Pictured below are some enormous chains and ropes. Not the site of some well equipped fetish-factory but the sort of large pile of kit that the huge headed and tall-hat wearing Isambard Kingdom Brunel would have had his portrait taken in front of.
No surprise there really as this is in Bristol, and the photo was taken from IKB's ship the SS Great Britain. The first ship to have both a metal hull and a propellor. One thing the great chap missed out of his design that would have improved the passage of those on board was a keel. As it was this mass of metal would have bobbed around in the ocean like a cork, lacking any stabilising effect whatsoever having what was effectively a rounded bottom. There would have been vomit from all corners of the vessel, ideal on those long voyages.
Here is a pleasant view from amidships, vomit-free. It is noticeable that there is a slight roll taking place already, and that's with mill pond sea and the entire thing in dry dock. Really, he would be kicking himself if he were alive today.
At 98 metres long, with up to 700 passengers and crew, 1 cow, 3 bullocks, 150 sheep, 30 pigs, 500 chickens, 400 ducks, 100 geese, 50 turkeys, at least one cat and numerous rats, not to mention the feed for all of the livestock, biscuit weevils, passengers and crew, this vessel must push the Irish Rover for implausible cargo.
And what a beauty regardless of all of that.
For official/internal use only:
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