SS Sirius (1837) facts for kids
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Quick facts for kids History |
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 United Kingdom |
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| Name | Sirius |
| Operator | Saint George Steam Packet Co, Cork, Ireland |
| Builder | Robert Menzies & Sons, Leith, Scotland |
| In service | 1837 |
| Fate | Wrecked and sunk off Ballycotton, Ireland, 16 January 1847 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Paddle steamer |
| Tonnage | 703 GRT |
| Displacement | 1,995 tons |
| Length | 178 ft 4 in (54.4 m) |
| Beam | 25 ft 8 in (7.8 m) |
| Draught | 15 ft (4.6 m) |
| Depth | 18 ft 3 in (5.6 m) |
| Installed power | 500 ihp (370 kW) |
| Propulsion |
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| Speed | 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) |
| Range | 2,897 nmi (5,365 km; 3,334 mi) at 6.7 knots (12.4 km/h; 7.7 mph) |
| Capacity | 40 passengers |
| Crew | 36 |
The SS Sirius was a special steamship built in 1837. She was made of wood and used large paddlewheels on her sides to move through the water. Her builders were Robert Menzies & Sons in Leith, Scotland. Sirius was first used for trips between London and Cork, Ireland.
A year later, she became famous for being the first ship to carry passengers across the Atlantic Ocean using only steam power. She was rented by the British and American Steam Navigation Company for this big journey. Sirius arrived in New York just one day before another famous ship, the Great Western. Because of this, Sirius is often called the first ship to win the Blue Riband. This unofficial award was given to the fastest ship crossing the Atlantic.
Contents
What Was the Sirius Like?
The Sirius was a good-sized ship for her time. She was about 54 meters (178 feet) long from front to back. Her width, called the beam, was about 7.8 meters (25 feet 8 inches). The part of the ship under the water, called the draught, was about 4.6 meters (15 feet) deep.
How Did the Sirius Work?
The ship had a powerful two-cylinder steam engine built by Wingate & Co. This engine turned her two big paddlewheels. Steam for the engine came from boilers that worked at a pressure of about 5 pounds per square inch (psi). The engine could produce 500 horsepower, allowing the ship to reach a top speed of 12 knots (about 22 kilometers per hour).
Sirius could carry a lot of coal, about 450 tons. This was enough fuel to travel about 5,365 kilometers (2,897 nautical miles) at a speed of 6.7 knots. This long range was very important for ocean crossings.
One special thing about Sirius was that she had a condenser. This device helped her reuse fresh water for her boilers. Other ships had to stop often to clean their boilers because they used salty ocean water. However, using a condenser also meant Sirius used a lot of coal.
The Sirius's Journeys
Sirius was the biggest steamship owned by the St George company. She was built for their important route between Cork and London, which she started in August 1837.
The Famous Atlantic Crossing
In 1838, two other companies were building steamships to cross the Atlantic. The British Queen was delayed because her engine builder went out of business. But the rival ship, Great Western, was almost ready.
To beat Great Western, one of the directors of the British and American company decided to rent Sirius. Even though she was small for such a long trip, Sirius was packed with coal and 45 passengers. She left Cork, Ireland, on April 4, 1838.
After 18 days, 4 hours, and 22 minutes, Sirius arrived in New York. This was a very fast trip, as sailing ships usually took 40 days. There were stories that the crew had to burn furniture and other parts of the ship when they ran low on coal. But in truth, they managed their coal well and only burned a few barrels of resin. They still had 15 tons of coal left when they arrived!
Great Western left four days after Sirius but still came very close to catching her. Because Sirius was too small for regular Atlantic trips, she only made one more round trip. After that, she went back to her owners and started sailing on the Cork-Glasgow route.
Later Years and Mail Service
In 1839, the British government asked companies to bid on carrying mail across the Atlantic to Halifax. The St. George Steam Packet Company offered to do this with Sirius and other ships. However, the government wanted ships to sail every two weeks, and neither Siriuss company nor the Great Westerns company offered this. So, the mail contract went to the Cunard Line instead.
In late 1840, Sirius went to a dry dock in Hull to get new boilers. She stayed there for over two years because the dry dock had to be made longer to fit her. In 1844, the St George company changed its name to the City of Cork Steam Ship Company. Sirius continued to work on the Irish Sea routes.
The Loss of the Sirius
Sirius was unfortunately wrecked in 1847. On January 16, she was sailing from Glasgow to Cork, stopping in Dublin, with cargo and passengers. She hit rocks in thick fog in Ballycotton Bay, Ireland.
Even though she floated free, she was leaking badly. As she tried to reach the shore, she hit more rocks, called Smith's Rocks, about half a mile from Ballycotton. The only lifeboat launched was too full and was swamped by rough seas. Twelve passengers and two crew members drowned.
Most of the 91 people on board were saved by ropes passed to the shore. However, 20 lives were lost in total. After the loss of Sirius, people realized a lighthouse was needed in that area. The Ballycotton lighthouse was built on Ballycotton Island in the following years and first lit in 1851.
Images for kids
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Figurehead of Sirius (dogstar) salvaged from the wreck and now in Hull Maritime Museum
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Paddle shaft of Sirius salvaged from the wreck and on display beside the Cork cross-harbour ferry near Passage West, home town of Capt Roberts.
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