Isambard Kingdom Brunel was a British civil and mechanical engineer whose works defined much of nineteenth century British infrastructure. He was chief engineer of the Great Western Railway, designed the Clifton Suspension Bridge across the Avon Gorge, and built three pioneering steamships in succession, the SS Great Western, the SS Great Britain, the first ocean going ship with an iron hull and screw propeller, and the SS Great Eastern, the largest ship afloat at its 1858 launch and the vessel later used to lay the first lasting transatlantic telegraph cable.
Facts
FAQs
Which ships did Isambard Kingdom Brunel build?
The SS Great Western, the SS Great Britain and the SS Great Eastern.
Brunel built three pioneering steamships in succession. The SS Great Western came first, then the SS Great Britain, the first ocean going ship with an iron hull and screw propeller. The third was the SS Great Eastern, the largest ship afloat at its 1858 launch, later used to lay the first lasting transatlantic telegraph cable.
Connections
Associated With
One of the most influential civil engineers of the nineteenth century, known for bridges, tunnels and railways.
In Field
Source Isambard Kingdom Brunel: A BiographyL. T. C. Rolt
In the Other Atlases
Nationality
Also in Geography Atlas: the nationality of this subject.
Sources
1. Isambard Kingdom Brunel: A Biography
L. T. C. Rolt, Longmans, Green and Co., 1957
Isambard Kingdom Brunel (Wikipedia)
In Group: Bridge and Structural Engineers, IntroductionQuote, In Group: Bridge and Structural Engineers, Introduction
His first major project, the Thames Tunnel, was cancelled after a collapse nearly killed him, and was only completed later without his involvement.
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