1841 - Loss of SS President

President, the largest packet ship in the world, has disappeared with all 136 souls on board in her third voyage.

Last year, the British and American Steam Navigation Company, led by Junius Smith, 61, and Macgregor Laird, 43, famous for having made the Sirius cross the Atlantic ocean under steam for the first time three years ago, commissioned a second steamship for the line New York-Liverpool, after the successful 1850-ton British Queen (1838). It was the 2350-ton President.

The tonnage increase by 500 tons stems from a third deck set over almost the same hull as British Queen as for length and beam. Unsurprisingly, President was a heavy roller due to her top weight. The purpose of additional room was the accommodation of luxurious cabins and of a huge Tudor gothic lounge for 150 passengers, to be compared to the 200 passengers transported by the smaller British Queen and to the 150 aboard the 1340-ton Great Western launched three years ago, half her tonnage. Market positioning aimed at wealthy luxury-appealed customers, social climbers perhaps.

Using a 600-hp engine by Fawcett, to be compared to the 500-hp by Napier of her parent, or to the 750-hp by Maudslay of 1340-ton Great Western or to the 740-hp by Napier of 1150-ton Britannia, she turned to be slow and heavy on coal, which was even worsened by roll and poor paddle blade design, especially struggling on heavy seas. Actually, worse than slow, the ship was sluggish. Smith and Laird fired her captains in succession for the poor performances of the ship but nevertheless tried to slightly refit her propellers after her second round.

It is worth noticing that President was equipped by Fawcett with a surface condenser instead of a jet one. Ignorants incriminated this feature as being perhaps responsible of the shipwreck, which does not make any sense.

¤ The surface condenser has been invented six years ago by Samuel Hall, 60 years old today, and used for the first time at sea four years ago..

President has been seen for the last time the second day of her travel eastbound from New York in March, struggling against a gale. She disappeared with all souls on board which created much thrill. The company has collapsed accordingly.

Brunel's engineering philosophy has emphasised robustness. Cunard seems to share this philosophy, contrary to Sufficient power is obviously part of it.

____________

LINKS WITH PREVIOUS CHRONICLES

1838 - Crossing the Atlantic Ocean under steam

1840 - Creation of the Steam Mail Packet Service

____________

IN RETROSPECT FROM TODAY

Note A - on further shipwrecks amongst the transatlantic liners

The screw-propeller iron-hulled 1600-ton City of Glasgow of the Inman line, launched in 1850, is lost in 1854 with all souls aboard - that are 404 passengers and 76 sailors - on the line from Liverpool to Philadelphia. It is worth noticing that there are many icebergs reported on the route. Nothing is known from the cause of the disaster.

The same year, the paddle wooden-hulled 2850-ton Artic of the Collins line collides in the fog with a French fishing ship on the Grand banks off Newfoundland. The six lifeboats could carry 180 persons for 250 passengers and 150 sailors - a standard which will progressively appear as defective. It happens that the lifeboats are seized by the most muscular sailors and male passengers after an infamous struggle - a shame that will have no judicial consequence as far as we know for unknown reasons. The captain goes down with his ship but escapes drowning by a thin hair, surfaces and finally survives by grasping a lifeboat. Three lifeboats in six are rescued with eighty survivors.

Note B - on the surface condenser

The surface condenser which has emerged three years before President's launch, disappears almost immediately in 1846 for a twenty-year vacation.

____________

SUGGESTED BIBLIOGRAPHY

Stephen Fox - Transatlantic : Samuel Cunard, Isambard Brunel and the great Atlantic steamships - London, 2004 - available on the Internet