A buoy caught in the paddle of the steamship 'Great Eastern'
Image information
A buoy caught in the paddle of the steamship 'Great Eastern'
The painting records an incident on the 'Great Eastern' when a buoy was caught in the paddle of the steamship 'Great Eastern'. The buoys were being used as markers during the attempted recovery of cable lost overboard. Crew can be seen on the paddle frame trying to release the buoy. This event probably occurred during the laying of the transatlantic cable by the ship. In this dramatic scene the silhouette of the ship is lit by the moon as it looms out of the darkness. A number of figures are shown involved in the attempt to free the buoy trapped in the paddle steamer. The artist was in charge of the cable paying-out machinery on the voyage. The 'Great Eastern' steam ship, launched in 1858, was the third and last of Brunel's major shipbuilding projects. It was built at the London yard of John Scott Russell and Company in Millwall and was initially known as the 'Leviathan'. There were many problems in both building and launching the ship and it was not afloat until January 1858 when it was renamed the 'Great Eastern'. The project bankrupted Russell and Brunel suffered a stroke and died soon afterwards under the strain of the venture. The public impact of the launch was enormous, she was cheered by huge crowds and praised in the press. However, even during her trials she had a major setback when a heater attached to the paddle engine boilers exploded and killed six firemen. The ship only survived because Brunel's new construction method of dividing a ship up into compartments with watertight bulkheads limited the extent of the damage. Brunel died very soon after hearing of this disaster.
Henry Clifford
- Image reference: BHC3381
- National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London
Discover more
More by this artist
Search for similar images
Product images of A buoy caught in the paddle of the steamship 'Great Eastern'
Our prints
We use a 240gsm fine art paper and premium branded inks to create the perfect reproduction.
Our expertise and use of high-quality materials means that our print colours are independently verified to last between 100 and 200 years.
Read more about our fine art prints.
Manufactured in the UK
All products are printed in the UK, using the latest digital presses and a giclée printmaking process.
We only use premium branded inks, and colours are independently verified to last between 100 and 200 years.
Delivery & returns
We print everything to order so delivery times may vary but all unframed prints are despatched within 2-4 days via courier or recorded mail.
Due to the coronovirus pandemic and Brexit situation, current shipping times may be longer, particularly for destinations outside the UK.
Delivery to the UK is £5 for an unframed print of any size.
We will happily replace your order if everything isn’t 100% perfect.