The famous ocean liner the SS Great Britain is looking ship shape - after having a new mast fitted. The former passenger steamship designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel has a new Topmast No. 2.
It was installed onto the main mast this morning (Monday) after four months without one. The operation was part of the charity’s ongoing conservation work that maintains the world’s first great ocean liner as an award-winning visitor attraction on Bristol’s Floating Harbour.
The dockyard was a hive of activity as a large crane carefully lifted the 18-metre mast into position. Staff from the Albion Dock Company and the SS Great Britain Trust oversaw the delicate operation which involved members of the team climbing the rigging to guide the new top mast into position.
READ MORE: SS Great Britain fundraising to replace ship's tallest mast at £65K cost
The new top mast was manufactured by Bristol company, Noble Masts and is made of solid timber. The completed work returns the SS Great Britain to her 1843 configuration as a Six-Masted ‘Schooner’ – looking exactly as she was when launched in Bristol as a luxury transatlantic ocean liner.
The 1843 rig and sail plan was designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, Thomas Guppy and Captain Claxton. Together they pioneered a unique modification of the traditional ‘schooner’ rig – a series of fore-and-aft sails set along the line of the keel.
They masterminded a six-masted rig, building a ship which could most effectively steam and sail at the same time - the world’s first hybrid ship. Brunel’s SS Great Britain is now looking shipshape and Bristol fashion for her 180th anniversary year.
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