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SS ''President'' was a British passenger liner that was the largest ship in the world when she was commissioned in 1840, and the first steamship to founder on the transatlantic run when she was lost at sea with all 136 on board in March 1841. She was the largest passenger ship in the world from 1840 to 1845. The ship's owner, the British and American Steam Navigation Company, collapsed as a result of the disappearance.〔 ''President'' was the second liner owned by British and American and was noted for her luxurious interiors. Designed by Macgregor Laird and built by Curling and Young of London, she was fitted for 154 passengers. ''President'' was over 25% larger than the ''British Queen'', the previous holder of the size record, and over twice the size of Cunard’s ''Britannia Class'', the first three of which were also commissioned in 1840. This was accomplished by adding a third deck to the design of the ''British Queen''. As a result, ''President'' was top heavy. She was also underpowered and had the slowest passage times of any transatlantic steamer up to that point. To avoid litigation, changes were made to her paddle wheels after her second round trip that further complicated her lack of power, especially in rough weather.〔 On March 11, 1841, ''President'' cleared New York bound for Liverpool on her third eastbound voyage. She was overloaded with cargo to compensate for her roll. ''President'' was last seen the next day struggling in a gale.〔 Her disappearance was major news for several months and even Queen Victoria followed the story.〔 == Development and design == British and American recognized from the beginning that frequent sailings were required and that the line needed a fleet of steamers for its new transatlantic service. As soon as the line’s first unit, ''British Queen'' was delivered, British and American ordered the ''President''. The plan was that by 1840, either ''President'' or ''British Queen'' was to depart each month for New York.〔 As designed by Macgregor Laird, ''President'' was 500 GRT larger than ''British Queen'', then the largest ship. Her opulent interiors were in sharp contract to the sparse accommodations of Cunard’s fleet. Great American wanted passengers to feel they were in a luxury hotel rather than at sea. The saloon measured 80 feet by 34 feet and was in Tudor Gothic style. The corridor aft to the regular staterooms was a picture gallery, with ten oil paintings depicting scenes about Christopher Columbus. The regular staterooms could accommodate 110 passengers and another 44 forward in Servants cabins. The two berth regular cabins were seven feet by seven feet. Her exterior decoration included a figurehead of George Washington. ''President’s'' wooden hull was subdivided into watertight compartments. However, it was not as robust as ''Great Western'' or the new Cunard vessels just entering service. After just two round trip voyages, she required refit after stormy seas weakened and twisted her hull. ''President'' was top heavy and rolled excessively because she was constructed with a third deck on top of a hull with almost the same waterline dimensions as ''British Queen''.〔 Relative to her size, ''President'' was significantly less powerful than her rivals. As a result, her 1840 times were disappointing. This problem was compounded in 1841 when ''President’s'' paddle wheels were modified with non-feathering paddles. Tests in 1830 demonstrated that feathering paddles improved speed by 25% in smooth water and over 50% in rough seas. British American failed to secure the rights to use the patented design and removed the feathering paddles before ''President'' left on her first 1841 voyage in order to avoid litigation .〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「SS President」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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