The 'Great Eastern'
By Shane Winser
Last updated 2011-02-17
The Ship's Lounge
Originally designed for the India and Far East route, the Great Eastern could hold up to 4,000 passengers. However, financial pressures meant that the ship was instead first used for the transatlantic run. This didn't prove to be a success, as the ship couldn't compete with the smaller and faster ships of the other companies.
The later opening of the Suez Canal was to prove another disaster for the ship, which was too big to use it. The Great Eastern was then converted into a cable layer, and worked in this capacity for a number of years before becoming a tourist attraction in Liverpool.
British History Timeline
World War One Centenary
- Find out more about how the ´óÏó´«Ã½ is covering the , and see the latest programmes and online content
Surviving the trenches
- Dan Snow asks in WW1
The History of the Home
´óÏó´«Ã½ iD
´óÏó´«Ã½ navigation
´óÏó´«Ã½ links
´óÏó´«Ã½ © 2014 The ´óÏó´«Ã½ is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read more.
This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so.
