3-028-679 - The Print Collector/Heritage Images

The Great Eastern steam-ship leaving Sheerness with the French Atlantic Cable, 1869. Start of an important cable-laying voyage. 'At high tide, with her bows to the Nore, there was only about 4 ft. under her as she made her first move. In such shallows it required no ordinary skill and seamanship to get the vast hull safely out through the narrow channel off the new battery,...but it was all done with as much ease as if the vessel had been a yacht...Such slow rate of progress was absolutely necessary in water so shallow...As it was, it was evident from the water she left in her wake that she was at times near enough the bottom to stir up the mud considerably. It was more or less an anxious time till she was clear of these shallows. Her new steering apparatus, worked by steam, proved admirably successful. Fortunately, all went well, and she never had to do more than slacken speed in the dangerous places. As she passed through the fleet at Sheerness the sides of the ships were black with crews, who swarmed about like bees to see the Great Eastern. As she came silently down, towering over the largest line-of-battle-ships, and great ironclads, her size, her strength, her speed seemed almost overwhelming, and her whole appearance was magnificent'. From "Illustrated London News", 1869.