Can you help protect the SS Great Britain’s hull today?
When Isambard Kingdom Brunel conceived his “greatest experiment since Creation” (as the newspapers of the day called it), he was taking a giant but carefully calculated risk. He had chosen to build his SS Great Britain from iron – a material which is superbly strong and long-lasting, but also has a natural enemy. Rust.
180 years after the ship triumphantly launched from Bristol, we need your help to fight that old enemy again.
Protecting the SS Great Britain’s magnificent iron hull has been a complex and ongoing challenge ever since she was rescued from Falkland Islands in 1970. In those days, there was simply no precedent for the repair and restoration work that was required on what had become a ravaged hulk. While tiny flakes of rusty red iron do continue to drop into the dry dock, corrosion under the glass plate has been stabilised through extraordinarily innovative conservation methods
But above the water line it is a different story. This area of the hull (25-30% of the whole) has much less chloride present, because it wasn’t immersed in sea water during its working life. So, another approach to maintenance was needed. Conservation experts concluded that with scrupulous care and attention, a high standard of protection could be maintained by recoating the hull with specialist paint at regular intervals.
This conservation effort means that the SS Great Britain can survive, standing open to the elements on Bristol’s harbourside, as long as the hull is regularly monitored, evaluated and painted.