SS Royal William
SS Royal William was a Canadian side-wheel paddle steamship that is sometimes credited with the first crossing of the Atlantic Ocean almost entirely under steam power, in 1833, using sails only during periods of boiler maintenance. She was the largest passenger ship in the world from 1831 to 1839, where it was then passed by the SS Great Western. Earlier vessels that crossed partially under steam include the British-built Dutch-owned Curaçao in 1827 and the sail-steam hybrid SS Savannah in 1819.
A painting of the SS Royal William | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | SS Royal William |
| Ordered | 1830 |
| Builder | George Black and John Saxton Campbell, Quebec |
| Laid down | September 2, 1830 |
| Launched | April 27, 1831 |
| In service | August 24, 1831 |
| Spain | |
| Name | Isabel II |
| Namesake | Isabella II |
| Acquired | September 1834 |
| Out of service | 6 January 1860 |
| Renamed | 1850: Santa Isabel |
| Refit | 1840 |
| Fate | Sunk by storm in Algeciras bay |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage | 1,370 ton |
| Length | 160 ft (49 m) |
| Beam | 44 ft (13 m) |
| Propulsion | steam engine; paddles |
The 1,370-ton SS Royal William (named after the ruling monarch, William IV) was 160 feet (49 m) long, of 44 feet (13 m) breadth and had a draught of 17¾ft, a large steamship for the time. She was drawn by 21-year old James Goudie who had by then served his apprenticeship, likely at Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company of Greenock, Scotland, a seaport on the Firth of Clyde and also the birthplace of James Watt.