SS Great Western SS " Great Western " of 1838 , was an oak - hulled paddle - wheel steamship , the first steamship purpose - built for crossing the Atlantic , and the initial unit of the Great Western Steamship Company . She was the largest passenger ship in the world from 1837 to 1839 . Designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel , " Great Western " proved satisfactory in service and was the model for all successful wooden Atlantic paddle - steamers . She was capable of making record Blue Riband voyages as late as 1843 . " Great Western " worked to New York for 8 years until her owners went out of business . She was sold to the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company and was scrapped in 1856 after serving as a troop ship during the Crimean War . Development and design . In 1836 , Isambard Brunel , his friend Thomas Guppy and a group of Bristol investors formed the Great Western Steamship Company to build a line of steamships for the Bristol - New York route . The idea of regular scheduled transatlantic service was under discussion by several groups and the rival British and American Steam Navigation Company was established at the same time . " Great Western ' s " design sparked controversy from critics that contended that she was too big . The principle that Brunel understood was that the carrying capacity of a ship increases as the cube of its dimensions , whilst the water resistance only increases as the square of its dimensions . This meant that large ships were more fuel efficient , something very important for long voyages across the Atlantic . " Great Western " was an iron - strapped , wooden , side - wheel paddle steamer , with four masts to hoist the auxiliary sails . The sails were not just to provide auxiliary propulsion , but also were used in rough seas to keep the ship on an even keel and ensure that both paddle wheels remained in the water , driving the ship in a straight line . The hull was built of oak by traditional methods . She was the largest steamship for one year , until the British and American ' s " British Queen " went into service . Built at the shipyard of Patterson & Mercer in Bristol , " Great Western " was launched on 19 July 1837 and then sailed to London , where she was fitted with two side - lever steam engines from the firm of Maudslay , Sons & Field , producing 750 indicated horsepower between them . Service history . On 31 March 1838 , " Great Western " sailed for Avonmouth ( Bristol ) to start her maiden voyage to New York . Before reaching Avonmouth , a fire broke out in the engine room . During the confusion Brunel fell , and was injured . The fire was extinguished , and the damages to the ship were minimal , but Brunel had to be put ashore at Canvey Island . As a result of the accident , more than 50 passengers cancelled their bookings for the Bristol - New York voyage and when " Great Western " finally departed Avonmouth , only 7 passengers were aboard . Construction of the rival British and American ' s first ship was delayed , and the company chartered " Sirius " to beat " Great Western " to New York . " Sirius " was a 700 GRT Irish Sea steam packet on the London – Cork route , and had part of her passenger accommodation removed to make room for extra coal bunkers . She left London three days before " Great Western " , refuelled at Cork , and departed for New York on 4 April . " Great Western " was delayed in Bristol because of the fire and did not depart until 8 April . Even with a four - day head start , " Sirius " only narrowly beat " Great Western " , arriving on 22 April . When coal ran low , the crew burned 5 drums of resin . " Great Western " arrived the following day , with 200 tons of coal still aboard . Although the term Blue Riband was not coined until years later , " Sirius " is often credited as the first winner at . However , " Sirius " only held the record for a day because " Great Western ' s " voyage was faster at . " Great Western " proved completely satisfactory in service and influenced the design of other Atlantic paddlers . Even Cunard ' s " Britannia " was a reduced version of " Great Western " . During 1838 – 1840 , " Great Western " averaged 16 days , 0 hours ( 7 . 95 knots ) westward to New York and 13 days , 9 hours ( 9 . 55 knots ) home . In 1838 , the company paid a 9 % dividend , but that was to be the firm ' s only dividend because of the expense of building the company ' s next ship . After the collapse of British and American , " Great Western " alternated between Avonmouth and Liverpool , before abandoning Avonmouth entirely in 1843 . The ship remained profitable even though she lacked a running mate because of the protracted construction on " Great Britain " . In 1843 , " Great Western ' s " receipts were GB£33 , 400 against expenditures of GB£25 , 600 . The company ' s fortunes improved in 1845 when " Great Britain " entered service . However , in September 1846 " Great Britain " ran ashore because of a navigational error and was not expected to survive the winter . The directors suspended all sailings of " Great Western " and went out of business . " Great Western " had completed 45 crossings for her owners in eight years In 1847 she was sold to the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company and used on the West Indies run . Later , after serving as a troopship in the Crimean War , in 1856 she was broken up at Castles ' Yard , Millbank on the Thames .