Editing SS Great Britain (section)

==Launch==
[[File:Launch-of-the-SS-GB.jpg|right|thumb|A painting of the launch in 1843]]

The launching or, more accurately, the [[float-out]] took place on 19 July 1843. Conditions were generally favourable and diarists recorded that, after a dull start, the weather brightened with only a few intermittent showers. The atmosphere of the day can best be gauged from a report the following day in ''The Bristol Mirror'':

<blockquote>Large crowds started to gather early in the day including many people who had travelled to Bristol to see the spectacle. There was a general atmosphere of anticipation as the Royal Emblem was unfurled. The processional route had been cleaned and Temple Street decorated with flags, banners, flowers and ribbons. Boys of the City School and girls of Red Maids were stationed in a neat orderly formation down the entire length of the Exchange. The route was a mass of colour and everybody was out on the streets as it was a public holiday. The atmosphere of gaiety even allowed thoughts to drift away from the problems of political dissension in London.<ref name=BM>{{cite news | title=Royal Visit| work=The Bristol Mirror| pages=1–2| date=20 July 1843}}</ref></blockquote>

[[Albert, Prince Consort|Prince Albert]] arrived at 10 a.m. at the Great Western Railway terminus. The [[British Royal Train|royal train]], conducted by Brunel himself, had taken two hours and forty minutes from London.<ref>{{cite news|title=The Launch of the Great Britain|url=http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000082/18430720/015/0004|access-date=14 March 2015|work=Morning Chronicle|date=20 July 1843| via = [[British Newspaper Archive]]|url-access=subscription }}</ref> There was a [[guard of honour]] of members of the police force, soldiers and dragoons and, as the Prince stepped from the train, the band of the Life Guards played works by Labitsky and a selection from the "Ballet of Alma". Two sections of the platform were boarded off for the reception and it was noted by ''The Bristol Mirror'' that parts were covered with carpets from the Council House. The Prince Consort, dressed as a private gentleman, was accompanied by his [[equerry]]-in-waiting, personal secretary, the [[Brownlow Cecil, 2nd Marquess of Exeter|Marquess of Exeter]], and Lords [[James Stuart-Wortley, 1st Baron Wharncliffe|Wharncliffe]], [[Charles Jenkinson, 3rd Earl of Liverpool|Liverpool]], [[Henry Pelham-Clinton, 5th Duke of Newcastle|Lincoln]] and [[Lord Charles Wellesley|Wellesley]].<ref name="BM"/>

[[File:Illustrirte Zeitung (1843) 21 332 1 Das vom Stapellaufen des Great-Britain.PNG|thumb|Launch of ''Great Britain'' at Bristol, July 1843]]

Introductions were made, followed by the "Address to His Royal Highness the Prince Albert", by the town clerk, D. Burgess. Honours were then bestowed on him by the [[Society of Merchant Venturers]], and there were speeches from members of the Bristol clergy. The royal party then had breakfast and, after 20 minutes, reappeared to board horse-drawn carriages.<ref name="BM"/>

At noon, the Prince arrived at the Great Western Steamship yard only to find the ship already "launched" and waiting for royal inspection. He boarded the ship, took refreshments in the elegantly decorated lounge then commenced his tour of inspection. He was received in the ship's banqueting room where all the local dignitaries and their ladies were gathered.<ref name="BM"/>

After the banquet and the toasts, he left for the naming ceremony. It had already been decided that the christening would be performed by Clarissa (1790–1868), wife of Philip John Miles (1773–1845) and mother of Bristol's MP, Philip William Skinner Miles (1816–1881), a director of the company.<ref>[http://www.kwag.org.uk/history/the-victorian-era/ The Victorian Era, the Miles Family | Kings Weston Action Group<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140818094435/http://www.kwag.org.uk/history/the-victorian-era/ |date=18 August 2014 }}</ref><ref>[http://www.nonesuchexpeditions.com/ss-great-britain/slaves-to-sleepers/the-dark-saga.htm Nonesuch Expeditions&nbsp;– From Slaves to Sleepers, the dark saga of the men who built the Steam-ship Great Britain<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160129043600/http://www.nonesuchexpeditions.com/ss-great-britain/slaves-to-sleepers/the-dark-saga.htm |date=29 January 2016 }}</ref> She stepped forward, grasped the champagne bottle and swung it towards the bows. Unfortunately, the steam packet ''Avon'' had started to tow the ship into the harbour and the bottle fell about {{convert|10|ft|m}} short of its target and dropped unbroken into the water. A second bottle was rapidly obtained and the Prince hurled it against the iron hull.{{sfn|Brown|2009|pp=68–78}}

In her haste, ''Avon'' had started her work before the shore warps had been released. The tow rope snapped and, due to the resultant delay, the Prince was obliged to return to the railway station and miss the end of the programme.<ref name="BM"/>

===Another extended delay===
[[File:SS Great Britain by Talbot.jpg| thumb | left | Fitting out in the [[Bristol Floating Harbour]], April 1844. This historic photograph by [[William Fox Talbot|William Talbot]] is believed to be the first ever photo of an ocean liner. ]]
Following the launch ceremony, the builders had planned to have ''Great Britain'' towed to the [[River Avon, Bristol|Avon]] for her final fitting out. Unfortunately, the harbour authorities had failed to carry out the necessary modifications to their facilities in a timely manner.{{sfn|Dumpleton|Miller|2013|p=64}} Exacerbating the problem, the ship had been widened beyond the original plans to accommodate the propeller engines, and her designers had made a belated decision to fit the engines prior to launch, which resulted in a deeper [[draft (ship)|draught]].{{sfn|Claxton|1845|p=21}}

This dilemma was to result in another costly delay for the company, as Brunel's negotiations with the Bristol Dock Board dragged on for months. It was only through the intervention of the Board of Trade that the harbour authorities finally agreed to the lock modifications, which began in late 1844.{{sfn|Ball|Wright|1981|p=13}}

After being trapped in the harbour for more than a year, ''Great Britain'' was, at last, floated out in December 1844, but not before causing more anxiety for her proprietors. After passing successfully through the first set of lock gates, she jammed on her passage through the second, which led to the [[River Avon (Bristol)|River Avon]]. Only the seamanship of Captain Claxton - who after naval service held the position of quay warden (harbour master) at Bristol - enabled her to be pulled back and severe structural damage avoided. The following day an army of workmen, under the direct control of Brunel, took advantage of the slightly higher tide and removed coping stones and lock gate platforms from the Junction Lock, allowing the [[tugboat|tug]] ''Samson'', again under Claxton's supervision, to tow the ship safely into the Avon that midnight.<ref>{{cite web|title=The creation of Bristol City docks |work=Farvis |url=http://www.farvis.com/2013site/history%20of%20bristol/bruneldocks.html |access-date=17 June 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402110611/http://www.farvis.com/2013site/history%20of%20bristol/bruneldocks.html |archive-date= 2 April 2015 }}</ref>