Vulcan (barge)

The "Vulcan", launched in 1819, was the first iron-hulled vessel (boat) to be built. It was designed as a horse-drawn passenger barge for use on the Scottish canals..

In 1816, the Forth and Clyde Canal Company, which had earlier successfully adapted new technology to shipbuilding with the Charlotte Dundas, authorized the development of an all-iron ship. In 1818, Thomas Wilson (1781–1873), was hired as the shipwright. The barge was to be 20 meters (66.5 ft.) long and narrow enough for the canal. The design called for iron sectionals to be riveted together with covering plates. Two blacksmiths were hired to construct the parts. The plating had to be hammered out of puddled iron as no iron rolling mills existed at the time. The iron was supplied by the Monklands Steel Company. The "Vulcan" was built outside of Glasgow, in Faskine near Coatbridge, on the bank of the Monkland Canal.

The "Vulcan" was launched in May 1819 and carried passengers between Edinburgh and Glasgow. Later it was converted to a cargo handler and was sold for scrap in 1873. In 1988, a replica of the "Vulcan" was constructed in Glasgow, [ [http://www.maritime.org/conf/conf-walker.htm Walker, Fred. M. (April 1997) "A Rationale for Replica Ships" Third International Conference on the Technical Aspects of the Preservation of Historic Vessels, San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, San Francisco, California] ] and now resides at the Summerlee Heritage Park. [ [http://www.monklands.co.uk/calderbank/ "Monklands Online - Story of Calderbank"] ]

Notes

ources

* Dear, I. C. B. and Kemp, Peter (eds.) (2006) "Vulcan" "The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea" (2^nd ed.) Oxford University Press, Oxford, England, ISBN 0-19-20568-X

ee also

*Aaron Manby, first steamship made of iron, maiden voyage May 1821
*Charlotte Dundas, first commercial steam propelled vessel, maiden voyage 1802

External links

* [http://www.flickr.com/photos/arcticcorsair/2520299143/ Photograph] of the 1988 replica of the "Vulcan".