Editing SS Great Britain (section)

===Another extended delay===
[[File:SS Great Britain by Talbot.jpg| thumb | left | Fitting out in the [[Bristol Floating Harbour]], April 1844. This historic photograph by [[William Fox Talbot|William Talbot]] is believed to be the first ever photo of an ocean liner. ]]
Following the launch ceremony, the builders had planned to have ''Great Britain'' towed to the [[River Avon, Bristol|Avon]] for her final fitting out. Unfortunately, the harbour authorities had failed to carry out the necessary modifications to their facilities in a timely manner.{{sfn|Dumpleton|Miller|2013|p=64}} Exacerbating the problem, the ship had been widened beyond the original plans to accommodate the propeller engines, and her designers had made a belated decision to fit the engines prior to launch, which resulted in a deeper [[draft (ship)|draught]].{{sfn|Claxton|1845|p=21}}

This dilemma was to result in another costly delay for the company, as Brunel's negotiations with the Bristol Dock Board dragged on for months. It was only through the intervention of the Board of Trade that the harbour authorities finally agreed to the lock modifications, which began in late 1844.{{sfn|Ball|Wright|1981|p=13}}

After being trapped in the harbour for more than a year, ''Great Britain'' was, at last, floated out in December 1844, but not before causing more anxiety for her proprietors. After passing successfully through the first set of lock gates, she jammed on her passage through the second, which led to the [[River Avon (Bristol)|River Avon]]. Only the seamanship of Captain Claxton - who after naval service held the position of quay warden (harbour master) at Bristol - enabled her to be pulled back and severe structural damage avoided. The following day an army of workmen, under the direct control of Brunel, took advantage of the slightly higher tide and removed coping stones and lock gate platforms from the Junction Lock, allowing the [[tugboat|tug]] ''Samson'', again under Claxton's supervision, to tow the ship safely into the Avon that midnight.<ref>{{cite web|title=The creation of Bristol City docks |work=Farvis |url=http://www.farvis.com/2013site/history%20of%20bristol/bruneldocks.html |access-date=17 June 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402110611/http://www.farvis.com/2013site/history%20of%20bristol/bruneldocks.html |archive-date= 2 April 2015 }}</ref>