Editing SS Great Britain (section)

==Recovery and restoration==
[[File:S.s. Great Britain 1970 (49208521606).jpg|thumb|Hulk of ''Great Britain'' on the pontoon ''Mulus III'', 1970]]
The salvage operation, made possible by several large donations, including from [[Jack Hayward|Sir Jack Hayward]] and [[John Paul Getty Jr.|Sir Paul Getty]], was organised by 'the SS ''Great Britain'' Project', chaired by Richard Goold-Adams. [[E. C. B. Corlett|Ewan Corlett]] conducted a naval architect's survey, reporting that she could be refloated. A submersible [[Pontoon (boat)|pontoon]], ''Mulus III'', was chartered in February 1970. A German tug, ''Varius II'', was chartered, reaching Port Stanley on 25 March. By 13 April, after some concern about a crack in the hull, the ship was mounted successfully on the pontoon and the following day the tug, pontoon and ''Great Britain'' sailed to Port Stanley for preparations for the transatlantic voyage. The voyage (code name "Voyage 47") began on 24 April, stopped in [[Montevideo]] from 2 May to 6 May for inspection, then across the Atlantic, arriving at [[Barry Docks]], west of [[Cardiff]] on 22 June. ("Voyage 47" was chosen as the code name because it was on her 47th voyage from [[Penarth]], in 1886, that during a tempest she had sought shelter in the Falklands.<ref>{{Cite book | title = Successfully salvaged | page = 42| publisher = Bristol Evening Post | location = United Kingdom | date = 1 March 2005}}</ref>) Bristol-based tugs then took over and towed her, still on her pontoon, to [[Avonmouth Docks]].

The ship was then taken off the pontoon, in preparation for her re-entry into Bristol, now truly afloat. On Sunday 5 July, amidst considerable media interest, the ship was towed up the [[River Avon, Bristol|River Avon]] to Bristol.<ref>{{cite book|last=Anon|title=SS ''Great Britain''|publisher=The Greywell Press|location=Farnborough|year=1986}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Mills 100|first=Sea|date=2020-07-19|title=SS Great Britain Return|url=https://seamills100.co.uk/2020/07/19/ss-great-britain-return/|access-date=2021-12-28|website=Sea Mills 100 Museum|language=en-US}}</ref> Perhaps the most memorable moment for the crowds that lined the final few miles was her passage under the [[Clifton Suspension Bridge]], another Brunel design. She waited for two weeks in the [[Cumberland Basin (Bristol)|Cumberland Basin]] for a tide high enough to get her back through the locks to the Floating Harbour and her birthplace, the dry dock in the Great Western Dockyard (now a Grade II* [[listed building]], disused since bomb damage in the Second World War).<ref>{{NHLE|desc=Great Western Dry Dock |num=1372307 |access-date=20 August 2006 }}</ref>

[[File:SS Great Britain showing air seal for hull.jpg|thumb|left|The air seal around ''Great Britain''{{'}}s [[Hull (watercraft)|hull]].]]

The recovery and subsequent voyage from the Falklands to Bristol were depicted in the 1970 BBC ''[[Chronicle (UK TV series)|Chronicle]]'' programme, ''The Great Iron Ship''.

The original intent was to restore her to her 1843 state. However, the philosophy changed and the conservation of all surviving pre-1970 material became the aim.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Watkinson |first1=David |last2=Tanner |first2=Matthew |last3=Turner |first3=Robert |last4=Lewis |first4=Mark |title=ss Great Britain: teamwork as a platform for innovative conservation |url=http://www.ssgreatbritain.org/sites/default/files/kcfinder/files/brunel-institute/innovative-conservation.pdf |publisher=SS Great Britain |access-date=14 March 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150912144723/http://www.ssgreatbritain.org/sites/default/files/kcfinder/files/brunel-institute/innovative-conservation.pdf |archive-date=12 September 2015 }}</ref> In 1984 the SS ''Great Britain'' was designated as a [[List of Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmarks|Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark]] by the [[ASME|American Society of Mechanical Engineers]], the fourth such designation outside the US.<ref name=asme>{{cite web|title=An International Historic Engineering Landmark S.S. Great Britain |url=https://www.asme.org/getmedia/998dfcba-3c4c-4c26-9b39-f9f81af35a23/97-SS-Great-Britain-1843.aspx |publisher=The American society of Mechanical Engineers |access-date=14 March 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402093047/https://www.asme.org/getmedia/998dfcba-3c4c-4c26-9b39-f9f81af35a23/97-SS-Great-Britain-1843.aspx |archive-date= 2 April 2015 }}</ref>

By 1998, an extensive survey discovered that the hull was continuing to corrode in the [[humid]] atmosphere of the dock and estimates gave her 25 years before she corroded away.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.eura.co.uk/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=27|title=SS ''Great Britain''| work=Eura Conservation Ltd|access-date=31 December 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100313072227/http://www.eura.co.uk/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=27|archive-date=13 March 2010 }}</ref> Extensive conservation work began which culminated in the installation of a glass plate across the dry dock at the level of her water line, with two [[dehumidifiers]], keeping the space beneath at 20% relative humidity, sufficiently dry to preserve the surviving material.<ref>{{cite conference
 |url         = http://pipeten133.wiredworkplace.net/sites/default/files/kcfinder/files/brunel-institute/modelling-corrosion.pdf
 |title       = ss Great Britain iron hull: modelling corrosion to define storage relative humidity
 |last1       = Watkinson
 |first1      = David
 |last2       = Lewis
 |first2      = Mark
 |date        = 2004
 |publisher   = National Museum of Australia
 |book-title  = Metal 04: Proceedings of the International Conference on Metals Conservation, 4–8 October, Canberra, Australia
 |pages       = 88–103
 |location    = Canberra, Australia
 |url-status  = dead
 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150402133150/http://pipeten133.wiredworkplace.net/sites/default/files/kcfinder/files/brunel-institute/modelling-corrosion.pdf
 |archive-date = 2 April 2015
}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/bristol/4183343.stm |title=Ship's restoration work goes on |work=[[BBC News]] |date=18 January 2005 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051206201540/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/bristol/4183343.stm |archive-date= 6 December 2005 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ssgreatbritain.org/ArticlesandResearch.aspx |title=Articles and Research |work=SS Great Britain Trust |access-date=7 January 2009 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081121032057/http://www.ssgreatbritain.org/ArticlesandResearch.aspx |archive-date=21 November 2008 }}</ref> This being completed, the ship was "re-launched" in July 2005, and visitor access to the dry dock was restored.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Divall |first1=Colin |title=SS Great Britain |journal=The Journal of Transport History |date=2007 |volume=28 |issue=1 |url=https://www.questia.com/read/1P3-1276290231/ss-great-britain |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402150219/https://www.questia.com/read/1P3-1276290231/ss-great-britain |archive-date= 2 April 2015 }}</ref> The site is visited by over 150,000 visitors a year with a peak in numbers in 2006 when 200,000 people visited.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Case Study- Brunel's ss Great Britain |journal=Applied Animal Behaviour Science |date=31 December 1996 |volume=49 |issue=4 |url=http://usir.salford.ac.uk/12594/16/DS_Academic_Case_study_ss_Great_Britain_ist_draft-1.pdf |publisher=University of Salford |doi=10.1016/0168-1591(96)01052-0 |access-date=15 March 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402162239/http://usir.salford.ac.uk/12594/16/DS_Academic_Case_study_ss_Great_Britain_ist_draft-1.pdf |archive-date= 2 April 2015 |last1=Young |first1=R. J. |last2=Lawrence |first2=A. B. }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=SS Great Britain Trust: Annual Review 2013 |url=http://www.ssgreatbritain.org/sites/default/files/kcfinder/files/ssgreatbritain-annual-review2013.pdf |publisher=SS Great Britain |access-date=15 March 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150630032125/http://www.ssgreatbritain.org/sites/default/files/kcfinder/files/ssgreatbritain-annual-review2013.pdf |archive-date=30 June 2015 }}</ref>

===Awards===
The engineers Fenton Holloway won the [[IStructE Awards|IStructE Award]] for Heritage Buildings in 2006 for the restoration of ''Great Britain''. In May of that year, the ship won the prestigious [[Gulbenkian Prize]] for museums and galleries, now known as [[Museum of the Year]]. The chairman of the judging panel, Professor [[Robert Winston]], commented:<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.thegulbenkianprize.org.uk/press/prwinner2006.htm |title=Brunel's SS ''Great Britain'' wins Gulbenkian Prize |work=Gulbenkian Prize for museums and galleries |access-date=7 January 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090126062117/http://www.thegulbenkianprize.org.uk/press/prwinner2006.htm |archive-date=26 January 2009 }}</ref>

{{Blockquote|SS ''Great Britain'' got our unanimous vote for being outstanding at every level. It combines a truly groundbreaking piece of conservation, remarkable engineering and fascinating social history plus a visually stunning ship above and below the water line. Most importantly, the SS ''Great Britain'' is accessible and highly engaging for people of all ages.}}

The project won [[The Crown Estate Conservation Award]] in 2007,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.architecture.com/NewsAndPress/News/AwardsNews/Press/2007/SS%20Great%20Britain%20wins%20The%20Crown%20Estate%20C.aspx |title=SS ''Great Britain'' wins The Crown Estate Conservation Award |work=RIBA |access-date=31 December 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090212200150/http://www.architecture.com/NewsAndPress/News/AwardsNews/Press/2007/SS%20Great%20Britain%20wins%20The%20Crown%20Estate%20C.aspx |archive-date=12 February 2009 }}</ref> and the [[European Museum of the Year Award]]s [[Micheletti Prize]] for 'Best Industrial or Technology Museum'.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.europeanmuseumforum.eu/micheletti_prize.asp|title=The Micheletti Award|work=European Museums Forum|access-date=7 January 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080809004732/http://www.europeanmuseumforum.eu/micheletti_prize.asp|archive-date=9 August 2008}}</ref> In 2008 the educational value of the project was honoured by the Sandford Award for Heritage Education.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.heritageeducationtrust.org.uk/het_ssi/winners.shtml|title=Holders of The Sandford Award for Heritage Education|work=Heritage Education Trust|access-date=7 January 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111006035434/http://www.heritageeducationtrust.org.uk/het_ssi/winners.shtml|archive-date=6 October 2011}}</ref>

===Being Brunel===
Being Brunel is a museum dedicated to [[Isambard Kingdom Brunel]] and built on the harbour next to his ship. Opened in 2018, it holds thousands of Brunel-related items, such as his school reports, his diaries and his technical drawing instruments.<ref>{{cite web |title=Isambard Kingdom Brunel: The engineering giant with 'short man syndrome' |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-43323013 |website=BBC News |access-date=28 March 2021 |date=23 March 2018 }}</ref> Costing £2 million, it occupies buildings on the quayside including Brunel's drawing office.<ref>{{cite web |title=Being Brunel: SS ''Great Britain'' launches a new museum |url=https://www.bristolcivicsociety.org.uk/being-brunel/ |publisher=Bristol Civic Society |access-date=28 March 2021 |date=11 January 2018 |archive-date=13 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210413063318/https://www.bristolcivicsociety.org.uk/being-brunel/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> It includes a reconstruction of his dining room from Duke Street, and the drawing office has been restored to its 1850 condition.<ref>{{cite web |title=Being Brunel {{!}} Visit Bristol's No. 1 Attraction {{!}} Brunel's SS ''Great Britain'' |url=https://www.ssgreatbritain.org/about-us/being-brunel |website=www.ssgreatbritain.org |access-date=28 March 2021 }}</ref>