was 20,904 GRT with a net tonnage of 13,449. Great Eastern was 18,915 GRT with a net tonnage of 13,334.

[@runawaysmudger7181]

I mean....She'd already failed since they planned for her to run the Australian service since decades later ships on the Australian route were still only carrying passengers by the 100s Also 10:34 are those her own tenders hanging behind the paddlewheels?

[@paulhorn2665]

Yes she had two fully equipped steam propelled tenders and also life boats. The tenders where needed to transport passengers in shallow waters.

[@Zaaphod]

Could you please tell me name of the painting at 08:24 ? That is one of the best ship related artworks I have encountered in some years. Thank you and thanks for a great video.

[@iainfreeman5112]

If you walk where she finally ended up on the Mersey, New Ferry, opposite bank to Liverpool, at low tide, you can still find some small metal parts of the Great Eastern.

[@damonrobus-clarke533]

I believe on Time Team, they discovered her keel was down there somewhere.

[@paolobellomi8056]

I really appreciate your work, you give a very professional take in a world dominated by "facts" videos, that nearly always are only a resticted number of extremely famous ships. I really love your style, but i have to say that i find extremely difficult understanding the imperial units, being an Italian i always used the metric system, and to try to get a sense of scale of what you're talking about i always go and run the numbers to convert feet to meters. Of course I don't expect you to start using only metric units, that would be nonsense for what i think is the greatest part of your audience, but i would really appreciate if you were to put a little note with the conversion on the video when you're giving the numbers, that would be extremely handy! Even if you could just put them in the description of the video it would really make the life of who has never used imperial easier. I'm really sorry to ask you to do more work, but it's the only thing i could say to improve what i already find some excellent content. Thank you very much for all you've done!

[@Dragan3rd]

I have a question regarding her time spent as an attraction. You stated that people could pay $1 to board and explore her, in what I assume would be a similar style to the QM minus the hotel and massive structural changes; is that $1 in 1885 money or in 2021 money? If it's purchasing power is adjusted for inflation then today that would cost about $28.51; not too bad for a mere visit and actually more on the premium side in my opinion. So, if all this is true, then I would argue that it wasn't exactly a degrading period in the ship's life. It was a lifesaving chance away from the scrappers, a hell of a lot better than being used as a billboard, and if I were a customer back in that time I'd have gone to visit every week if I could just to explore the ship, it'd have been my version of the Queen Mary back then lol

[@imverytired958]

A video about my favorite ship

[@alexlife470]

THAT EXPLOSION SCARED ME

[@bofty]

This is one ship that should not have been dismantled!

[@FormerlyEpicjcat]

i love your videos i was waiting for this make a video on white star lines failes

[@TheGreatBigMove]

I already have plenty of those! I’ll be making more, though.

[@FormerlyEpicjcat]

@@TheGreatBigMove i just realiced there fails are ships sinking

[@davidschaftenaar6530]

I would imagine the inertia from the weight of thousands of extra people and holds actually filled to capacity with coal might have done it's stability some good; Your final note regarding that is probably correct.

[@mirrorblue100]

Nice video. What the Great Eastern lacked was horsepower - the marine steam engines of that era could not power her efficiently. The ship was just way too far ahead of her time.

[@osirisandilio]

Brunel and Tesla, the two greatest most underrated geniuses

[@nwrailfan2465]

Forgetting Raymond loewy

[@DerpyPossum]

@@nwrailfan2465 oh yeah! :)

[@Lunarpollo5622]

Can you do a video on what would happen if for example an ocean liner like the olympic wasn't scrapped? As in what would happen to ships if they kept running them past their lifespan

[@modergav]

The ship that was too ahead of its time

[@matt07a74]

This was a fascinating video, thank you! :) I was looking at some Great Eastern deck plans and I couldn't make out a bridge. Do you know if it had one? Its superstructure was definitely non-existent.

[@danielmoreau9822]

4:13 hey that's my city!

[@jetsons101]

I use to live on Craigie Street just off of Congress Street.

[@LionheartNh]

Epic hat, epic engineer.

[@aeoe665]

And a epic babe

[@mroops3070]

Although the Great Eastern was Brunel’s great masterpiece it was also his greatest failing which is quite sad

[@chalichaligha3234]

In business, yes, though in engineering, her design formed the plan for all modern ships since.

[@mroops3070]

Yes indeed in business

[@mroops3070]

It is a little sad that she came before her time

[@mikebrown3772]

His greatest failing in terms of sheer size, but his atmospheric railway was just as commercially disastrous and some of his early decisions about locomotives and track for the Great Western Railway were folly although the civil engineering of the London to Bristol railway was magnificent.

[@ShrexyGuy]

The Great Eastern didn't sink, played a pivotal part in creating a worldwide communication link, and is a story that almost has urban legend vibes today. Down right impossible to say a ship with a life and legacy like The Great Eastern was a failure

[@wannaplaythisdavid]

4:36 that sound made me jump outta my seat

[@reigels]

Nicely done. :-)

[@davidmollard9832]

It is disappointing that they never used her as intended. Probably would've been a better story there. If you judge a fish by it's ability to climb a tree it will spend its life believing it is stupid.

[@ultraelstudman7210]

What a sad story. How shameful,to be used as a billboard sign. A legend in her own right scrapped before her time