MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Major celebration for SS Great Britain’s 40th anniversary return to Bristol

SS Great Britain was towed on a pontoon 8,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean from the Falklands to UK.

A small army of volunteers will be collecting and sifting through thousands of memories over the next year in the run up to the 40th anniversary celebrations of the SS Great Britain’s return to Bristol from the Falkland Islands.

The official launch of the project, entitled ‘The Incredible Journey’, took place Friday in time for the ship’s Birthday on July 19.

The SS Great Britain Trust team is calling on people involved in the ship’s dramatic salvage from the Falkland Islands and return to her birthplace at the Great Western Dockyard in Bristol on July 19 1970 to share their recollections.

Significantly July 19 is also the date the ship was launched by Prince Albert in 1843 and the date she was “re-launched” as a museum and visitor attraction in 2005.

The ambitious oral history project, costing £90,000 is supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund and members of the SS Great Britain Trust.

Volunteers and staff want to hear from Falkland Islanders; Royal Navy marines who helped re-float the ship; and the crew of the tug who towed the ship on a pontoon 8,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean in what must be one of the most exciting and successful salvage operations ever.

The SS Great Britain’s salvage captured the world’s imagination 39 years ago and eight million Britons watched the BBC 2 ‘Chronicle’ documentary ‘The Great Iron Ship’. Magnus Magnusson introduced an outside broadcast for the BBC covering the ship’s re-entry into her Dry Dock.

The world media championed the story and the SS Great Britain made headlines in the national and local press – from The Times, The Observer and The Daily Express to the Bristol Evening News.

Contributions are also being sought from Avonmouth dockworkers who prepared the ship for the final leg of her extraordinary voyage up the River Avon and from those who lined the banks to witness the spectacle. It was the first and only time the SS Great Britain has been seen with the Clifton Suspension Bridge.

SS Great Britain’s Director Matthew Tanner MBE commented: “We are delighted to be launching ‘The Incredible Journey’ oral history project as part of the 40th Anniversary Celebrations for 2010, and are grateful for support from the Heritage Lottery Fund, members, and volunteers.

“Today the SS Great Britain is regarded as a national treasure and Bristol icon, recognised internationally and with many prestigious awards. None of this would have been possible without the heroic vision of a few and the support of many. The SS Great Britain’s salvage captured the world’s imagination. We want to celebrate their role, their stories, and what they have helped to achieve. Brunel’s SS Great Britain is one of the world’s most important historic ships. She could so easily have remained in the Falkland Islands, abandoned and breaking up in Sparrow Cove.”

Brunel's SS Great Britain is the world’s first great ocean liner. Launched in 1843 to provide luxury travel to New York, the iron-hulled steamship revolutionised travel and set new standards in engineering, reliability and speed.

Today Brunel's SS Great Britain is one of the UK’s most exciting museums and visitor attractions.

More info please visit: www.ssgreatbritain.org