SS Bessemer facts for kids
The SS Bessemer was a special ship from the Victorian era. It was also known as the Bessemer Saloon. This paddle steamer was designed to carry passengers across the English Channel. Its most unique feature was a cabin that could swing to stay level. This idea came from the famous engineer and inventor Sir Henry Bessemer. He wanted to help people who got seasickness on rough journeys.
The Bessemer Saloon-Steamer, Illustrated London News, 1872
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Quick facts for kids History |
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| Name | Bessemer |
| Owner | Bessemer Steamship Co Ltd |
| Port of registry |  |
| Builder | Earle's Shipbuilding, Hull |
| Yard number | 197 |
| Launched | 24 September 1874 |
| Completed | April 1875 |
| Maiden voyage | April 1875 |
| Out of service | May 1875 |
| Identification | United Kingdom Official Number 70698 |
| Fate | Scrapped 1879 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Passenger ferry |
| Tonnage | 1,974 GRT |
| Length | 350 ft (106.68 m) |
| Beam |
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| Draught | 7 ft 5 in (2.26 m) |
| Propulsion | 4 paddle wheels |
Contents
Why Was the Bessemer Built?
Sir Henry Bessemer himself suffered a lot from seasickness. In 1868, he came up with a clever idea. He wanted a ship where the main passenger cabin, called the Saloon, would stay perfectly level. It would be suspended on special pivots called gimbals. This way, passengers wouldn't feel the ship's rocking motion.
How the Swinging Cabin Worked
Bessemer patented his idea in December 1869. He first tested it with a small model. The cabin was kept level using a hydraulic system. A steersman would watch a spirit level and control the hydraulics. This system worked well in the trials.
Funding the Project
After the successful tests, Bessemer created a company called the Saloon Ship Company. This company aimed to build and operate these special steamships between England and France. They raised a lot of money, about £250,000. This money helped pay for the construction of the SS Bessemer. A famous naval designer, Edward James Reed, was the main designer for the ship.
Building the Bessemer
The Bessemer was a very large ship for its time. It had four paddle wheels, two on each side (front and back). The ship was 350 feet (106.68 m) long. Its deck was 40 feet (12.19 m) wide, but across the paddle-boxes, it was 65 feet (19.81 m) wide. The ship's draught, or how deep it sat in the water, was 7 feet 5 inches (2.26 m). It weighed 1974 tons.
The Amazing Saloon Cabin
The special swinging Saloon cabin inside was huge. It was 70 ft long (21 m) and 30 ft wide (9.1 m). The ceiling was 20 feet (6.1 m) high. The seats were covered in fancy Morocco leather. The cabin also had carved oak columns and beautiful gilt panels with hand-painted pictures. The ship was built by Earle's Shipbuilding in Hull. It was launched on September 24, 1874.
The Ship's Short Life
The Bessemer faced problems right from the start. On October 21, 1874, a strong storm pushed it ashore in Hull. Luckily, it was refloated and not damaged.
First Voyages and Accidents
The ship had its first private test trip in April 1875. It sailed from Dover to Calais. When it arrived, it hit the pier in Calais. This happened because the ship was hard to steer at slow speeds. The paddle-wheel was damaged.
The only public trip happened on May 8, 1875. For this trip, the swinging cabin was locked. Some people thought this was because the cabin was unstable. Bessemer, however, said it was because they didn't have enough time to fix the earlier damage. The ship was operated by the London, Chatham and Dover Railway. On this trip, the Bessemer tried twice to enter the Calais harbor. Both times, it crashed into the pier, even breaking part of it!
End of the Bessemer
Because of these poor performances, people lost faith in the ship. The Saloon Ship Company had to close down in 1876.
After the company closed, the swinging saloon cabin was removed from the ship. The designer, Reed, moved it to his home. He used it as a billiard room. Later, his house became a women's college. The Saloon then became a lecture hall. Sadly, it was destroyed during World War II when the college was bombed.
The Bessemer itself was docked in Dover for a while. In 1879, it was sold for scrap metal.
What Remains Today
Only three carved wooden panels from the original Saloon cabin survived the bombing. These decorative panels were rescued from the wreckage. In 2012, one of these panels was shown on a TV show called Antiques Roadshow. It was valued at between £300 and £400.
