SS Sirius (1837)

The Sirius of 1837 was the first steamship that crossed the Atlantic solely with the then new drive.

Launch

The Sirius was built at the shipyard Robert Menzies & Son in Leith for the St. George Steam Packet Co., a well-known shipping company from the time Liverpool, who had to trade between the British Isles prescribed. Thus, the Sirius was actually intended for the scheduled service between London and Cork.

The Sirius was a wooden two-master, who was rigged as a schooner, that is, he wore square sails on the foremast and fore- large on the main mast. Between these two poles the Seitenbalanciermaschinen were mounted amidships, who offered 320 horsepower. Technical ground were stationed on deck surfaces capacitors, with their use could also be used on sea - steamers fresh water to produce steam for the first time.

Loaned to New York

At the same time, when the Sirius was completed in Leith, the era of steamboat trips began across the Atlantic. Their very beginning degenerated to a race: Which company would send the first steamship across the Atlantic? The British founded in Liverpool in 1838 and American Steam Navigation Company, one of the competitors got into serious scheduling problems: the completion of their own overseas steamer British Queen was delayed. So this company chartered the Sirius in April 1838 for a single Atlantic crossing to New York.

On April 4, 1838, the Sirius left under the command of Lieut. Richard Roberts with 40 passengers on board the Port of Cork to New York. Despite ongoing harsh wind they reached their destination after 18 days and 4 hours the first continuously operated with steam ship with an average speed of 8.03 knots. According to legend, the carbon stock of 450 tonnes was consumed one hundred miles from the finish, so that the passengers and crew had thrown everything superfluous flammable material in the ovens. With success: On April 23, 1838, Sirius reached after 18 days, four hours and 22 minutes Manhattan.

On the same day, only four hours later, the legendary Great Western met by Isambard Kingdom Brunel provides on its maiden voyage to New York. This steamboat was, however, set off only three days later, was so much faster.

In June 1838, the Sirius crossed the Atlantic again.

The rest of career

According to their Atlantic crossings Sirius returned to St. George Steam Packet Co. and served from then the line from Cork to Glasgow for nine years. 1847 stranded on the cliffs of Ballycotton Bay in the south of Ireland, 20 people were killed here.