ISAMBARD KINGDOM BRUNEL AND HIS "GREATS"

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In 1967 a naval architect, Dr ECB Corlett, wrote to The Times about the ship which aroused a lot of public interest. Consequently, in 1968 the SS Great Britain was formed with Dr Corlett as the technical director and Richard Goold-Adams as chairman and organiser. Businessman, Jack Hayward, offered to underwrite the basic cost of getting the ship home.

The ship was surveyed where she lay and the various available salvage techniques considered. The hull was, in fact, fairly sound although there was a crack on the the starboard side. This crack was 7" wide at the top tapering to nothing as it extended almost to the keel. The surveyors considered that the hull could be patched and that it would be possible to tow her across the Atlantic but the risk of loss would be high if adverse weather was encountered. In the end a new method was devised whereby the ship was lifted onto a pontoon which had been designed by the Anglo-German company Rizdon Beazley Ulrich Harms Ltd who were based in Southampton.

Before the recovery could begin the masts had to be removed. They had remained standing since 1857 and the mainmast still carried its yard which was of hollow riveted steel construction, 106' long and weighing 4 tons. The mainmast had lost its topmast during the hurricane some eighty odd years earlier. All that remained was 95' in length weighing some 15 tons. It had been constructed by banding four trees together and was possibly the largest mast ever installed in a ship during the days of sail. The masts were removed, the mizen mast being left in the Falkland Islands as a memorial and the foremast being given to the National Maritime Museum at Greenwich. The mainmast stayed with the ship.

The hull was patched up and made as watertight as possible. The technical experts concluded that had the ship been left she could have broken into two at any time. The water was pumped out of the hull and, unexpectedly on 7th April 1970, she broke away from the seabed. After the ship was moved from her original position gales sprang up and it was thought prudent to sink her again. This was done and on 10th April, 1970, she was refloated again to a draught of 14' 6". The Great Britain was ready to begin her last journey to her final resting place in Bristol, England.

The hulk of Great Britain strapped to the pontoon Mulus III

The pontoon Mulus 111, a giant weighing 2667 tons, had arrived on the scene and was sunk. When the Mulus 111 had firmly settled on the sea bed the Great Britain was carefully positioned over it. Compressed air was pumped into the pontoon and as it slowly rose to the surface it gently lifted the Great Britain clear of the sea. In doing so the hull straightened and closed the crack causing the patching to buckle. This then had to be removed and a new patch welded to the hull. Once this had been done the ship was securely supported on the pontoon and the was ready for the 7,500 miles tow home by the salvage tug Varius 11.

The first leg of the journey was the few miles to Port Stanley for a celebratory farewell. From there the tow proceeded up the coast of South America to Montevideo. During this leg a force 8 gale was encountered which was weathered successfully giving the towing party added confidence that the crossing of the Atlantic would be equally successful. On 2nd May, 1970, the tow reached Montevideo to a tumultuous reception. The salvage flotilla stay there until 6th May when it began the long tow across the Atlantic Ocean arriving off Cape Finisterre on 31st May. On 24th June,1970, the tug Varius 11 pulled the pontoon carrying the Great Britain into Avonmouth Docks. She was home, well almost.

July 1970 - The Great Britain on the last leg of her marathon voyage from the Falkland Islands. (L.Dunn)

On 1st July the Great Britain, which had been further waterproofed with concrete and the crack in the hull reinforced with steel, was parted from the pontoon. Four days later, on the 5th, the Great Britain was towed up the River Avon towards Bristol. Thousands lined the banks to witness the spectacle as the great ship was towed towards her final resting place passing under another of Brunel's masterpieces, the Clifton Suspension Bridge, on the way. At the end of her journey she was eased into a floating harbour to wait for the sufficiently high tide to complete the operation. On 19th July, 1970, the 127th anniversary of her launching, the Great Britain, with HRH Prince Philip on board, was eased stern -first into the Great Western Dry Dock, the dry dock where she was built.

The Great Britain was home, home to join the other two monuments to Britain's maritime heritage, the Cutty Sark, permanently dry docked at Greenwich, and Nelson's Victory similarly dry docked in the Royal Naval dockyard at Portsmouth. Since that memorable day in 1970 restoration has been on-going and visitors to the dock, which has changed little since 1843 and adds to the authenticity, can see how the abandoned hull is being restored to her former glory.

Restoration progressing well.
For further information about the restoration of the Great Britain visit the SS Great Britain Project's web site at:- http://www.ss-great-britain.com

Next - the "Great Eastern"
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