Isambard Kingdom Brunel

Isambard Kingdom Brunel (April 9, 1806 – September 15, 1859) was a British engineer. An important figure in the history of engineering, he was noted for the creation of the Great Western Railway, a series of famous steamships, and important bridges. Though they were not always successful, his projects often contained innovative solutions to longstanding engineering problems. He generated much publicity for his endeavours and his achievements are still widely celebrated today.

Transatlantic shipping

Even before the Great Western Railway was opened, Brunel was moving on to his next project — transatlantic shipping. He used his prestige to convince his railway company employers to build the Great Western, at the time by far the largest steamship in the world. It first sailed in 1837. The Great Britain followed in 1843, and was the first iron-hulled, propeller-driven ship to cross the Atlantic Ocean.

Related Topics:
Transatlantic - Great Western - 1837 - Great Britain - 1843 - Atlantic Ocean

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Building on these successes, Brunel turned to a third ship in 1852, even larger than both of its predecessors. The Great Eastern was cutting edge technology for its time — it was the largest ship ever built until the RMS Lusitania launched in 1906 — and it soon ran over budget and over schedule in the face of a series of difficult technical problems. The ship is widely perceived as a white elephant. Though a failure at its original purpose of passenger travel, it eventually found a role as an oceanic telegraph cable-layer.

Related Topics:
1852 - Great Eastern - RMS ''Lusitania'' - 1906 - White elephant

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~