S.S. Great Britain
WHERE: Bristol, United Kingdom
The daring Victorian engineer, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, designed the S.S. Great Britain. With a combination of a screw propeller, an iron hull and a massive 1,000-horsepower steam engine, she was a ship unique to the world when launched in 1843. On her maiden voyage across the Atlantic Ocean, the S.S. Great Britain effortlessly broke the previous speed record. The ship sailed for over 40 years, traveling around the world 32 times and covering nearly one million miles at sea.
The ship was abandoned in the Falkland Islands and was used as a floating warehouse for some time. In 1970 the S.S. Great Britain was returned to Bristol, the town where she was built. Today the ship stands as a museum in the Great Western Dockyard and is open daily for visits and tours. Tickets purchased at the museum are good for a year and include a complimentary audio tour. You can choose to tour the ship guided by a first-class or steerage passenger, a maritime archaeologist or, for children, Sinbad, the ship's cat.
While many of the ship's stories can be learned through these guided tours, there are those that require first-hand experience and an open mind. These are the stories of the ghosts aboard the S.S. Great Britain. Perhaps the most well-known is the mystery of Captain John Gray. Gray was a passenger on one of the ship's many voyages between England and Australia. He took ill during the journey and disappeared from his cabin. The ship was thoroughly searched, and the only clue to his whereabouts was an open porthole. Some say that he leapt from the ship and that his spirit still remains; the sound of boots on the ship's wooden floors is attributed to the heavy boots of Captain Gray's ghost.
Other notable passengers whose spirits are still said to roam the decks are Mrs. Cohen and a nameless young sailor. Mrs. Cohen was a young bride who died onboard only a few short weeks after her marriage, and the swish of her petticoats can still be heard as she paces the deck. The young sailor tragically fell to his death from the ship's high rigging. Visitors to the ship ascribe strange sounds, presences and ethereal sightings to these and other unfortunate S.S. Great Britain passengers.
RSS Feeds