Isambard Kingdom Brunel launched the SS Great Britain in Bristol, England, the world's first iron-hulled, screw-propelled, ocean-going steamship. This ship was a marvel of engineering, featuring a 1,000 horsepower steam engine and an innovative screw propeller. The SS Great Britain was the largest and most advanced ship of its time, revolutionizing ship design and transatlantic travel.

Brunel's SS Great Britain is a monument to Victorian engineering and ambition. Its launch was a national event, celebrated in verse and prose. The ship's combination of iron, steam, and screw propulsion became a powerful symbol of modernity, featuring in the works of poets who marveled at the shrinking of the world and the conquest of the oceans.