S Savannah was an American hybrid sailing ship/sidewheel steamer built in 1818.
She is notable for being the first steamship in
the world to cross the Atlantic Ocean, a feat that was accomplished from May to June 1819, although only a fraction of the
distance was covered with the ship under steam power. In spite of her historic voyage, Savannah was not a commercial success
as a steamship and was converted back into a sailing ship shortly after returning from Europe.
Savannah was wrecked off Long Island in 1821. No other American-owned steamship would cross the Atlantic for almost thirty
years after Savannah's pioneering voyage.
Savannah was originally built as a sailing packet at the New York shipyard of Fickett & Crocker. While the ship was still on
the slipway, Captain Moses Rogers persuaded Scarborough & Isaacs, a wealthy shipping firm from Savannah, Georgia, to
purchase the vessel, convert it to a steamship and gain the prestige of inaugurating the world's first transatlantic steamship
service.[3][4]
In accordance with this aim, Savannah was duly fitted with a steam engine and paddlewheels in addition to her sails. Moses
Rogers himself supervised the installation of the machinery, while his brother-in-law Steven Rogers (no blood relation)
oversaw construction of the ship's hull and rigging.
Description
The Allaire Iron Works of New York supplied Savannah's engine cylinder,[5] while the rest of the engine components and
running gear were manufactured by the Speedwell Ironworks of New Jersey. The 90-horsepower low-pressure engine was
of the inclined direct-acting type, with a single 40-inch-diameter (100 cm) cylinder and a 5-foot stroke. Savannah's engine
and machinery were unusually large for their time, and after the ship's launch, Moses Rogers had difficulty locating a
suitable boiler, rejecting several before settling on a copper model by boiler specialist Daniel Dod. The ship's wrought-iron
paddlewheels were 16 feet in diameter with eight buckets per wheel. For fuel, the vessel carried 75 tons of coal and 25 cords
of wood.
As the ship was too small to carry much fuel, the engine was intended only for use in calm weather, when the sails were unable
to provide a speed of at least four knots. In order to reduce drag and avoid damage when the engine was not in use, the
paddlewheel buckets were linked by chains instead of bars,[7] enabling the wheels to be folded up like fans and stored on deck.
Similarly, the paddlewheel guards were made of canvas stretched over a metal frame which could also be packed away when
not required. The whole process of retracting the wheels and guards took no more than about 15 minutes. Savannah is the only
known ship to have been fitted with retractable paddlewheels.[8]
Savannah's hull and rigging were constructed under the direction of Captain Steven Rogers, who later became the ship's Sailing
Master. The ship was full rigged like a normal sailing ship, excepting the absence of royal-masts and royals. Contemporary
engravings suggest that Savannah's mainmast was set further astern than in normal sailing ships, in order to accommodate the
engine and boiler.
Interior
Savannah was fitted with 32 passenger berths, with two berths in each of the 16 state rooms[10]. The women's quarters were
reported to be "entirely distinct" from that of the men's. Three fully furnished saloons were also provided, complete with
imported carpets, curtains and hangings, and decorated with mirrors. The state rooms were large and comfortable and the
interior has been described as more closely resembling a pleasure yacht than a steam packet.[9]
Historic transatlantic voyage
In the days following Madison's departure, Savannah's crew, with Captain Moses Rogers in
command and Captain Steven Rogers as Sailing Master, made their final preparations for the
atlantic crossing. On May 15, the ship broke free from her moorings during a squall, but apart
from slight damage to her paddles, the ship was unharmed.
Savannah's owners made every effort to secure passengers and freight for the voyage, but no-one
was willing to risk lives or property aboard such a novel vessel. On May 19, a late advertisement
appeared in the local paper announcing the date of departure as May 20. In the event, Savannah's
departure was delayed for two days after one of her crew returned to the vessel in a highly
inebriated state, fell off the gangplank and drowned. In spite of this delay however, still no
passengers came forward, and the ship would make her historic voyage purely in an
experimental capacity.
The voyage
After leaving Savannah Harbor and lingering at Tybee Lighthouse for several hours, Savannah
commenced her historic voyage at 5am on Monday May 24, under both steam and sail bound for
Liverpool, England. At around 8am the same day, the paddlewheels were stowed for the first
time and the ship proceeded under sail. Several days later, on May 29, the schooner Contract
spied a vessel "with volumes of smoke issuing", and assuming it was a ship on fire, pursued it for
several hours but was unable to catch up. Contract's skipper eventually concluded the smoking
vessel must be a steamboat crossing for Europe, exciting his admiration as "a proud monument
of Yankee skill and enterprise".[13]
On June 2, Savannah, sailing at a speed of 9 or 10 knots, passed the sailing ship Pluto. After
being informed by Captain Rogers that his novel vessel was functioning "remarkably well", the
crew of Pluto gave Savannah three cheers, as "the happiest effort of mechanical genius that ever
sailed the western sea." Savannah's next recorded encounter was not until June 19, off the coast
of Ireland with the cutter HMS Kite, which made the same mistake as Contract three weeks
earlier and chased the steamship for several hours believing it to be a sailing vessel on fire.[14]
Unable to catch the ship, Kite eventually fired several warning shots, and Captain Rogers
brought his vessel to a halt, whereupon Kite caught up and its commander asked permission to
inspect the ship. Permission was granted, and the British sailors are said to have been "much
gratified" by the satisfaction of their curiosity.[15]
On June 18, Savannah was becalmed off Cork after running out of fuel for her engine, but by
June 20, the ship had made her way to Liverpool. Hundreds of boats came out to greet the
unusual vessel, including a British sloop-of-war, an officer from whom hailed Savannah's sailing
master Steven Rogers, who happened to be on deck. The New London Gazette of Connecticut
later reported the encounter in the following terms:
STEAMSHIP ARRIVES
Liverpool, England, June 20, 1819 - Visionary Yankee ingenuity has stolen a march on British Empire sea
leadership and at the same time has blazed the way toward a new means of travel between the Eastern and
Western hemisphere.
The steam powered vessel, the Savannah, has arrived at this port from the city of Savannah, Georgia, after a
voyage of twenty seven days. This is the first ocean crossing by this type of boat and materially reduces the time
formerly required for the Atlantic Ocean voyage.
Her big paddle wheels churning the water and her sails spread, the Yankee vessel made a stirring sight as she
entered the harbor. Although originally she had been laid down as a sailing vessel, the Savannah was outfitted with
a steam engine. Her engine was used sparingly however, for out of six hundred forty eight hou[r]s on the seas, five
hundred sixty hours saw her sail in use.
