Mountbatten Medallic History of Great Britain and the Sea Medal: John Bowes, First successful B…

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Mountbatten Medallic History of Great Britain and the Sea Medal: John Bowes, First successful Bulk-carrying Steamship

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

Medallist John Pinches, Medallists

DateMay 2004

Object NameMedal

MediumSterling Silver

ClassificationsMedals

LocationView by Appointment - Aberdeen Treasure Hub

Object numberABDMS072500.60

Keywords

Commemorative

About MeThe steamship was a major technological breakthrough in Britain's maritime history. But the advent of steam presented shipbuilders and marine engineers with a whole series of mechanical problems which required many years to solve satisfactorily. From the launch of the first seagoing steamer Comet in 1811, to the launch of John Bowes in 1852, over 40 years of patient and painstaking experiment was required. The problems associated with the steamship were of three kinds: first, the materials used in the construction of the hull; second, the necessity of improving the efficiency of the engines and third, the need to transform the mode of propulsion. The earliest steamers were built of wood and had simple steam engines of the Boulton and Watt type, which propelled the vessels by means of paddles. Hulls constructed of wood imposed severe constraints upon the size, capacity and strength of steamers that it was possible to build, and early marine engines consumed vast quantities of coal which precluded the employment of such vessels in prolonged oceanic voyages on a commercial basis. Paddles were inefficient and their use limited employment of the vessels equipped with them to passenger and light freight carriage. These factors, therefore, restricted the uses to which early steamers could be put.

The advent of iron shipbuilding and the invention of the screw propellor solved two of the basic problems, and the compound marine engine, which permitted significant economies in the use of fuel, helped to conquer the third. Thus, the bulk-carrying steamship, exemplified in the launch of John Bowes from the shipyard of Charles Mark Palmer at Jarrow in 1852, was the herald of a new era.

Built for the Tyne to London coal trade, John Bowes could accomplish in five days the work undertaken by two typical sailing colliers in a month. The commercial success of John Bowes pointed the way forward to a new era for British merchant shipping as steam gradually ousted sail from the main cargo routes of the world. With this transformation went a lowering of freight rates that played a significant part in promoting Britain's export trade while reducing the cost of her imports.

John Bowes measured 148.9 feet by 25.7 feet in breadth by 15.6 feet in depth on a gross tonnage of 486 tons. Her engines, constructed by Robert Stephenson of Newcastle, rated 70 horsepower. She carried 600 tons of cargo and cost £10,000 complete and ready for sea. The vessel had a long and successful career, ending her days under the Spanish flag in 1933.

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