Stern bearing bush of SS Royal Charter

From Object Wiki

Stern bearing bush of SS Royal Charter
Manufacturer	John Penn
Production years	1850s
Production location	London

The storm which sank the SS Royal Charter off Anglesey in October 1859 gave FitzRoy the chance he needed to convince the Admiralty that he could indeed forecast the weather. It was the worst peacetime disaster of the 19th century; over 500 people died, and as the SS Great Eastern was in the area at the time (outside Holyhead harbour) with a Times reporter on board, the loss of the Royal Charter was comprehensively reported.

The bearing bush is made of bronze, with strips of the wood lignum vitae to support the propeller shaft of the main engine. Lignum vitae is self-lubricating, so required little maintenance. The other vessel known to have the same kind of bearings is HMS Warrior, but that is still afloat, so the bearings are inaccessible.

The SS Royal Charter was returning from the goldfields of Australia, and the wreck attracted considerable attention from people keen to attempt to retrieve treasure.

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[edit] In the Science Museum's Records

Inv. No: 1861-21