A crowd has gathered along the River Thames south of Canary Wharf in Millwall. It’s cold on this November morning in London – and friends huddle together as they try to spot notables and celebrities in the VIP area for which 3000 tickets have been sold. The hubbub of conversation and laughter mixes with the noise of shouting vendors selling food and drink.
It is 3 November 1857, and the biggest ship ever seen is about to be launched. Workers and crew members take their positions on ropes, levers and machines that will shift what has been called, at 12,000 inert tons, the single heaviest object ever to be moved by humans to that point. The huge ship creaks, and the noise from the watching crowd is rising when suddenly one of the lifting device fails, flying through the air and striking five men. One is crushed to death; four others are severely injured.
Difficult beginnings
The fatal accident temporarily halts the well-publicised launch of the Great Eastern, and some start callingunlucky’. It has already spent four years under construction, and during that time it has been plagued by technical issues, theft, even financial fraud. The world’s biggest ship has suffered a difficult birth.
