Could You Survive a Victorian Ocean Cruise on SS Great Britain?

When she set out on her first voyage to New York in 1845, SS Great Britain was the largest passenger ship ever built, and she would go on to transport over 30,000 people during her 41-year-working life.

For most of that period, the ship carried emigrants between Liverpool and Melbourne on the notoriously testing Australia run - a non-stop sea journey that lasted anywhere between two to three months. Great Britain made this journey 32 times between 1852 and 1875, battling through all conditions with a combination of steam and sail power.

But who were the passengers that embarked on such a gruelling voyage? What were their reasons for leaving home? And what was it really like to be a passenger on Brunel’s revolutionary ocean liner?

Whilst Louee enjoys a first class experience aboard SS Great Britain, enjoying luxury accommodation and grandeur in the dining saloon, down below deck, Luke steps into the shoes of a passenger in the lowest class on the Victorian ocean liner, steerage.

How did the experience of a first class and steerage passenger compare? Watch this video to find out.

Voiceovers: Tom Brown, Lucy Davidson, Laura McMillen, Alister Tomes, Tristan Hughes, Kyle Cairns

And remember, as YouTube subscribers, you can sign up to History Hit TV today with code YOUTUBE and enjoy 50% off your first 3 months!

00:00 Introduction
02:27 First Class Cabin
05:34 Third Class Accomodation
08:32 On Board Socialising
12:16 On Deck Entertainment
16:01 Victorian Medicine And Illness
20:25 First Class Catering
27:51 Steerage Rations
33:48 Drinking And Gambling In Steerage Class
38:00 Arrival In Australia

[HistoryHit]

So, if you had the chance, would you go back in time to the Victorian period to experience a voyage on SS Great Britain? 🤔

[YesYouAreAbsolutelyCorrect]

In 100 years that'll be "Could You Survive a Spirit Airlines flight?"

[podunkcitizen]

Ben Franklin made eight crossings over the Atlantic between America and Europe.
They took anywhere from 40 to 90 days each. That meant he likely spent over one year of his life at sea. He wondered why it was always quicker to go to Europe than to return to America. He figured out the affects of the Gulf Stream and mapped them.

[loriscook]

I’m a kiwi, my relatives from the 1850’s to 1913 all travelled from Scotland or England to NZ. They would have all travelled steerage, so great to see what life at sea was like. Two teenage brothers worked for their passage in 1900. They looked after horses for the army going to fight in the Boar war in Sth Africa. After the horses were delivered they had to dismantle the stables and scrub the hold ready to hold goods on the return trip. None ever went back, it was truely a new start for them all, they all did well in their new lives.

[vectravi]

It's amazing to see how this ship has been restored. I remember when it was in the Falkland Islands. It was very nearly past saving.
Well done to all those who saved this ship for future generations

[fionablaikie]

This was wonderful! My great grandfather travelled to Australia from Scotland on the SS Great Britain aged 19. Have visited the ship in Bristol several times through its restoration. This means so much. Have shared it with the family. Can't thank you enough!

[Kubulek]

imagine the difference between this and the Olympic class liners of the 1910s, must've been a breathtaking change

[mikefly]

We really have it easy today...London to Sydney in a 787-9 with food, movies, internet, and comfort in less than 1 day of travel. it's so awesome that this ship is so beautifully preserved!

[aaronhughes]

I’m 6’5 and did a tour of the boat years ago, there is no way I would have survived3 months, even in first class 😂

[CleoPhoenixRT]

I can see why third class on the Titanic still felt so luxurious! Also, I couldnt imagine getting tipsy on a ship that size, it's hard enough not to stumble on leveled ground. Lol I enjoyed every minute of this, I wish it could be a series on various eras of ships.

[EmmaCruises]

I loved this, it's so funny to hear about the guests complaining about the drinks prices being too high and that they couldn't bring their own drinks, that's a very common complaint now too on cruises. Nothing changes really! Well, happy to say the accommodation and food has...

[gabsofine]

I loved this video and all the details and real accounts. It's amazing to think of someone who has hardly ever left their own town suddenly sailing across the world

[dinahjackson]

I really ENJOYED this ! 😊 As a young girl, I traveled 4 times by ship to England from USA... THANK GOD, it was in the fifties and GREAT FUN !!! 😀 My mom and I went on the 2 QUEENS... ELIZABETH and MARY... BEAUTIFUL LADIES they were ! 😘😘😘😘😘

[DanasDiary.]

I just love the way people used to write. With so much symbolism, metaphors and care given to every word ☺️

[tileux]

I emigrated to australia with my parents as a kid in 1970. Onboard the smallest ship of the line, the Ellinis. Pretty wild: they used to wet the table cloths in the dining room so the plates didnt slide off. One month trip to Fremantle, western australia. I loved it. Still love ships.

[Iskandar]

This was brilliant, I visited the SS Great Britain maybe 15 years ago and did the audio tour. I still think it was the best historical immersive experiences I have ever had. And this presentation was excellent too.

[alyssajenaway]

My ancestors made this same sort of trip to Australia and kept a log of the journey. They lost 3 of their 4 children on the trip from illness and his wife almost died too. It's a very sad read and amazing to see how the experience would have looked for them in this video. He commented a lot about the views from the deck as well as the weather. An interesting point he discussed was how each family in steerage was allowed to bring their box up to the deck only once on the trip to obtain fresh clothes and take anything out, and clothes washing was only done once each up on the deck as well. Other interesting points to note was that he commented that they all had jobs, and also discusses equipping their cabin with hooks to hang utensils and cups on the wall.

[MeherScholar]

You all did such a wonderful job, and the hosts have such a friendly spirit, I loved listening to them. This was truly enjoyable to watch.

[janehollander]

26:25 loved how the tour guides, the ship's interpreters, introduced a whole set of new issues/problems/ideas that I (and probably more viewers) had never considered of ever thought about before. Truly very enlightening👌🏻- loved watching this video (the time just flew by✌🏻).

[brontewcat]

This really shows how luxurious the Titanic was. The steerage passengers on the Titanic had better accommodation than the first class on this ship.

It really makes me appreciate how hard it was for many of my ancestors to get here. Although a lot of my ancestors had much more cramped and difficult passages including being weighed down by chains. I had two ancestors on the Second Fleet, which was almost but not quite as bad as for the slaves being shipped across the Atlantic on the Middle Passage.