Mountbatten Medallic History of Great Britain and the Sea Medal: Aaron Manby First Iron Streams…

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Mountbatten Medallic History of Great Britain and the Sea Medal: Aaron Manby First Iron Steamship

AssociatedAssociated with Lord Mountbatten of Burma (Frogmore House, Windsor, England, 1900 - 1979)

Medallist John Pinches, Medallists

DateMay 2004

Object NameMedal

MediumSterling Silver

ClassificationsMedals

AcquisitionPresented in 2004 by Dr Joan M Burrell.

LocationView by Appointment - Aberdeen Treasure Hub

Object numberABDMS072500.42

Keywords

About MeThe Aaron Manby was the first steamship to be constucted of iron, the first iron vessel to put to sea, and the first vessel to sail direct from London to Paris.

She was designed by Aaron Man by (1776-1850), managing partner of the Horsley Coal and Iron Company of Tipton, Staffordshire, and was built at the works in the years 1821 and 1822. The hull was constructed of iron plates, and she had a flat bottom and a square stern. A tall funnel rose about 47 feet above the deck and served also as a mast. Her engines, also designed and constructed by Man by, gave 30 nominal horse-power, from two oscillating cylinders of about 27 inches diameter, having a stroke of three feet. Steam was provided by two iron boilers at about two pounds per square inch above atmospheric pressure. The vessel was propelled by one pair of paddle wheels designed to permit the vessel to serve on the River Seine, upon which width was very restricted.

After the hull had been completed at Horsley Ironworks, it was dismantled and conveyed to London where it was reassembled at the Surrey Dock, Rotherhithe, under the supervision of Aaron Manby's son Charles. With engines installed, trials on the Thames began on 9th May, 1822, witnessed by a public which was 'much gratified and astonished' at the spectacle.

With Captain Napier in command, Aaron Man by sailed in May 1822, arriving at Boulogne from London 55 hours after leaving. Having called at Le Havre and Rouen, the vessel duly completed an historic voyage to Paris where she discharged her cargo of pig-iron, iron castings and seed.

The fact that the hull of Aaron Man by required no repairs between 1822 and 1830, despite having been aground on many occasions testified to the strength and durability of her construction. In 1836 the vessel was in service at Nantes on the river Loire, and was still at work (with new engines in her) in 1845-46. She was broken up in France in 1855.

The principal dimensions of Aaron Manby were 120ft length overall, 23ft breadth over the paddle wheels, with a depth of hold of 7.2ft. Her draught was 3.5ft, and she measured 116 tons.

The Mountbatten Medallic History of Great Britain and the Sea, John Pinches Medallists Ltd.