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Moved one sentence ("The ship was subsequently docked at Dover until being sold for scrap in 1879.") as the previous paragraph structure, and the use of the word "subsequently", seemed to imply that the year 1879 occurred after World War II.
 
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==Background==
==Background==
[[File:The New Bessemer Saloon Steamer, Transverse Section, taken through the Saloon - The Graphic 1874.jpg|thumb|The New Bessemer Saloon Steamer, transverse section, taken through the Saloon - [[The Graphic]] 1874]]
[[File:The New Bessemer Saloon Steamer, Transverse Section, taken through the Saloon - The Graphic 1874.jpg|thumb|The New Bessemer Saloon Steamer, transverse section, taken through the Saloon - [[The Graphic]], 1874]]
Bessemer, a severe seasickness sufferer, devised in 1868 the idea of a ship whose passenger cabin - the Saloon - would be suspended on [[gimbal]]s and kept horizontal mechanically to isolate the occupants from the ship's motion: an idea he patented in December 1869. After successful trials with a model, the levelling achieved by hydraulics controlled by a steersman watching a spirit level, Bessemer set up a [[Joint stock company|limited joint stock company]], the Saloon Ship Company, to run steamships between England and France. This gained £250,000 capital, financing the construction of a ship, the SS ''Bessemer'', with the naval constructor [[Edward James Reed]] as chief designer.<ref name=bessemer>The Bessemer Saloon Steam-Ship, Chapter XX, ''Sir Henry Bessemer, F.R.S., An Autobiography''</ref>
Bessemer, a severe seasickness sufferer, devised in 1868 the idea of a ship whose passenger cabin - the Saloon - would be suspended on [[gimbal]]s and kept horizontal mechanically to isolate the occupants from the ship's motion: an idea he patented in December 1869. After successful trials with a model, the levelling achieved by hydraulics controlled by a steersman watching a spirit level, Bessemer set up a [[Joint stock company|limited joint stock company]], the Bessemer Saloon Steamboat Company Limited, to run steamships between England and France. This gained £250,000 capital, financing the construction of a ship, the SS ''Bessemer'', with the naval constructor [[Edward James Reed]] as chief designer.<ref name=bessemer>The Bessemer Saloon Steam-Ship, Chapter XX, ''Sir Henry Bessemer, F.R.S., An Autobiography''</ref>


==Construction==
==Construction==
[[File:The Bessemer Channel Steam-ship - interior view of the swinging saloon - Harper's Magazine 1874.png|thumb|interior view of the swinging saloon, longitudinal section, showing interior of saloon, ladies' private cabin, and stairs leading to promenade deck.]]
[[File:The trial trip of the Bessemer Channel Steamer (Interior of saloon and Oscillating Machinery) - The Graphic 1875 (cropped).png|thumb|Interior of saloon and oscillating machinery. The Graphic, 1875]]
''Bessemer'' was a 4-[[paddle steamer]] (2 paddles each on port and starboard, one fore, one aft), length {{convert|350|ft|m|2}}, breadth at deck beam {{convert|40|ft|m|2}}, outside breadth across paddle-boxes, {{convert|65|ft|m|2}}, draught {{convert|7|ft|5|in|m|2}}, gross register tonnage 1974 tons. The internal Saloon was a room {{convert|70|ft|m|abbr=on|adj=mid|long}} by {{convert|30|ft|m|abbr=on|adj=mid|wide}}, with a ceiling {{convert|20|ft}} from the floor, [[Morocco leather|Morocco]]-covered seats, divisions and spiral columns of carved oak, and [[gilding|gilt]] moulded panels with hand-painted murals.<ref name=bessemer/> ''Bessemer'' was built by [[Earle's Shipbuilding]] of [[Kingston upon Hull|Hull]]. She was yard number 197 and was launched on 24 September 1874.<ref name=Miramar>{{csr|register=MSI|id=1070698|accessdate=5 January 2010}}</ref>
''Bessemer'' was a 4-[[paddle steamer]] (2 paddles each on port and starboard, one fore, one aft), length {{convert|350|ft|m|2}}, breadth at deck beam {{convert|40|ft|m|2}}, outside breadth across paddle-boxes, {{convert|65|ft|m|2}}, draught {{convert|7|ft|5|in|m|2}}, gross register tonnage 1974 tons. The internal Saloon was a room {{convert|70|ft|m|abbr=on|adj=mid|long}} by {{convert|30|ft|m|abbr=on|adj=mid|wide}}, with a ceiling {{convert|20|ft}} from the floor, [[Morocco leather|Morocco]]-covered seats, divisions and spiral columns of carved oak, and [[gilding|gilt]] moulded panels with hand-painted murals.<ref name=bessemer/> ''Bessemer'' was built by [[Earle's Shipbuilding]] of [[Kingston upon Hull|Hull]]. She was yard number 197 and was launched on 24 September 1874.<ref name=Miramar>{{csr|register=MSI|id=1070698|accessdate=5 January 2010}}</ref>


==Career==
==Career==
⚫
On 21 October 1874, she was driven ashore at Hull in a gale. She was refloated and found to be undamaged.<ref name=Times231074>{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=The Gale |date=23 October 1874 |issue=28140 |page=8 |column=E }}</ref> [[File:The 'Bessemer Saloon-Ship' running foul of Calais Pier. ILN 1875.jpg|thumb|The ''Bessemer Saloon-Ship'' running foul of Calais Pier. Illustrated London News, 1875]]The ship sailed from [[Dover]] to [[Calais]] on a private trial in April 1875. On arrival, it sustained damage to a paddle-wheel when it hit the pier at Calais, due to its failure to answer to the helm at slow speed. The first and only public voyage took place on 8 May 1875, the ship sailing with the swinging cabin locked (some observers suggested due to its serious instability,<ref name=fitzgerald>Short Works of Percy Hethrington Fitzgerald, Percy Hethrington Fitzgerald, BiblioBazaar, 2008, {{ISBN|1-4375-2495-8}}</ref> although Bessemer ascribed it to insufficient time to fix the previous damage).<ref name=bessemer/> The ship was operated by the [[London, Chatham and Dover Railway]].<ref name=LCDR>{{cite web |url=http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/lines/feederswest.html#chatham |title=London, Chatham & Dover Railway Company |publisher=The Ships List |accessdate=5 January 2010 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120616103216/http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/lines/feederswest.html#chatham |archivedate=16 June 2012 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> After two attempts to enter the harbour, she crashed into the Calais pier again, this time demolishing part of it.<ref name=fitzgerald/>
[[File:The 'Bessemer Saloon-Ship' running foul of Calais Pier. ILN 1875.jpg|thumb|The ''Bessemer Saloon-Ship'' running foul of Calais Pier. Illustrated London News, 1875]]
⚫
On 21 October 1874, she was driven ashore at Hull in a gale. She was refloated and found to be undamaged.<ref name=Times231074>{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=The Gale |date=23 October 1874 |issue=28140 |page=8 |column=E }}</ref> The ship sailed from [[Dover]] to [[Calais]] on a private trial in April 1875. On arrival, it sustained damage to a paddle-wheel when it hit the pier at Calais, due to its failure to answer to the helm at slow speed. The first and only public voyage took place on 8 May 1875, the ship sailing with the swinging cabin locked (some observers suggested due to its serious instability,<ref name=fitzgerald>Short Works of Percy Hethrington Fitzgerald, Percy Hethrington Fitzgerald, BiblioBazaar, 2008, {{ISBN|1-4375-2495-8}}</ref> although Bessemer ascribed it to insufficient time to fix the previous damage).<ref name=bessemer/> The ship was operated by the [[London, Chatham and Dover Railway]].<ref name=LCDR>{{cite web |url=http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/lines/feederswest.html#chatham |title=London, Chatham & Dover Railway Company |publisher=The Ships List |accessdate=5 January 2010 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120616103216/http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/lines/feederswest.html#chatham |archivedate=16 June 2012 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> After two attempts to enter the harbour, she crashed into the Calais pier again, this time demolishing part of it.<ref name=fitzgerald/>


The poor performance lost the confidence of investors, leading to the winding-up of the Saloon Ship Company in 1876.<ref name="CAS54"/> On 29 December 1876, following the removal of the swinging saloon and other extensive alterations, ''Bessemer'' ran aground on the Burcom Sand, in the [[River Humber|Humber]] upstream of [[Grimsby]], [[Lincolnshire]]. She was refloated and taken in to Hull.<ref name=Times040177>{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=Latest Shipping Intelligence |date=4 January 1877 |issue=28830 |page=12 |column=A }}</ref><ref name=Times050277>{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=Latest Shipping Intelligence |date=5 February 1877 |issue=28857 |page=6 |column=B }}</ref> The [[Board of Trade]] enquiry into the grounding found her captain at fault. His certificate was suspended for three months.<ref name=Times160277>{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=Disasters at Sea |date=16 February 1877 |issue=28867 |page=8 |column=B }}</ref> Following its removal, designer [[Edward Reed (naval architect)|Reed]] had the Saloon cabin moved to his home, [[Hextable]] House, [[Swanley]],<ref name=CAS54>County Agricultural Surveys, Royal Agricultural Society of England, 1954</ref> where it was used as a billiard room.<ref>''Boat Trains and Channel Packets: The English Short Sea Routes'', Rixon Bucknall, V. Stuart, 1957</ref> When the house later became a women's college, [[Swanley Horticultural College]], the Saloon was used as a lecture hall, but was destroyed by a direct hit when the college was bombed in [[World War II]].<ref>''The Story of the Paddle Steamer'', Bernard Dumpleton, Intellect Books, 2002, {{ISBN|1-84150-801-2}}</ref> The ship was subsequently docked at Dover until being sold for scrap in 1879.<ref name=CAS54/>
The poor performance lost the confidence of investors, leading to the winding-up of the Company in 1876.<ref name="CAS54"/> On 29 December 1876, following the removal of the swinging saloon and other extensive alterations, ''Bessemer'' ran aground on the Burcom Sand, in the [[River Humber|Humber]] upstream of [[Grimsby]], [[Lincolnshire]]. She was refloated and taken in to Hull.<ref name=Times040177>{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=Latest Shipping Intelligence |date=4 January 1877 |issue=28830 |page=12 |column=A }}</ref><ref name=Times050277>{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=Latest Shipping Intelligence |date=5 February 1877 |issue=28857 |page=6 |column=B }}</ref> The [[Board of Trade]] enquiry into the grounding found her captain at fault. His certificate was suspended for three months.<ref name=Times160277>{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=Disasters at Sea |date=16 February 1877 |issue=28867 |page=8 |column=B }}</ref> The ship was subsequently docked at Dover until being sold for scrap in 1879.<ref name=CAS54/>
Following its removal, designer [[Edward Reed (naval architect)|Reed]] had the Saloon cabin moved to his home, [[Hextable]] House, [[Swanley]],<ref name=CAS54>County Agricultural Surveys, Royal Agricultural Society of England, 1954</ref> where it was used as a billiard room.<ref>''Boat Trains and Channel Packets: The English Short Sea Routes'', Rixon Bucknall, V. Stuart, 1957</ref> When the house later became a women's college, [[Swanley Horticultural College]], the Saloon was used as a lecture hall, but was destroyed by a direct hit when the college was bombed in [[World War II]].<ref>''The Story of the Paddle Steamer'', Bernard Dumpleton, Intellect Books, 2002, {{ISBN|1-84150-801-2}}</ref>


The sole remaining parts of the ship are three carved wooden decorative panels from the saloon that were rescued from the wreckage after the bombing. One panel was valued on the ''[[Antiques Roadshow]]'' at between £300 - 400 in 2012.
The sole remaining parts of the ship are three carved wooden decorative panels from the saloon that were rescued from the wreckage after the bombing. One panel was valued on the ''[[Antiques Roadshow]]'' at between £300 - 400 in 2012.

Latest revision as of 13:39, 2 January 2025

For the 20th century Victory ship, see SS Bessemer Victory.

The Bessemer Saloon-Steamer, Illustrated London News, 1875
History
NameBessemer
OwnerBessemer Steamship Co Ltd
Port of registryUnited Kingdom
BuilderEarle's Shipbuilding, Hull
Yard number197
Launched24 September 1874
CompletedApril 1875
Maiden voyageApril 1875
Out of serviceMay 1875
IdentificationUnited Kingdom Official Number 70698[1]
FateScrapped 1879
General characteristics
TypePassenger ferry
Tonnage1,974 GRT
Length350 ft (106.68 m)
Beam
  • 40 ft (12.19 m) (deck)
  • 65 ft (19.81 m) (overall)
Draught7 ft 5 in (2.26 m)
Propulsion4 paddle wheels

The SS Bessemer (also called the Bessemer Saloon) was an experimental Victorian cross-channel passenger paddle steamer with a swinging cabin, a concept devised by the engineer and inventor Sir Henry Bessemer, intended to combat seasickness.

Background

[edit]
The New Bessemer Saloon Steamer, transverse section, taken through the Saloon - The Graphic, 1874

Bessemer, a severe seasickness sufferer, devised in 1868 the idea of a ship whose passenger cabin - the Saloon - would be suspended on gimbals and kept horizontal mechanically to isolate the occupants from the ship's motion: an idea he patented in December 1869. After successful trials with a model, the levelling achieved by hydraulics controlled by a steersman watching a spirit level, Bessemer set up a limited joint stock company, the Bessemer Saloon Steamboat Company Limited, to run steamships between England and France. This gained £250,000 capital, financing the construction of a ship, the SS Bessemer, with the naval constructor Edward James Reed as chief designer.[2]

Construction

[edit]
interior view of the swinging saloon, longitudinal section, showing interior of saloon, ladies' private cabin, and stairs leading to promenade deck.
Interior of saloon and oscillating machinery. The Graphic, 1875

Bessemer was a 4-paddle steamer (2 paddles each on port and starboard, one fore, one aft), length 350 feet (106.68 m), breadth at deck beam 40 feet (12.19 m), outside breadth across paddle-boxes, 65 feet (19.81 m), draught 7 feet 5 inches (2.26 m), gross register tonnage 1974 tons. The internal Saloon was a room 70 ft long (21 m) by 30 ft wide (9.1 m), with a ceiling 20 feet (6.1 m) from the floor, Morocco-covered seats, divisions and spiral columns of carved oak, and gilt moulded panels with hand-painted murals.[2] Bessemer was built by Earle's Shipbuilding of Hull. She was yard number 197 and was launched on 24 September 1874.[1]

Career

[edit]

On 21 October 1874, she was driven ashore at Hull in a gale. She was refloated and found to be undamaged.[3]

The Bessemer Saloon-Ship running foul of Calais Pier. Illustrated London News, 1875

The ship sailed from Dover to Calais on a private trial in April 1875. On arrival, it sustained damage to a paddle-wheel when it hit the pier at Calais, due to its failure to answer to the helm at slow speed. The first and only public voyage took place on 8 May 1875, the ship sailing with the swinging cabin locked (some observers suggested due to its serious instability,[4] although Bessemer ascribed it to insufficient time to fix the previous damage).[2] The ship was operated by the London, Chatham and Dover Railway.[5] After two attempts to enter the harbour, she crashed into the Calais pier again, this time demolishing part of it.[4]

The poor performance lost the confidence of investors, leading to the winding-up of the Company in 1876.[6] On 29 December 1876, following the removal of the swinging saloon and other extensive alterations, Bessemer ran aground on the Burcom Sand, in the Humber upstream of Grimsby, Lincolnshire. She was refloated and taken in to Hull.[7][8] The Board of Trade enquiry into the grounding found her captain at fault. His certificate was suspended for three months.[9] The ship was subsequently docked at Dover until being sold for scrap in 1879.[6]

Following its removal, designer Reed had the Saloon cabin moved to his home, Hextable House, Swanley,[6] where it was used as a billiard room.[10] When the house later became a women's college, Swanley Horticultural College, the Saloon was used as a lecture hall, but was destroyed by a direct hit when the college was bombed in World War II.[11]

The sole remaining parts of the ship are three carved wooden decorative panels from the saloon that were rescued from the wreckage after the bombing. One panel was valued on the Antiques Roadshow at between £300 - 400 in 2012.

References

[edit]

Primary reference: The Bessemer Saloon Steam-Ship, Chapter XX, Sir Henry Bessemer, F.R.S. An Autobiography, online at University of Rochester.

  1. ^ a b "1070698". Miramar Ship Index. Retrieved 5 January 2010.
  2. ^ a b c The Bessemer Saloon Steam-Ship, Chapter XX, Sir Henry Bessemer, F.R.S., An Autobiography
  3. ^ "The Gale". The Times. No. 28140. London. 23 October 1874. col E, p. 8.
  4. ^ a b Short Works of Percy Hethrington Fitzgerald, Percy Hethrington Fitzgerald, BiblioBazaar, 2008, ISBN 1-4375-2495-8
  5. ^ "London, Chatham & Dover Railway Company". The Ships List. Archived from the original on 16 June 2012. Retrieved 5 January 2010.
  6. ^ a b c County Agricultural Surveys, Royal Agricultural Society of England, 1954
  7. ^ "Latest Shipping Intelligence". The Times. No. 28830. London. 4 January 1877. col A, p. 12.
  8. ^ "Latest Shipping Intelligence". The Times. No. 28857. London. 5 February 1877. col B, p. 6.
  9. ^ "Disasters at Sea". The Times. No. 28867. London. 16 February 1877. col B, p. 8.
  10. ^ Boat Trains and Channel Packets: The English Short Sea Routes, Rixon Bucknall, V. Stuart, 1957
  11. ^ The Story of the Paddle Steamer, Bernard Dumpleton, Intellect Books, 2002, ISBN 1-84150-801-2
[edit]
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