Home > Europe > United Kingdom > England > London > Towns > Mile End
The screw steam-ship Royal Standard in collision with an iceberg...home voyage from Melbourne, 1864. Creator: Unknown
Wall Art and Photo Gifts from Heritage Images
The screw steam-ship Royal Standard in collision with an iceberg...home voyage from Melbourne, 1864. Creator: Unknown
The screw steam-ship Royal Standard in collision with an iceberg on the home voyage from Melbourne, 1864. Engraving from a sketch by Captain G. H. Dowell, commander of the screw steam-ship Royal Standard, one of the White Star line of Australian packets...The weather [in the South Pacific Ocean] was hazy...the vessel was sailing with a fresh breeze from the north-west, ten knots an hour; her steam-engines, therefore, were not at work, and her screw-propeller was raised, while she made use of the favourable wind. Suddenly she ran into a dense fog. The look-out man...saw a large iceberg...its precipitous cliffs, 600 ft. in height, were towering above the ship...Each wave now knocked her against it...the maintopmast and the mizzen-top-mast snapped asunder...The ship, having thus lost much of her sailing power, could not now keep her hull from coming into violent contact with the iceberg...By another crash, an upper plate amidships was split, with considerable damage...the destruction of the ship seemed quite inevitable...The Royal Standard had thus rubbed shoulders with the iceberg for about half an hour, scraping along half a mile of its length, when, happily, the end of it was seen through the surrounding fog, and at last the ship got clear'. From "Illustrated London News", 1864
Heritage Images features heritage image collections
Media ID 38686285
© The Print Collector/Heritage Images
Accident Colliding Collision Damage Damaged Danger Dangerous Dramatic Foggy Iceberg Icebergs Incident Ocean Packet Boat Peril Sailing Ships Sails Steam Ship Steamship White Star Line South Pacific Ocean
FEATURES IN THESE COLLECTIONS
> Arts
> Artists
> O
> Oceanic Oceanic
> Europe
> United Kingdom
> England
> London
> Royalty
> Europe
> United Kingdom
> England
> London
> Sport
> Sailing
> Europe
> United Kingdom
> England
> London
> Towns
> Mile End
> Europe
> United Kingdom
> England
> London
> Towns
> North End
> Europe
> United Kingdom
> England
> London
> Weather
> Oceania
> Australia
> Melbourne
> Transportation
> Ships and Boats
EDITORS COMMENTS
**A Dramatic Confrontation: The Royal Standard Meets Its Match in Ice**
In this gripping print, the screw steam-ship Royal Standard is seen locked in a fierce battle with an enormous iceberg on its home voyage from Melbourne in 1864. As the vessel navigates through hazy weather conditions and dense fog, it suddenly finds itself face-to-face with the towering monolith of ice. The look-out man's cry alerts the crew to danger as the ship is repeatedly knocked against the unforgiving cliffs, causing significant damage.
The Royal Standard's masts snap under pressure, leaving her sailing power severely impaired. As she scrapes along half a mile of icy length, it seems that destruction is inevitable. Yet, after what must have been an agonizing 30 minutes of struggle, the crew finally spots the end of the iceberg through the fog and manages to escape its deadly grasp.
This dramatic engraving from Captain G.H. Dowell's sketch captures the intensity and chaos of this fateful encounter between man-made technology and nature's fury. The Royal Standard may have emerged victorious in this instance, but it serves as a poignant reminder of the perils faced by mariners on the high seas during an era when navigation was still largely dependent on human skill and observation rather than modern aids like radar or GPS.
MADE IN THE USA
Safe Shipping with 30 Day Money Back Guarantee
FREE PERSONALISATION*
We are proud to offer a range of customisation features including Personalised Captions, Color Filters and Picture Zoom Tools
FREE COLORIZATION SERVICE
You can choose advanced AI Colorization for this picture at no extra charge!
SECURE PAYMENTS
We happily accept a wide range of payment options so you can pay for the things you need in the way that is most convenient for you
* Options may vary by product and licensing agreement. Zoomed Pictures can be adjusted in the Cart.
