Editing SS Great Britain (section)

====Refit and return to service====
[[File:SS Great Britain with four masts 1853.jpg|thumb|''Great Britain'' in 1853, after her refit to four masts]]
The new owners decided not merely to give the vessel a total refit; the keel, badly damaged during the grounding, was completely renewed along a length of {{convert|150|ft|m|adj=off}}, and the owners took the opportunity to further strengthen the hull. The old [[keelson]]s were replaced and 10 new ones laid, which ran the entire length of the keel. Both the bow and stern were also strengthened by heavy frames of double [[angle iron]].{{sfn|Fletcher|1910|pp=226–227}}

Reflecting the rapid advances in propeller engine technology, the original engines were removed and replaced with a pair of smaller, lighter and more modern [[Marine steam engine#Oscillating|oscillating]] engines, with {{convert|82.5|in|cm|adj=on}} cylinders and {{convert|6|ft|cm|adj=on}} stroke, built by [[John Penn (engineer)|John Penn & Sons]] of [[Greenwich]]. They were also provided with more support at the base and supported further by the addition of both iron and wood beams running transversely across the hull, which had the added benefit of reducing engine vibration.{{sfn|Fletcher|1910|pp=226–227}}

The cumbersome chain-drive gearing was replaced with a simpler and by now proven cog-wheel arrangement, although the gearing of the engines to the propeller shaft remained at a ratio of one to three. The three large boilers were replaced with six smaller ones, operating at {{convert|10|psi|abbr=on}} or twice the pressure of their predecessors. Along with a new {{convert|300|ft|m|adj=on}} cabin on the main deck, the smaller boilers allowed the cargo capacity to be almost doubled, from 1,200 to 2,200&nbsp;tons.{{sfn|Fletcher|1910|pp=226–227}}

The four-bladed propeller was replaced by a slightly smaller three-bladed model, and the bilge keels, previously added to reduce the tendency to roll, were replaced by a heavy external oak keel for the same purpose. The five-masted schooner sail-plan was replaced by four masts, two of which were square-rigged.{{sfn|Fletcher|1910|pp=226–227}} With the refit complete, ''Great Britain'' went back into service on the New York run. After only one further round trip she was sold again, to [[Antony Gibbs & Sons]], which planned to place her into England–Australia service.{{sfn|Fletcher|1910|pp=226–227}}