SS British Queen facts for kids

The British Queen was a large British passenger ship. It was one of the first steamships to cross the Atlantic Ocean. It started sailing in 1839. For a short time (1839-1840), it was the biggest passenger ship in the world! Later, another ship called the President became even bigger. The ship was named after Queen Victoria. A company called the British and American Steam Navigation Company owned it.

It almost became the very first steamship to cross the Atlantic. But there was a big delay of 18 months. This happened because the company building its engine went out of business.

The British Queen was very roomy and comfortable. This was because it was the largest ship of its time. It never won the "Blue Riband" award for the fastest Atlantic crossing. However, it was almost as fast as the famous Great Western ship.

After nine round trips, the British Queen stopped sailing in 1841. This was because the British-American steamship company had problems. Another ship, the President, was lost at sea with everyone on board. The British Queen was then sold to the Belgian Government in 1841. They tried to use it for trips between Antwerp, Cowes, and New York. But this service was not successful. After only three more round trips, the ship was laid up again. The British Queen was not built very strongly. It was taken apart for scrap in 1844 because no one could find another use for it.

British Queen
Quick facts for kids History
United Kingdom
Name	British Queen
Owner	British and American Steam Navigation Company
Route	Atlantic crossing.
Builder	London, Curling & Young
Maiden voyage	12 July 1839
Fate	1841: Sold to Belgian Government and scrapped in 1851
General characteristics
Type	Steamship
Tonnage	1850 grt
Length	245 ft (75 m)
Beam	40 ft (12 m)
Installed power	500 hp, 800 actual power
Sail plan	3 masts
Speed	10.2 knots

Building the British Queen

The British and American Steam Navigation Company had a plan. They wanted to have four large ships sailing between London and New York. These ships would be about 1,200 tons each. They planned for ships to leave every two weeks.

However, they decided to make their first ship, the British Queen, even bigger. It was made to be 1,850 tons. This was because they heard that another company, Great Western, was building a 1,350-ton ship. The British Queen was designed by Macgregor Laird. It could carry 207 passengers. This was many more than the Great Western, which could carry 148 passengers. The main room on the British Queen was 30 feet wide. This made it 9 feet wider than the Great Western's main room.

The company hired Curling and Young of London to build the ship's body. They wanted Robert Napier to build the engine. But Napier's price was too high. Another company, Claud Girdwood, offered a lower price. Sadly, Girdwood's company failed before they could finish the work. So, Napier's company was hired after all. This delay cost the British and American company 18 important months. During this time, work on the Great Western continued.

The first ship for the British and American company was going to be named Royal Victoria. It was named after Princess Victoria. But when the ship was launched on May 24, 1838, its name was changed to British Queen. This was because Victoria had just become Queen. The new ship was then pulled to Scotland to get its engine. There, workers found that the ship's body was not strong enough. So, Napier added extra support to make it stronger.

Voyages and Service

The British Queen began its first trip to New York on July 11, 1839. It left London and stopped in Portsmouth before heading into the Atlantic. The ship was full of passengers, including a famous person named Samuel Cunard. It arrived in New York about 15 and a half days later.

The British Queen left New York to return home on August 1. It left about an hour after the Great Western. It arrived in Portsmouth on August 15. Both ships traveled about the same distance each day. The British Queen made two more round trips in 1839. It made five more in 1840. Its captain said that its trip in May 1840 was very fast. He claimed it was 13 days and 11 hours. This was faster than the Great Western's record. But this claim is not officially recognized.

From 1838 to 1840, both the British Queen and Great Western sailed at similar speeds. When going west, they averaged about 7.95 knots (about 14.7 km/h). When going east, the Great Western was a bit faster at 9.55 knots (about 17.7 km/h). The British Queen averaged 9.1 knots (about 16.9 km/h) going east. A report said that the British Queen was "fast when light and in light stern breeze."

After the 1840 sailing season, the British Queen was updated. Its special paddle wheels were changed. This was to avoid legal problems with the person who owned the patent for the design. On its first trip in 1841, one of its paddle wheels broke. Parts of it started falling off after six days. The crew tried to fix it at sea. But then the ship was hit by a strong storm. The British Queen finally reached Halifax instead of New York. The trip took 20 days. Its return trip was to Liverpool. This was supposed to be its new home port in the UK. However, the ship was stopped from sailing when it arrived. This happened because the British and American company failed.

In August 1841, the British Queen was sold to the Belgian Government. They wanted to use it for a service between Antwerp, Cowes, and New York. This service started in May 1842. The Belgians kept the ship's name to honor Queen Victoria. It sailed with British officers and engineers. The ticket price was £21, but meals cost extra. The service was not successful. The British Queen never carried more than 50 passengers. Its trips were slow. On its third and last round trip, it took 26 days to reach Cowes from New York. This was because it had to stop for fuel in the Azores. The ship stayed in Antwerp for the next two years. Then, it was taken apart for scrap.

Images for kids

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  The British Queen steamship.