SS Savannah

The Savannah was a sailing vessel with an additional equipment as steamers and the first ship to the Atlantic ( at least partially ) crossed by a steam engine.

History

Construction of ship

In May 1818, Captain Moses Rogers and the engineer Stephen Vail of Speedwell, New Jersey founded with financiers from Savannah, Georgia, the Savannah Steam Ship Company to operate a sea-going steamer. In the same month the keel of Savannah was stretched at the shipyard Fickett & Crocker, on 18 August 1818 sailing ship was launched from the dock. Only now the company Scarborough & Isaacs acquired the sailing ship of Fickett & Crocker get it for the Savannah Steam Ship Company to be converted to a steamship. Under the supervision of Rogers and Vail, the Savannah was converted into a steam ship. The design of the steam engine and boiler delivered Daniel Dod, the cylinder built James P. Allaire. The paddle wheels were designed so that you could take them out of the water. The sail was completely preserved in the conversion.

First Ride

On March 28, 1819 Savannah left New York on her maiden trip to Savannah. From there, they still made ​​a flying visit to Charleston and started on May 22 for the crossing to Liverpool, which was reached on June 20. This first trip took place without cargo or passengers. During the crossing, several meetings were held with other ships, has been suggested to them that Savannah was on fire. The steam engine was used on the crossing for only about 80 hours, usually during lulls, or during the arrival to cause a stir.

After crossing

From United Kingdom from the Savannah undertook a European tour through Stockholm, St. Petersburg, Kronstadt, Copenhagen and the Norwegian Arendal before it reached on 30 November 1819 the return trip to Savannah. As the ship was a financial failure, it was sold again later expanded his steam engine and sold back to the manufacturer Allaire.

Thereafter, it was used as a freighter service between New York and Savannah, until it ran aground off Long Iceland on 5 November 1821 and was later canceled on the spot.

It was not until nearly twenty years later, a regular steamship traffic across the Atlantic began to develop.