Day 47
Built by Menzie & Co, Ltd of Leith
SS Sirius
The following text was first published in the book by R.O. Neish, Leith-Built Ships, Vol I, They Once Were Shipbuilders.
From one of the oldest shipyards in Leith was launched perhaps the best-known ship to be built in the old port. She was the side paddle steamship Sirius built in 1837 by the firm of Menzies & Co. Ltd, the oldest of the shipbuilders in Leith. She was the first steamship to cross the Atlantic to the New World, from east to west – against the flow of the Gulf Stream – using steam power alone, arriving in New York a day before the famous Great Western.
Oil painting of the Sirius on display at Merseyside Maritime Museum.
Menzies’ yard and Sirius were the beginnings of real steam-powered shipbuilding in the port. The building of the Sirius helped pave the way for many ship engine makers to take up the challenge of making engines for ships in Leith. The irony would come later, in that the steamship, with its ability to go almost anywhere at any time, would lead to the eventual demise of the busiest port in Scotland.
She was the original owner of what became to be known as the Blue Riband, awarded for the fastest crossing of this mighty Ocean, although a great many books of today tend to omit the fact that she was the first true steamship to cross using only steam. She was first and she was built at Leith.
Additional information about the images in this post:
Both images creative commons images from wikipedia in the public domain. The picture in the heading of this post is of SS Sirius, circa 1838: The Cork Steam Ship Company's 700 ton, 320-horsepower 'Sirius' built in 1837. She crossed from Cork to New York in April 1838. She has paddle, steam and sails. The text at the bottom of the oil painting reads “Steam-vessel Sirius, Lieutenant Richard Roberts: R.N Coff New York. The first British Steam-vessel that ever crossed the Atlantic: performed her Voyage from Cork in 18 Days!!”